| MADISON FIRM A WEB TRIPLE THREAT
Reprinted from Business New Haven, 10/29/2007
Creative Services Group, LLC of Madison was honored with four W3 Awards. The annual W3 Awards honors outstanding Web sites, Web marketing and Web video created by interactive agencies, designers and creators worldwide. The W3 is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), an invitation-only body consisting of professionals from a "Who's Who" of media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms.
"This was the first time we've entered this competition," said Kim Barker Craven, president of Creative Services Group. She says she was honored to be standing among firms of this caliber. "All four of the sites we entered were designed with a keen eye towards maximizing their strength and functionality as marketing tools."
Established in 1991 by Barker Craven, Creative Services Group specializes in strategic branding, graphic design and integrated print and Web programs. It specializes in business-to-business, business-to-consumer, educational marketing and communications and, most recently, an initiative to guide clients in making environmentally responsible choices that will help them be seen as "green."
IAVA Director Linda Day says this year's entries were the strongest yet. These awards were given at a time when Internet advertising revenues set another new record. $10 billion, for the first half of 2007. This figure, compiled and released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers earlier in October, represents a nearly 27-percent increase over the first half of 2006. Internet advertising revenue totaled nearly $5.1 billion for the second quarter of 2007, exceeding the $5 billion mark for the first time in a quarter, a 25.4-percent increase over the same period in 2006.
The growth is characterized as "torrid," and it's welcome news to Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau. "More and more marketers have embraced the reality that interactive is the fulcrum on which their brand strategies need to be based and we expect robust growth to continue."
The record-setting revenues mean more opportunity and more competition for companies such as Creative Services Group.
Says Day: "We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of this year's entries. W3 winners continue to raise the bar in Web development and design, push the limits of Web advertising creative and pioneer the use of Web video. We are thrilled to have reviewed such a diverse and respected pool of work."
Creative Services Group entered three Web-based campaigns in the Microsite category and took a Silver Award for each:
• Corbin Russwin's Museo Collection (www.corbinrusswinmuseo.com)
• Reflections By Yale (www.reflectionsbyyale.com)
• Sargent Studio Collection (www.studiocollection.com)
Additionally, Creative Services Group picked up a Silver W3 Award for the design of its own Web site (www.creativeservicesgroup.net).
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