THE CLIENT:
Holton Sentivan + Gury
Holton Sentivan + Gury is an advertising agency that believes capitalism rocks, inside jokes don’t sell, and ABC (à la Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross: you can keep the steak knives, we want the Caddy). Our work runs the gamut: print, broadcast, new media and emerging technologies. Some of us started with Sharpies and cocktail napkins, some of us were born with e-mail addresses, and the mix allows us to speak fluently in multiple demos. We live to craft brand stories with sticking power, whether through traditional media or new applications online. And we believe communication with both current customers/clients and prospects works best when it’s wide awake, entertaining, in tune with popular culture and personal – whether consumer, professional or B2B.
Over our 30+ years in the business, we've worked with an eclectic mix of international, national and regional clients in healthcare, financial services, professional services, retail and education and museum sciences. (Client roster and references on request.)
The Situation:
Though the agency is headquartered in Philadelphia, many of our bigger clients are out-of-town, and as a result, we're not as well-known in our own backyard as we'd like to be. In 2010, HSG's new business department asked for something that would A) make local and regional prospects more aware of HSG's brand and unique problem-solving approach, B) demonstrate the agency's digital talents in a big way, C) appeal to everyone but especially those in the pharma world, and, ideally, D) do well at award shows.
The Strategy:
We decided to build a website that does something no other website could do. And, in the process, have some fun.
The Solution:
This is something that's better seen, and experienced, than explained. (At the time, it was the first of its kind, and it clearly delivered on A through D above.)
THE RESULTS:
The website won Best of Show at the Addy Awards and was featured in Creativity magazine. The site went viral, around the world, and was particularly popular in Poland. (Odd, but true.) It opened many doors, led to many wins, and became the centerpiece of every HSG digital presentation in the years that followed. Several clients asked for versions of the site for themselves, including the National Constitution Center. (Their version centered around making campaign TV spots for presidential hopefuls.)
