WORK
- Ammann & Whitney
- IPT Investigative Projects
- iStar Financial
- PR Newswire
- Sealed Air
- SoundShore Financial
- Standard Motor Products
- Turner Construction
Ammann & Whitney
Ammann & Whitney | Case Study
Client
Ammann & Whitney, founded in 1946, is one of the world’s preeminent engineering and architecture firms. Over the course of the company’s stunning history, Ammann & Whitney has been involved in the design and/or renovation and upgrades of such seminal constructs as the Verrazano Narrows, George Washington and Golden Gate Bridges; the Statue of Liberty; the US Capitol Building; Lincoln Center; the Washington, DC Metro; Dulles International Airport; and the Jet Blue Terminal at JFK Airport. Among Ammann & Whitney’s many services, which are used for both small-scale and large-scale projects, are fresh construction, renovation and adaptive reuse, historic preservation, interior design and sustainable design. The firm is an international leader in engineering for long span suspension bridges, blast resistant/hardened and cable-supported structures, and seismic designs.
Challenge
Ammann & Whitney needed a way to convey its core competencies and incredible design legacy – in particular, its expertise in bridge design, construction and renovation -- in a clear, concise way. Its existing site was clunky, old, and failed to showcase the firm’s work in an appealing manner. “The focus of this project was imagery,” says David Sheldon, eSolutions Manager at Multimedia Solutions. “This was the challenge: How do we show their images in a way that a potential client of theirs would be wowed?” This meant figuring out a way to combine stunning photography of Ammann & Whitney’s work with smart navigation, while providing valuable information about the firm’s services. In addition, Ammann & Whitney had to upgrade its outdated site admin tools, overhaul its content management system, and add or improve completely new sections (News, Careers) to its site. It was a lot to bring together into an elegant, unified whole, while somehow managing to always feature breathtaking pictures of Ammann & Whitney’s projects as evidence of its unmatched work.
Solution
Multimedia Solutions’ answer to this problem -- instead of hiding Ammann & Whitney’s photographs away in some hard-to-find sub-menu or buried someplace equally difficult to locate -- was to create a new landing page that would greet visitors with a widescreen, uncluttered, celebratory exhibit of photographs from various Ammann & Whitney projects, coupled with an unobtrusive navigation bar. This made for a successful showcase of the company’s work while providing an attractive, easy-to-use entrance point into the further pages of the site. The key design element within the newly restructured site, however, was essentially a custom-designed flash portfolio, which brought together imagery and information in an intuitive way. “We developed a flash-based slider,” says Sheldon, “that can be populated with all their projects, and a flash-based window to highlight the imagery.” The slider allows users to see and read about Ammann & Whitney’s wide array of projects and services quickly and easily, and solved the major issue of presenting the company’s work in a way that would impress users and detail the types of services offered. The new site, completely rebranded, modernized, and stylishly designed, epitomizes Ammann & Whitney’s philosophy and work, while always reminding visitors of the company’s impressive history and continued relevance in modern architecture.
Provident Direct
Provident Direct | Case Study
Client
Provident was founded in 1839 and has served more than eight generations of customers. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century's, many immigrants came to America in search of a better life and settled in Jersey City, "America's Golden Door." Provident was there to serve the financial needs of these new citizens and to help them get started in their new country. Provident's founders pledged to invest its depositors? money prudently for mutual and equal benefit, and both the bank and its customers flourished.
Challenge
To design and deploy a Provident Bank Direct website "micro-site". The site's goal is to drive new online account enrollment for three competitive banking products as part of The Provident Bank's new division called Provident Direct.
Solution
Multimedia Solutions developed a microsite which showcases three core new products for The Provident Bank under a new division called "Provident Direct." Three high-impact landing pages were developed for consumers to arrive via paid online search engine marketing. These landing pages had to quickly engage the consumer with rich graphics and flash animation to initiate further interest in the product. Detailed product information pages were created which linked consumers to a third party sign up partner. Multimedia Solutions had to design the microsite to be a persuasive, stand alone marketing vehicle for The Provident Bank's three showcase products.
Sealed Air
Sealed Air | Case Study
Client
Founded in 1960, Sealed Air is a leading global innovator and manufacturer of a wide range of protective packaging and performance-based materials essential to many consumer and industrial markets. Operating in 51 countries, Sealed Air combines sales expertise with a global network of science and innovation to demonstrate how better packaging makes the world a better place.
Challenge
To convey Sealed Air's commitment to social & environmental responsibility through a citizenship website communicating their vision, principals and goals.
Solution
Multimedia Solutions created a website that re-affirms Sealed Air's social responsibility, and commitment to environmental safety and excellence around the globe with a special dedication to growth in emerging economies. The website features corporate compliance statements, a CEO message, and individual global profiles of how Sealed Air is providing products and services that add value to the local economy while minimizing our environmental impact.
Con Edison
Con Edison | Case Study
Client
Consolidated Edison Company of New York (Con Edison), a regulated utility, provides electric service throughout New York City and most of Westchester County.
Challenge
Con Edison asked Multimedia Solutions to create a fun interactive online gaming environment that teaches users the "Power of Green" to conserve energy within their home. The objective was to educate, but the challenge was to communicate this knowledge in an engaging, playful and amusing way that consumers can understand by testing their energy savings IQ.
Solution
Multimedia Solutions created a flash-based online gaming interface where users earn points by completing everyday tasks requiring energy in the home to "Go Green and save some green". If a user selects the most energy efficient choice available, they score more points.
Two realistic home environments were designed. Visitors can choose their dwelling type (home or apartment) and then select the room they would like to play first; living room, kitchen, bedroom, or utility room.
Each room contains rich graphics that display interactive electronics and appliances. Users are prompted (by mouse over hot spots) to select an action that can either save money or waste energy. When a user makes the correct or "Green" choice, a scoreboard records their achievements and number tally. Users can compare their score with other players as well as learn tips about going green and energy saving with links to more information.
Standard Motor Products
Standard Motor Products | Case Study
Client
Standard Motor Products, Inc., (SMP) is a leading independent manufacturer, distributor and marketer of replacement parts for motor vehicles in the automotive aftermarket industry, with an increasing focus on the original equipment and original equipment service markets. Their stock is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (SMP) where it has been listed since 1977.
Challenge
How to allow different user types to access a vast array of information silos that currently reside in over a dozen autonomous brand companies as well as corporate information to serve the investor and shareholder community. SMP needed to create a global brand entity whose reach extended over all the brand companies, while at the same time allowing each brand to have an appropriate degree of individual brand autonomy.
Solution
Multimedia Solutions developed a corporate portal infrastructure which from a navigational standpoint, seamlessly integrates content residing at each of the individual brand companies with the corporate portal website giving the site visitor virtually single click access to any desired information directly from the corporate portal homepage. Additionally, Multimedia Solutions integrated a centralized data warehouse that contains all product catalog information that once resided in over a dozen disparate databases. To create a more simplified portal administration, Multimedia Solutions designed a full complement of site administration tools providing with SMP administrators with the ability to create and deploy new customized micro sites fully integrated into the portal infrastructure on demand and in a fully automated fashion.
IPT Investigative Projects
IPT Investigative Projects | Case Study
Client
The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) is a non-profit research group founded by Steven Emerson in 1995, and is considered the world's most comprehensive data bank on radical Islamic terrorist groups. The IPT has investigated the operations, funding, activities and front groups of Islamic extremist groups in the United States and around the world, and has become a valuable resource to government agencies in the fight against terrorism. Research generated by the IPT team has acted as a foundation for thousands of television and print articles on Islamic terrorism, and has even helped springboard government action against terrorists and their financial backers based in the United States.
Challenge
The IPT hosts a staggering amount of information, including everything from terrorist profiles to court case summaries to current news. How do you organize and present such a wide array of lengthy, dense information in an easy-to-find, readable way? “There was no way to either search or sort their content,” says Multimedia Solutions’ David Sheldon of the IPT’s original site. Navigation was sloppy, non-related articles were confusingly lumped together, and searching for something specific was a cumbersome experience. Thus, the question for Multimedia Solutions, as Sheldon says, was “How do we take all this content that they have and make it really easy to get to and look at quickly?”
Solution
The answer for Multimedia Solutions was to create the Web equivalent of a properly organized filing cabinet: “Court Cases,” “Reports,” “Groups & Individuals,” and other new sections are properly placed under “Research Center” in the IPT’s newly streamlined navigation bar; a blog and “New Content” feed are prominently located on the home page, making the latest information readily available upon landing; a working search tool was implemented, making broad and specific keywords easily findable across any and all articles available on the site. Ultimately, the IPT now feels more comprehensive, clean and content-rich than ever before, with repeat traffic continually increasing.
ISE / FX Options
ISE / FX Options | Case Study
Client
FX Options are exchange-listed securities that are traded on the International Securities Exchange®, one of the world’s premier U.S. options exchanges. ISE FX Options are cash-settled in US dollars and can be traded directly from one’s existing brokerage account.
Challenge
ISE wanted to create a brand-new, one-stop site for anyone interested in trading options; a site that featured charts, trade alerts, news, contests, and more. The main issue was figuring out a way to take its original content, along with its several news feeds, and presenting it all cleanly – not an easy task considering the constant flow of worldwide information regarding trading options.
Solution
Working closely with ISE, Multimedia Solutions developed a branded, feature-rich site that organized information in a user-friendly way. “It was a collaboration,” says Kerwin Smith, Senior Project Manager at Multimedia Solutions. “We helped them in terms of placement of their feeds, and of course, all the look and feel is ours.” Feedback forms, calendars, and complex charts – representing data from different currencies around the world -- were also integrated into the site. The newly added contests receive thousands of fresh hits and entries, and overall site traffic has continually grown since inception. “It’s a site that has important instruments for people who want to trade,” Smith explains as one of the reasons for the increase in unique visitors. “They go here and find it useful.”
iStar Financial
PR Newswire
Relegence / AOL
SoundShore Financial
TriLine
TriLine | Case Study
Client
Founded in February of 2000 by José Velazquez, a well-known construction professional with over 40 years of industry experience, Tri-Line is a full service General Contracting/Construction Management firm. Offering a wide array of construction solutions with unmatched expertise, Tri-Line is quickly rising to the level of industry leader.
Challenge
While Tri-Line came to Multimedia Solutions to develop a more current, functional Web page, its major need with the new site was to better convey what the company is and everything they do; in other words, Tri-Line needed to address issues of positioning. “I think the main problem,” says Kerwin Smith of Multimedia Solutions, “was that people did not know the breadth of their services.” What we wanted to do was articulate those services effectively.” This meant combining the right imagery with the right text, presenting it in a compelling way, and reformatting the site to match.
Solution
The first step in overcoming the issue of a too-narrow perception was to feature photos, in a new flash-based landing page, showing all services provided – this meant including images of hard-hat workers mid-construction, design engineers developing plans, handsome interior design, and more. “We wanted to make sure,” says Smith, “that people understood this was not just an engineering firm.” A new site navigation bar was developed, clearly labeling various services provided (Pre-Construction, General Contracting, and Construction Management) as well as showcasing an easy-to-read list of projects and clients to further show Tri-Line’s varied work and expertise. In addition, Multimedia Solutions developed a brand-new content management system for Tri-Line that made it extremely easy to make changes to the new site – from adding and deleting bios to presenting new projects to displaying compelling photos – and give the company more direct control over how to portray itself online in the years to come.
Turner Construction
Dime Bank
Dime Bank | Case Study
Client
Dime, launched in 1864, is one of the great success stories of American business. The mainstay bank has stayed true to its focus on basic yet important services centered around community, including personal and business banking, home loans, business financing, and financial guidance. Its commitment to customers with personalized, quality service remains its guiding principle.
Challenge
Dime came to Multimedia Solutions needing a brand-new, functional Web page, but it also wanted to completely revamp its marketing and positioning in relation to other banks. “Dime had this whole new branding effort,” explains Kerwin Smith of Multimedia Solutions. “They wanted to emphasize the fact that they’re a community bank, that they’re not big and are at a size where they’re personable, and can deal with you one-to-one.” The company also wanted to celebrate its legacy – Dime has been serving New York for over 145 years – and has weathered many economic storms where other banks have been washed away. Thus, Multimedia Solutions needed to create a visual component to the new site that would illustrate why Dime is different from other banks, convey its history, and sell its services. This project would be a test of how to delicately mix smart marketing with technical acumen.
Solution
The key to the driving home all of Dime’s needs – from its new marketing initiative to providing a more user-friendly site – lied in simplicity. The most noticeable improvement is the new flash-based photography on the home page, featuring families, bankers meeting individually with customers, a Dime-sponsored little league team, and more. These reflect Dime’s desired positioning of being thought of as a smaller, more personal operation, in an easy-to-understand way, and the site redesign matches the tone of the imagery. Everything expresses simplicity, with just three main buttons – Personal Banking, Business Banking, and Commercial Lending – representing Dime’s core services. “I think the key thing about this site,” explains Smith “is that it’s very easy to navigate anywhere. The content is not dense. It’s very straightforward and to the point, and it gives you the call to actions you’re looking for – from Print a Page to Open an Account, [which is only] a four-step process. It’s just made to be an easy experience.”
Hapoalim Bank USA
Hapoalim Bank USA | Case Study
Client
Hapoalim Securities USA, Inc. ("Hapoalim Securities") is a NYSE broker/dealer specializing in value added investment strategy services and products for institutional and high net worth private investors.
Challenge
To create a corporate marketing website for marketing information about Hapoalim Securities, its management team, its offerings, and provide a secured information repository for portfolio holders and financial advisors that are associated with Hapoalim.
Solution
Multimedia Solutions developed a site that allows Hapoalim analysts to create and publish research documents that allow authorized recipients that is portfolio holders and financial advisors to log in and access research information with a secured login. Not only does it provide a secured platform for publishing companies and research information, the site boasts a robust publishing platform that automates work flow publishing such that analyst can create research documents. These research documents and automatically flow to compliance officers for approval and upon approval then automatically become published on the website. All pages on the site are dynamic with editing tools that allow authorized administrators to easily update site content through WISYWIG content editing tools as well as the ability to add new departments, add new content sections for new department and add and edit bio information.
Kyocera Mita
Kyocera Mita | Case Study
Client
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Challenge
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Solution
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Presidential Life
Presidential Life | Case Study
Client
Presidential Life Insurance Company, founded in 1965 and located in Nyack, New York, is a leading provider of fixed deferred and immediate annuities and life insurance products to financial service professionals and their clients nationwide. While the company continues to grow, it remains true to a core set of values -- "the three Ps" -- people, product and patience.
Challenge
Marketing and positioning are hugely important for any business, and as more and more customers go online, a company’s Web site is crucial in accurately presenting everything, from services offered to company values and culture. Presidential Life’s old site simply conveyed the wrong image about the company. “It didn’t look like a life insurance firm’s Web site should,” says David Sheldon of Multimedia Solutions. “A life insurance site should appear comforting, and say, ‘We’re here to help provide financially should the bad things happen.’” In addition, there was a need to modernize the site with a new front-end interface, as well as simplify the process for President Life’s own agents to be able to quickly choose the single specific form – among hundreds -- that would match the needs of unique prospective customers. It was a complicated project that would call on Multimedia Solutions’ design and technical wizardry.
Solution
To meet these various needs, Multimedia Solutions developed a marketing Web site reflecting the company, the products, its clients, and philosophy. Imagery focusing on family and security – much more appropriate for a company like Presidential Life – and matching copy (“Simple and Safe,” “Financial Choices for a Secure Tomorrow,” etc.) became the visual centerpiece of the new site. Information was reorganized and streamlined to make key products (Life Insurance, Deferred Annuities, etc.) reachable at all times. A fully customized content management solution – known as What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) for its ability to allow one to create online content and see how it will appear in real-time, without the need to understand HTML or complicated code -- was also created, allowing the company to easily control both the front and back-end of the new site. Most significantly, in addressing the major issue of streamlining its form selection process, Multimedia Solutions built a tool that narrowed the procedure down to just four simple fields. Thus, the new site was one that delivered the proper marketing, customer and internal employee experiences necessary to help Presidential Life’s business grow.
