Project Description: Dell Computer Corp

Overview:
Internet Provider Division (IPD), a division of Dell Computer Corp., provides NT-based Web servers and unique consulting and support services to the Service Provider (SP) industry, which includes ISPs, ASPs, MSPs and Web site hosts. Dell wanted to create an integrated campaign that positioned them as an alternative to Unix-based Web servers and as a superior solution to NT-based Web servers. Dell's primary objective was to increase awareness among SPs and their secondary objective was to sign SPs up to the program.

Challenge:
I had to create a strategy that would reach IT Directors and other decision makers within SPs and, ideally, reach the top 10% of a small target market of 12,000 SPs. A secondary challenge was dealing with a resistant client. While Dell as a whole is very aggressive and successful online, IPD did not leverage Dell's experience or resources and as a result did not know how to market online. I had to educate them on the differences between an offline and online campaign and how to maximize an online campaign's effectiveness.

Result:
The campaign was a success. The impression goals were met and the online campaign generated as many requests as they getting offline on a weekly basis.

Visit Dell's web site.

Project Description: Allied Riser Corp.

Overview:
Allied Riser Corporation (ARC) is an In-Building Service Provider of broadband Internet access. ARC wires high-rise buildings across the nation with fiber optic cable at no cost to the building owner and charges tenants for setup and monthly usage. ARC had already tried radio and magazines, which didn't produce the desired results. Their solution was to focus on proximity marketing and integrate the Internet into their marketing mix.

Challenge:
A change in management resulted in a mandate to implement an interactive marketing plan that consisted of a few vague bullets points. My role was to first learn what they wanted to do and then persuade them to allow us to create an embedded, integrated marketing plan.

Result:
Once the client was convinced that their implementation budget would be better spent creating a plan, a proposal was drafted and the project was won. I created an embedded, integrated marketing plan, which included client discovery meetings, competitive analysis research and the marketing plan. I didn't stay to see the plan implemented, but I am told the client was impressed and accepted the plan.

Visit ARC's web site.

Project Description: DrPepper

Overview:
Dr Pepper wanted to create a promotional site to reach the pre-teen and early teen market online. They wanted to create an entertainment site that was an extension of their offline identity. They incorporated the characters (Cool and his friends) used in their traditional marketing channels. The site had all sorts of games and entertainment to keep visitors at the site as long as possible. The site also held a contest to attract more visitors and keep them coming back.

Challenge:
This project began in 1996. High technology and advanced applications were hard to find to implement the sophisticated ideas the client had. They wanted to implement MadLibs whereby the visitor entered verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc. and then superimpose the entries onto an image that contained the rest of the MadLibs text. They wanted to stream their radio commercials, which were more like fun/cool songs. And they wanted to create a database-driven contest which had a lengthy, animated sequence of graphics. We would have to implement technologies that would not require a lot of sophistication on the visitor's part to implement in order to view the site.

Result:
The project was a huge success. We met and surpassed all of their challenges. Even though the technologies we used were unproven at the time, they worked perfectly. We used Java for the MadLibs, FutureWave Splash (later bought and renamed Shockwave Flash) for the lengthy animation sequence and Real Audio for the radio commercials. They had tens of thousands of entries to their contest. The site received millions of page views over a three-month period, which was due to both online and offline promotion.

Visit Dr Pepper's web site.

Project Description: BPM Institute

Overview:
The BPM Institute (BPMinstitute.org) is a peer-to-peer exchange for business process management professionals and is hosted by BrainStorm Group, a trusted source of unbiased information and education on BPM, Workflow and Integration related issues since 1997.

The BPM Institute has been established in response to the demand for education and peer exchange on all aspects surrounding business process computing.

Visit BPM Institute's web site.

Project Description: GO Institute

Overview:
The GO Institute (GOinstitute.org) is a peer-to-peer exchange for outsourcing professionals and is hosted by BrainStorm Group, a trusted source of unbiased information and education on outsourcing and related issues since 1997.

The GO Institute has been established in response to the demand for education and peer exchange on all aspects surrounding outsourcing.

Visit GO Institute's web site.

Project Description: Lyrical Line

Overview:
Lyrical Line, which is now broadcasting a radio program through an exclusive relationship with I Write The Songs Radio Show, is my personal publication and was established in 1997. Lyrical Line has grown from a small resource to the Web's largest online songwriting/musician community and the most influential publication for songwriters. I maintain all aspects of Lyrical Line, including design, layout, architecture, content, Web applications, marketing, advertising and PR. My email newsletter subscriber base of 15,000 songwriters surpassed the subscriber base of a 15-year old traditional songwriter magazine publication in 2000. I created the site for two reasons 1) to learn the intricacies of Internet marketing and publishing and 2) because there was serious lack of songwriting resources online from which I could learn as an aspiring lyricist.

With a stronghold already established within the budding online musician community, Lyrical Line is positioned to play a major role in the digital music revolution. Lyrical Line connects the grass roots audience of songwriters and musicians with the music industry - which is always looking for new talent.

The sites major sections include Write & Wrong which is a section for musicians to post their songs (both lyrics only and in Real Audio) and receive feedback from other visitors; SpotLite which showcases musicians' best songs; The Forum which is an extensive networking section; I Write The Songs Radio Show which is broadcast via the Internet exclusively through Lyrical Line and has a reach of more than 10,000,000 listeners; Q&A With The Pros which features answers from professional songwriters; Original Articles; Interviews with famous and working musicians; Resources to streamline surfing; Services from Lyrical Line and partners; Online Store selling books; a free newsletter; an online rhyming dictionary; and thousands of songs from songwriters all over the world.

Visit Lyrical Line's web site.

Project Description: SkiMaps.com

Overview:
SkiMaps, a multi-channel outlet for reaching millions of snowsports enthusiasts, has spent the past ten years building its foundation in the Ski Industry and its ability to deliver resort and product information to its sports enthusiasts and sports enthusiasts to resorts.

During this period, the company has achieved more than:

165,000 opt-in email subscribers

300,000 direct mail subscribers

180,000 monthly page views during the peak season

SkiMaps provides comprehensive information about virtually every aspect of the snowsports industry. SkiMaps is:

A resource full of factual data about resorts

A publication with articles on the industry, resorts and personal experiences

A news source with resort press releases, current snow and weather reports

A commerce site with travel packages, books and other pertinent items.

Challenge:
SkiMaps had been a hobby site for 9 years. It was founded by a trail map collector and began as a bulletin board or newsgroup. Myself and three partners purchased the site in 2001 to convert it into a commercial, self-sustaining Web site. The site was to serve as an additional marketing channel for its parent company, SkiEurope - a ski tour operator. We first had to redesign this very large, application-driven site with thousands upon thousands of pages. Then we had to rebuild the subscriber base of more than 400,000, which had not been marketed to for over a year. Once these objectives were achieved, we had to start generating revenue to make it a self-sustaining company.

Result:
The redesign project was successful. The new site met all the needs of the newly-founded company. We began marketing the site and successfully rebuilt the subscriber base by running contests that gave away $4,000 travel packages, gear and other items from our partners. We signed up many first tier advertisers in the ski and outdoor enthusiast industries and started the business off on the right foot.

SkiMaps was on track to produce a profit the first year until terrorists attacked the United States on September 11. The entertainment and travel industries took a hard hit and advertisers understandably pulled their ads for the remainder of the season. SkiMaps instantly lost 90% of its revenue-producing potential. We were forced to change our strategy mid-stream. We changed our revenue model but it was too late. Sales cycles for our new revenue model were too long to create the cash flow needed to sustain the company.

Project Description: TourTheAlps.com

Overview:
SkiEurope is a tour operator that sends North Americans to Europe for winter vacations. As a press stunt, I designed a 45-day tour that would highlight eleven resorts to build awareness for SkiEurope and the resorts it served. We sent professional journalists and skiers on this tour and each day they uploaded pictures and stories about their adventures which were then syndicated to SkiEurope's travel partners.

Challenge:
SkiEurope had never conducted a tour for this purpose and there were established companies in the industry that already did them. SkiEurope also did not have the funds to execute such a large tour so we had to find sponsors. We were not sure how the press or the sponsors would react so we had to develop a plan (having never done this before) that would satisfy everyone's needs. The goals were to increase awareness of the main sponsors; generate travel leads for SkiEurope; generate a profit; and create new assets for the company in the way of photographs and articles.

Result:
The tour was a huge success. We were featured in a number of mainstream publications and had a major network television station, Fine Living Channel, run a 30-minute feature on Zermatt, the last leg of the tour. We surpassed the targeted number of leads. And the leads that were converted to sales made the tour profitable. As an added bonus, the tour has turned into a company and now operates three tours each year with plans to enter new sports markets such as scuba diving and golf in the future.

Visit TourTheAlps.com's web site.

Project Description: SkiAmerica

Overview:
SkiAmerica designs dream winter vacations for groups and individual travelers to every major resort in American and then some...

SkiAmerica is a venture with SkiEurope, the leading winter tour operator from North America to Europe, and its Canadian partners. The collaboration merges many years' American destination experience with SkiEurope's reputation for professional operations and quality performance.

Challenge:
SkiAmerica has a unique revenue model in that it goes against the grain and deals directly with resorts, bypassing all the middlemen traditionally used in the process of delivering vacations to travelers. We had to develop a site that not only reached travelers but we had to develop a marketing campaign that reached the resorts piqued their curiosity so that we could explain our new way of doing business.

Result:
Currently underway, SkiAmerica has successfully grabbed the ear of many major resorts in North America and is starting to conduct business. The next challenge is creating partnerships to drive more traffic to the site.

Visit Ski America's web site.

Project Description: Broadband Communication Solutions

Overview:
BCS Corp site redesign.

Challenge:
Simple. I had to reorganize the site structure to more easily direct visitors to the information they were seeking using a design that would appeal to both programmers and business users.

Result:
The site only recently launched so we are not sure of the results yet but all feedback has been promising!

Visit BCS Corp's web site.

Project Description: Scott Markowitz, Attorney

Overview:
Scott Markowitz site redesign.

Challenge:
Another simple project. Scott's previous site was designed completely in Flash, which prevented it from gaining high rankings in search engines. We redesigned it and increased its usuability.

Result:
The site only recently launched but the campaigns begin soon so we will see how it performs.

Visit Scott Markowitz's web site.

Project Description: CQK Music

Overview:
CQK Music site redesign.

Challenge:
Another simple project. CQK's previous site didn't meet their needs. We redesigned it and are in the process of implementing it.

Result:
The site hasn't launched design met all of the client's needs.

Visit CQK Music's web site.

Project Description: VS Gaming Supplies

Overview:
Ecommerce Start Up.

Challenge:
From the bottom to the top, VS Gaming Supplies is my personal startup. I had to learn all sorts of new business skills and it really tested my Internet marketing and development abilities.

Result:
VS Gaming Supplies is a profitable B2C ecommerce web site. It has given me new insight into Internet marketing and new skills that I can bring to the client's table. From sourcing and fulfillment to grassroots, inexpensive marketing techniques to drive qualified traffic, this journey has only started but has added to my arsenal of marketing capabilities.

Visit VS Gaming Supplies' web site.