Acentech wins national SMPS MCA award for best corporate website
Creative leadership team members, from left to right: Sandy Kane, Acentech’s Communications Manager; Kate Brannelly, Acentech’s Strategic Marketing Officer; Vanessa Schaefer, Clockwork Co-Founder and Creative Director; and Danielle Diforio, Clockwork Account & Project Director. Photo by Mike Fleischner.
BOSTON — Acentech, a world-class consultant in architectural acoustics, noise and vibration control, and audiovisual and technology systems design, receives an Award of Excellence for its new corporate website from the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) at their annual Marketing Communication Awards (MCA) ceremony held at the Amplify AEC Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Acentech and design firm Clockwork Design Group jointly submitted for this national awards program to showcase their mutual collaboration and brand exploration that lead to an expressively designed website that delivered on the brand’s strategic objectives. The SMPS judges noted that “Acentech’s website is a great example of a site that understands its purpose and target audience.”
(See photo of Acentech website home page, below.)
Celebrating its 45th year, the SMPS MCA Awards program is the most prestigious national award program in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, recognizing excellence in marketing and communications by professional services firms, with over 7,000 AEC industry members.
Acentech engaged Clockwork Design Group (a brand/graphic design agency) after a comprehensive RFP selection process to redesign the firm’s website. “Delivering on the brand” was the major objective of the redesign where the visitor experience, content, and strategic marketing goals drove the design.
(See photo of creative leadership team members below.)
Acentech and Clockwork Design Group collaborated for a year to modernize the brand imagery and improve the website’s visitor and mobile experience, and overall navigation. Clockwork conducted a strategic brand audit and analysis of the existing site and developed a site map and plan for improvements in functionality, usability, visual appeal, ease of ongoing management, as well as overall brand strength. Acentech’s marketing and senior leadership team organized and refined the content throughout the process.
“Our new website needed to be visually compelling to architects, highlight our innovation as an unusual design resource to our highly diverse client base, and emphasize our employee-owned culture,” said Kate Brannelly, FSMPS, CPSM, Acentech’s Strategic Marketing Officer. “To meet the site’s multiple expectations, we knew we required an expert brand agency — Clockwork Design Group with proven AEC experience — to help us achieve our goals.”
Clockwork Co-Founder and Creative Director, Vanessa Schaefer said, “When building websites for professional service firms, the best results always come from a collaborative process. The Acentech and Clockwork team collaborated well. Acentech did an amazing job developing content and educating us about their firm, clients, and target markets, which allowed us to create a customized site that met the firm’s strategic marketing goals.”
The new site has outperformed the old site on so many levels, from increasing brand visibility and visitor interface, to an “A” rating for web accessibility and SEO best practices. Equally important was feedback from a new hire: “As soon as I opened Acentech’s site, I knew I wanted to work there. The breadth and quality of their work is impressive, and I loved reading staff bios. They express themselves with intelligence, humor and passion. And like me, many are musicians!”
ABOUT ACENTECH
National Focus | Regional Presence Acentech is a multi-disciplinary acoustics, technology and vibration consulting firm. We are one of the oldest and largest organizations of our type with roots stretching back more than 70 years. Our acousticians, engineers, scientists, and technical consultants bring collective expertise and innovative thinking to the critical design relationship between architecture and technology, and the built environment. Acentech’s practice is national, with strategically located offices and talent to serve any client or project across our regional presence. At the forefront of the acoustics and technology industry, Acentech is an unequaled partner to design teams and end-users with a knowledge-rich portfolio in diversified market sector facilities, performing arts, and energy, industrial, and transportation infrastructure. Acentech is headquartered in Cambridge, MA with consulting offices in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Charlottesville. For more information visit www.acentech.com.
ABOUT CLOCKWORK DESIGN GROUP
Since 1994, Clockwork Design Group has helped clients create authentic and memorable brands. From web sites to enticing ad campaigns, corporate collateral, logos, direct mail, social media marketing, and more, Clockwork Design Group loves a creative challenge. Our clients include architecture, engineering, construction, law, financial, accounting, and other professional service firms, as well as technology and consulting companies. We pride ourselves on professionalism and responsiveness that equal our creative abilities. With a name like Clockwork, our clients know they can rely on us to keep projects on schedule and on budget. For more information visit www.cdgi.com
