Studiobanks recently launched a trio of integrated microsites for Allen Tate Company’s homeownership services, insurance and mortgage divisions. These online destinations provide customers with detailed, interactive content applicable to their unique needs.

Home Services connects homeowners with quality, pre-screened home service providers – from simple home repairs to major renovations. Customers can search service providers by their needs and location.

Insurance provides comprehensive information about the company’s full-service insurance coverage options. Instant chat and rate quote features quickly provide customers with personalized information.

Mortgage is a valuable resource guide for consumers looking to purchase or refinance a home. Features include mortgage calculators, online applications, an application checklist, a terms glossary and easy access to Allen Tate mortgage consultants who serve as mentors throughout the mortgage process.

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Once upon a time in a creative land far, far away, account managers were viewed simply as project planners and not creative-types. These account managers were expected to know about budgets, timelines and client relations, with very little input on creative concept, design and implementation. But as the creative world evolved into a digital-centric universe, so did the role of its account managers. Digital producers emerged with an entirely new playbook, or shall I say, storybook.

My, what big ideas you have! Today's digital producers are active participants during concepting meetings, thinking strategically and contributing big ideas. We bring a unique skill set that combines project management expertise and a strong passion for digital marketing. Digital producers need not be shy about sharing ideas among designers and developers. After all, collaborating with a team is far better then strolling through the dark, scary forest all alone.

Mirror, mirror on the wall... As the liaison between clients and the creative team, digital producers must be sharp communicators. Just like the magical mirror in Snow White, delivering delicate news is sometimes part of the job description. Perhaps a client is hesitant to trust a remarkable design concept, or a developer wants to incorporate an ubercool feature that just isn't in the budget. Digital producers must tread lightly as they carefully determine who truly is the fairest of them all.

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This year's Charlotte ADDY Awards Show & Preview Gallery brought together a record 275 industry professionals to celebrate creative excellence in our community. The Mint Museum Uptown provided a gorgeous setting that matched the evening's award-winning, artistic achievements.

During the Awards Show, Studiobanks was presented with the following awards:

• Gold ADDY: Parker Poe Holiday Microsite
• Gold ADDY: Studiobanks Holiday Microsite
• Silver ADDY: CMA Awards Website
• Silver ADDY: CMA Country Christmas Microsite
• Silver ADDY: Muzak A/V Systems Website
• Silver ADDY: Reel-Scout Marketing Website
• Silver ADDY: Reel-Scout Search Website
• Silver ADDY: SAFER Barrier Website
• Silver ADDY: Varrow Website

Awards are an important part of our industry as they benchmark creative excellence and online success. We happily accepted these awards on behalf of the collabortive efforts and partnerships with our awesome clients.

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Digital marketing agency, Studiobanks recently designed two new websites for the Carolinas’ largest real estate company, Allen Tate Company. The new Careers (careers.allentate.com) and School of Real Estate (school.allentate.com) websites will become premier, interactive resources for anyone considering a career in real estate, or current agents looking to enhance their professional skills.

These sites offer engaging user experiences that will serve Allen Tate’s overall goal to continuously attract and retain the very best real estate agents,” said Banks Wilson, Studiobanks’ president and creative director. “Our digital marketing efforts were all about keeping Allen Tate Company on the cutting edge and in tune to the desires of their clients and Realtors®.”

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In the wake of the current economic recession, marketing budgets are going to become a lot tighter in 2009. We already see evidence of this as companies search for the best bang of each marketing dollar spent. We expect this trend to grow as companies plan their 2009 budgets. With a renewed focus on ROI and effective marketing, companies will inevitably focus on their online marketing strategies for next year. With that we offer our “Top 5 Interactive Marketing Tips for 2009.”

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When discussing usability, I tend to bounce from element to element - menu this, font-size that and so on. The last year or two introduced some non-design elements to the conversation, like AJAX, accessibility and semantics. Not until the last few months, however, have I considered URL construction an important part of usability. SEO, sure, but usability? Never.

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I just finished reading two great books on branding, The Brand Gap and Zag. The book's author Marty Neumeier is president of San Francisco based Neutron, a brand consulting firm. I highly recommend these two books to anyone involved in marketing or running a company. I have already been able to apply some of their teachings into my work with our client's marketing strategies.

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The ADDYs are the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition, recognizing and rewarding creative excellence. This year more than 50 Charlotte-area companies submitted over 375 entries of work to the Charlotte ADDY competition. Only 135, or roughly 35%, of those entries were honored with an ADDY Award. We are happy to announce Studiobanks received 7 of those ADDYs. We snagged 5 of the 12 ADDYs bestowed on website development. Studiobanks was the only shop to win a Gold ADDY for web development.

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