Meet Emma Ruehl

At Digett, we pride ourselves on hiring people who embrace our vision and enhance our company’s culture. The newest member of our team is Marketing Coordinator, Emma Ruehl. This transplanted Texan comes to Digett by way of Colorado, and it’s safe to say she fits right in. Emma has already embraced the scorching summer heat and Mexican food as a food group.  

We sat down with Emma to find out more about her passions, her experience and what she loves most about Digett. Here’s what she had to say:

You relocated from Colorado to work at Digett. What about the opportunity appealed to you most?

I've been searching for a company that plays well with my creativity, thirst for learning, smart strategy, and values. I'm so thankful to have found that in Digett. I love what I do here, and the whole Digett team is incredibly forward-thinking and innovative.

You're new to San Antonio. What has been your favorite part of the city so far? What are you most excited to experience? 

It's hard to beat Colorado, but I think San Antonio takes the cake. I hate to sound unoriginal, but my favorite part of the city so far is the riverwalk. I felt like I was stepping down into a jungle the first time I saw it, and all of the shops and restaurants are perfectly nestled next to the water. I'm most excited to explore the city more and find little nooks and local spots that make the city rich with culture and history.

Tell us about your background and why you chose marketing as a career.

I found marketing because my three paths of interest, writing, art, and persuasion, converged here. If you ask my college comrades, they would most likely tout this convergence to my obsession with Mad Men. Nevertheless, I love creating strategic messages. I love the opportunity to solve a seemingly impossible problem, and I think this is much of what the best marketing strategy does.

What is the most memorable project you've ever worked on?

I worked for the YMCA in college. One of their most popular events is the yearly "Turkey Trot," a family 5k on Thanksgiving Day. In the past, the Y stuck to only a mass email to members, a print brochure in the lobby, and a couple posters up in the building. This year, I was given free rein.

I wanted people who entered the Y building to interact with the event and get them to look at it in a different, fresh way. This brought me to the zoo. Not literally, but you know those footprints you sometimes see leading up to animal exhibits that are specific to each animal? I wanted those--but a less permanent, more turkey version.

Using long rolls of lamination paper, a turkey foot stencil, a sponge, and latex paint, I created the footprint stickers. When placed on the floor of the lobby, only the color of the stencil footprint was visible. I wound the footprints from the front door, past the member sign-in desk (where you can purchase a membership if you are a non-member), near the Y cafe (where you can buy snacks and drinks), to the Turkey Trot registration table. Each time I left my back office to enter a lobby, a Y staff member would stop me and let me know how many children (and adults) were hopping on the stencils and enjoying the new lobby element. We had record event participation that year.

What makes Digett different from other places you've worked?

Everyone here is honest, sincere, hard-working, and truly has a passion for their work. It's incredibly refreshing and inspiring. It's a great culture to exist in, and one I'd love to perpetuate.

Design and copywriting are two of your many specialities. How can really great graphics and quality content work together to make an impact on a company's marketing strategy?

You really can't have one without the other. Without great graphics, people won't want to read your content. Pretty pictures and the latest designs may catch people's eyes, but they'll leave if they don't find the real meat and trust your brand. I love that these two are intertwined. They hold up marketing strategy: they're the guide that ensures everyone is on the same page. If we say our company is this "thing," our coworkers know to communicate and work with this "thing" in mind. Customers know us by this "thing," and they can pick us out of a crowd. They can depend on us to serve them with exactly what they're expecting. Marketing is about picking something you're good at, telling the world, and sticking to it.

What are some of your favorite design elements/trends?

There are some incredibly talented artists out there. I'm currently obsessed with typography: the inked-out scripts, the poke-you-in-the-eye dimensional, the jumbled mess, the minimalist, the architectural, and even the type physically cut from real items like food. Type is personality. My type of design mixes the literal and unexpected to say messages quickly and boldly. Editing isn't just for writers, so if you can convey a message with less elements, I'm a big fan of that. Design should be remembered and is best when it's clever and relevant.

Tell us about any hidden talents are little-known facts about you!

I'm an expert on the Home Alone movies (1 and 2, the only ones that count). I've probably seen them collectively about a hundred times, so I'm pretty sure I can run through every movie frame in my head. Scary, I know. BUZZ, YOUR GIRLFRIEND! WOOF!