Texas Tech University, founded in 1923 as Texas Technological College, is marking decades’ worth of achievements with a centennial celebration across Lubbock, the state of Texas, and the nation. Photo by Melanie Escalante.
By Melanie Escalante / The Hub@TTU
Whether the victory bells ring across campus or not, you can often hear Techsans exchanging the traditional “Raider Power ” throughout the year as they carry on decades worth of tradition and honor. But with an abundance of traditions, such as this one, how does an ever-growing institution celebrate the spirit and grit of a centennial celebration?
James Hering, principal at The Richards Group (TRG) and Tech alum, said not only do you celebrate past milestones, you create a springboard for the next 100 years, resulting in the centennial slogan, Eyes on the horizon. A phrase, Hering said, empowers Red Raiders to strive for leadership and achievement.
“That connection between the two, we not just lead, but we’ll get down and dirty, get our hands messy, and do whatever it takes to actually make things happen,” Hering said. “You can lead but if you don’t accomplish, what’s the point of leading? You go nowhere.”
The opportunity for Hering to assist with the celebration came in 2019 when the Office of the President invited TRG to submit a request for proposal to help create the centennial campaign following the company’s participation in the Texas Tech Alumni Association rebrand in 2018.
Having an alum who knows the history of the association, the history of the university and an understanding of what it means to be a Red Raider was incredibly beneficial for the rebrand, said Kristina Butler, current vice president of marketing at the Texas Tech Alumni Association who served as the project lead in 2018.
Butler said Hering was the main representative from TRG who worked directly with Tech and was instrumental in setting goals, researching and relaying messages.
The 2018 theme for the rebranding of TTAA was you’re one of us.
“If you are prone to toss tortillas onto a football kickoff, you’re one of us. If your superhero rides a horse and wears a cape, you’re one of us,” Hering said.
It was more than a logo rebrand, it was a concept aimed to highlight family and fellowship to bring alumni together, Butler said. Coming from a family of Red Raiders herself, creating that relatable message was one of her proudest moments in leading the task.
Photo by Melanie Escalante.
“His passion for Texas Tech really resonated through the project for us. His connection with Tech really made a difference,” Butler said. “James’ passion for Texas Tech resonates with this project as well (centennial) and so it’s just a great fit.”
The Lubbock, Texas native said he is particularly proud of Tech’s desire to encompass the entire ecosystem surrounding the college including current students, prospective students, alumni of all ages and everyone a part of the global campus communities.
“We feel we leveraged what is truly a highly recognized aspect of our entire brand identity and that is the scarlet and the black,” Hering said. “Putting those two things together, encapsulating the seal, encapsulating the DoubleT in a bold, unexpected mark truly sets us apart.”
When thinking about the competitive nature between the athletic and academic departments, as well as the many logos Tech has been prolific in generating, it was a challenge to bring every element together in a tasteful way — a challenge Hering said they were excited to tackle.
If you look around at the merchandise worn by constituents from every college on campus, it is possible you will find different symbols at the center crest of the 100 mark that represents a specific college or department. The idea in creating a dynamic brand identity was to allow personalization while still maintaining unity as a university celebrating their 100th birthday, Hering said.
Centennial advertisements can be found via online digital videos, social media, television, airport media and various other forms of media including Texas Monthly, a regional and state magazine headquartered in the home of long-time Texas Tech rivals — the Texas Longhorns.
In addition to creating media content, Hering said they wanted to amplify the experience on campus via experiential art installations such as the 16 by 30-foot wide walk-through 100 on Memorial Circle and the marker on Broadway that can be seen as people enter campus.
Photo by Melanie Escalante.
Martha Hodgins, senior advertising and brand strategies major from Tucumcari, New Mexico, said she had the opportunity to work on the experiential aspect of the campaign during a class she took last spring, as TRG was looking for student perspectives when producing ideas and data.
“I was like, ‘this is something I want to be a part of,’” Hodgins said. “I love this school so much. I want to see the next 100 years and I want to see people like me who have the same love and the same feel for this school, and want to preserve its traditions and see it grow.”
Hering would meet with students via Zoom to ensure everyone was on the same page before hearing their pitch face-to-face when the class flew to Dallas in April, Hodgins said.
Through their work together, Hering was also able to help Hodgins with her research project about the culture of advertising agencies regarding people of color.
Hodgins said she is drawn to the experiential side of campaigns because they bring people together. The focus in designing experiential ideas for the centennial was to bring in the community, demonstrating that Lubbock is part of Tech in the same way Tech is a part of Lubbock.
Working directly with Hering and TRG was a unique opportunity that gave her insight as to how companies function in the real world, she added. Having a team of about 15 classmates who put in the same amount of care and hard work into the project helped her see the work culture she wants to be a part of.
Hering held an open-door policy with students despite being a busy man with a lot on his plate and is still always willing to listen, she added.
“You can have a really great conversation with him and I think that is what makes our college, Tech for one, but our college (College of Media and Communication) so important is that we have alumni that want to help students and want to see them succeed,” Hodgins said.
Creating the anticipation before the start of the centennial year was trivial in ensuring maximum interaction in all of the celebratory events — the first being Carol of the Lights which had five times the average number of people in attendance, Hering said.
“We’ve (Tech) kind of had this quiet humbleness about us, well I think we’ve gone past that now, in fact so much so that rather than talking about being big, we now talk about being bold,” Hering said, “and that was really critical, that was an important tonality to the entire brand.”
The media has been abuzz with talk of the incredible events that have been hosted and we are only two months into the year, added Hering.
However, the celebration isn’t just for Lubbock, people around the state and nation will be talking about Texas Tech celebrating its centennial, as the Goin’ Band will make their debut at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York in 2023.
Hering said his work on the centennial campaign has been the hallmark of his career. With an open heart and an overflow of passion, it was an easy assignment to do alongside the rest of the TRG team and the Office of the President and their marketing staff.
“We created — I think — something truly, truly special,” Hering said. “It was a combination of pride and gratitude, pride in that all of this came together and I had the opportunity to work on it, but gratitude to see that this is something that’s truly going to benefit Tech and future generations, and really take something that we know and love, and just really amplify it for the benefit of so many others.”
To learn more about the centennial celebration, visit 100.ttu.edu.
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