12.08 - Interactive advertising agency wins marketing, utility Web site media honors

Sensis-designed sites awarded outstanding achievement by Interactive Media Council LOS ANGELES – Interactive advertising agency Sensis has received two Interactive Media Awards™ for Web site design and development from the Interactive Media Council (IMC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the standards of excellence on the Internet. The sites, www.SensisAgency.com and www.WestBasin.org, earned honors from the council for outstanding achievement in the marketing and utilities industry categories, respectively. The Interactive Media Awards recognize the highest standards of excellence in Web site design and development and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement. Outstanding Achievement awards recognize outstanding Web sites that have received top marks in four of the five judging criteria categories, which include design, content, feature functionality, usability and standards compliance and cross-browser compatibility. “Web sites can no longer be static pages where people come, scroll and then leave. You must captivate your visitors while also achieving your objectives,” Sensis CEO Jose Villa said. “We are especially honored to win an award for our agency’s Web site. Because we are always focusing on our clients’ needs, it is sometimes difficult to get around to working on our own brand as well. Our site really represents what we are about as an agency, what we are capable of and where we can take our clients in the future.” Sensis relaunched its Web site in July, adding two blogs and additional case studies and sample creative to fully showcase the agency’s work in interactive and multicultural advertising. The site also provides visitors with an opportunity to sign up for the agency’s e-newsletter and Sensis Tips, which offer insightful advice on the latest trends and strategies in interactive advertising. “Many agency Web sites are extremely creative and eye-catching but do so at the cost of usability and search engine optimization. We didn’t want to make that trade off, so we used our Web development experience to create a well-designed site that is user-friendly, searchable and portrays the creativity that our agency brings to each of our clients,” Villa said. “Since we redesigned the site, we’ve witnessed an increase in visitors and are able to conduct search engine marketing campaigns more cost effectively.” The West Basin Municipal Water District site was designed to reach a large target audience including residents, customer agencies, educators and the scientific community. Sensis created a site that divided the content into individual audiences and presented it in engaging ways. The site also features interactive educational tools including an explanation of the water recycling process and a home water conservation tour.