MASSACHUSETTS INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY EXCHANGE (MITX)

Finalist – 2009 MITX Interactive Awards | Educational Institution
Project: Susquehanna University Web Site Redesign
Project: WPI Web Site Redesign

Finalist – 2009 MITX Interactive Awards | Professional Services
Project: BigBad, Inc. Web Site Redesign

COUNCIL FOR ADVANCEMENT & SUPPORT OF EDUCATION (CASE)

Gold – 2009 CASE District II Accolades Competition
Project: Susquehanna University Web Site Redesign

Silver – 2009 CASE District I Communication Awards
Project: Phillips Academy in Andover Web Site Redesign

Congratulations to our clients and their Web site redesign teams on these noteworthy accolades!

Begun in 1996, the MITX Awards has grown to the largest and most prestigious awards competition in the country for technology innovations and celebrates the best creative and technological accomplishments emerging from New England.

“The MITX Awards celebrates the union of the big idea and innovation. Every year the synergy between creative ideas and technology becomes more transparent. Our finalists are some of the world’s most forward thinking marketing and creative experts who help national and local brands connect with their audiences through the use of technology” said Kiki Mills, president of MITX. “MITX is proud to be the foundation for our region’s vibrant digital community, and to recognize and keep our creative minds, marketing strategists, technology developers and consumers at the forefront of evolution.”

BigBad’s award nominations were earned in the “educational institution” category for Susquehanna University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and in the “professional services” category for the agency’s own brand & Web site redesign. BigBad was recognized as a finalist for its exceptional interactive solutions on these three engagements, which feature:

Susquehanna University Web Site - Susquehanna University engaged BigBad to completely redesign and develop its Web site and content management system. The new site showcases all of the genuine interconnectedness between the people, topics and experiences that take place at Susquehanna through a feature named “Susquepedia.” The site also provides a more effective means of communication and interaction between the University and its principal constituencies, particularly those involving admissions, academic reputation and fundraising.

WPI Web Site - WPI asked BigBad to create a new site that would better reflect its academic strengths, especially in engineering, math and the applied sciences. The new site emphasizes WPI’s breadth of its academic offerings, its diverse student body, and its philosophy of theory and practice as the two sides to education. The new site focuses on a greatly enhanced user experience, while the visual design connects with the tradition of WPI, but adds softer colors, type treatments and imagery that modernizes and humanizes the brand.

BigBad Web Site - BigBad revamped its own site with a renewed focus on communicating its brand essence. Powerful home page imagery suggests an external view: it’s about the client and the client experience of working with BigBad. This subliminally tells prospective clients “it’s not all about us, it’s about you.” The overall site approach is sophisticated, but not too serious. Smart, but not over-your-head. Innovative, but not overtly complex and tech-y. The new site demonstrates that BigBad is an agency dedicated to collaboration.

“We are honored to have our work nominated in this prestigious awards competition,” said Ty Glasgow, CEO and President of BigBad. “BigBad is constantly striving to achieve great outcomes for our clients, and these nominations recognize that our process and methodology succeeds in delivering solutions that meet a range of business needs.”

BigBad will be recognized with the other finalists at a gala awards ceremony traditionally attended by over 1,000 of the region’s top interactive technology and business professionals. Winners will be announced at the ceremony in the Boston Marriott Copley Place on Tuesday, November 17th.

About BigBad, Inc.: Based in Boston, BigBad is an interactive agency that consults on and implements solutions to business problems of marketing, workflow, and communications for clients across the country. BigBad creates experiences at the convergence of information, tools and people. Agency clients are leading healthcare, higher education and cultural institutions including Harvard University, MIT, Babson College, Danbury Health Systems, Lahey Clinic and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum.

About MITX: Established in 1996 The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) is the region’s premier professional organization for the Internet business & marketing industry. Reaching more than 7,500 professionals in New England, MITX is the community for thought leadership, building business relationships and professional training and development. Members of the MITX community take advantage of events, sponsorships, speaking opportunities and networking to make business connections and exchange ideas. With more than 70 events annually, MITX provides its members with the opportunity to promote their companies to targeted audiences and provides a valuable forum for networking to source potential business leads, partnerships, ideas, funding and other likeminded peers in the industry. MITX is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

# # #

Contact:
Joan Wilson
BigBad, Inc.
617-338-7770, x405
pr@bigbad.com

Founded more than 150 years ago on the banks of Pennsylvania’s Suquehanna River, SU has kept its focus on educating and preparing students for life. The university sought to overhaul its Web site to better reflect its brand, highlight core strengths and elevate its academics, including a new Central Curriculum with a “study away” requirement and emphasis on service learning.

“Our project team zeroed in on the need to present SU as a deeply connected, living-learning environment in a way that would appeal to students and faculty alike,” said BigBad Chief Creative Officer Jeff Johnson. “Once this was realized, the team devised a comprehensive site strategy, with powerful visual design and rich functionality, that demonstrates the Susquehanna value proposition.”

BigBad’s integrated project team of experts created site elements that demonstrate who Susquehanna is and what it’s like to be part of its active community. The most significant development is a feature named “Susquepedia,” which enhances the user’s online experience with an all-access-pass to learning about Susquehanna. It is both a dynamic presentation tool, as well as a destination, on the Web site.

Through Susquepedia, users have access to view “Mega Pages,” which are robust profile pages about interesting people, topics and experiences that exist only at SU. For example, a person’s profile Mega Page displays all of the deep relationships and connections that exist between a particular student and their multiple, varied experiences at Susquehanna—so within one profile, there are connection points to a faculty member who leads their research project as well as to another student who they row with on the crew team.

Overall, the site provides a more effective means of communication and interaction between the University and its principal constituencies, particularly those involving admissions, academic reputation and fundraising. BigBad also recommended and implemented a Content Management System, RedDot (now OpenText), to better allow content editors easy access for updating of the site. Other noteworthy tactics:

• Newly designed visual elements to help build the SU brand
• An audio feature on the home page, which when clicked, informs users of the correct pronunciation of the University’s tough-to-say name
• A consistent, engaging user interface
• Multiple content channels for story-telling and demonstration of SU’s value proposition
• The implementation of information architecture best practices and the building of a site structure for scalability and future enhancements
• The introduction of Web 2.0 capabilities such as email a page to a friend, share/post content to social media sites, etc. – featured throughout the entire site
• Virtual Tour link (within the new Admission & Financial Aid section)

The Susquehanna University Web site has been nominated in the “educational institution” category for a 2009 MITX Award. Held annually by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX), the MITX Awards recognize excellence in the creation of web innovations designed, produced or developed in New England.

About BigBad, Inc.: Based in Boston, BigBad is an interactive agency that consults on and implements solutions to business problems of marketing, workflow, and communications for clients across the country. BigBad creates experiences at the convergence of information, tools and people. Among its clients are Harvard University, MIT, University of the Pacific, Miami University, University of Kentucky, Andover, WPI, Babson College, Rhodes College and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum.

# # #

Contact: Joan Wilson
BigBad, Inc.
617-338-7770, x405
pr@bigbad.com

In her new role, Marani will lead the Client Services and Technology groups with a focus on successful project execution and operational efficiency, while Chief Creative Officer Jeff Johnson will remain in charge of the Interactive Strategy and Design teams. Working in tandem, Marani and Johnson will drive the entire agency forward by empowering client engagement teams to do their best work in creating high-impact, results-driven, and innovative solutions.

“Rebecca is a strong leader who will help BigBad scale and manage its operations efficiently,” said CEO & President Ty Glasgow. “She is passionate about BigBad, and has the strategic vision and tactical insight necessary to keep the business moving on its forward trajectory.”

As the Internet continues to evolve at a rapid pace, BigBad is poised to fully capitalize on its 18 years of service creating exceptional online experiences. Marani’s promotion is the result of a strategic operational change to BigBad’s agency structure, and a focused effort to streamline its operations for increased efficiencies and innovation. The new management approach leverages the agency’s core strengths, creating a more customer-focused organization with a powerful interactive strategy and design team that is supported by attentive client service and robust technology capabilities.

During her tenure as Vice President of Client Services at BigBad, Marani led complex projects for a range of high-caliber clients in the consumer, higher education and health care industries. Prior to BigBad, she led large-scale corporate communication campaigns at Jack Morton Worldwide for global brands such as Polaroid, Gillette and Lotus.

“I’m excited to leverage everything I’ve learned with regard to best practices, and implement them at a more strategic, company-wide level,” said Marani. “Together, with Jeff Johnson and the great team at BigBad, I know the agency will continue to grow and succeed.”

Marani holds a bachelor’s degree from Emerson College and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®). She lives in Plymouth, Mass. with her family.

About BigBad, Inc.: Based in Boston, BigBad is an interactive agency that consults on and implements solutions to business problems of marketing, workflow, and communications for clients across the country. BigBad creates experiences at the convergence of information, tools and people. Agency clients are leading healthcare, higher education and cultural institutions including Harvard University, MIT, Babson College, Danbury Health Systems, Lahey Clinic and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum.

# # #

Contact: Joan Wilson
pr@bigbad.com
617-338-7770, x405

A private, coeducational institution located in Wooster, Ohio, The College of Wooster offers students a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences education that culminates in a rigorous, in-depth senior project of inquiry called Independent Study. The college emphasizes its approach of “independent minds, working together” by combining rigorous academic programs with unique opportunities that enrich student development, and cultivate qualities of leadership and service.

“Our project team was inspired by Wooster’s willingness to let students craft their own, personal educational experiences,” said Jeff Johnson, Chief Creative Officer at BigBad. “We conceptualized a number of ways to translate this powerful quality to the Web. Ultimately, the strategy, design, functionality and user experience came together to create a site that’s unparalleled in the academic world, making it an exciting advancement for both BigBad and The College of Wooster.”

BigBad’s integrated team of experts worked together to create innovative site elements that push the envelope to demonstrate the distinctive Wooster student experience. In addition, the site provides users with tools to customize their own unique experience with site content. The team also recommended and implemented a Content Management System, Sitecore, to allow contributors across the campus to easily update the site moving forward.

Among the notable new elements:

“Wooster Is…” is a Home Page feature that showcases Wooster’s core tenets and communicates the College’s distinct personality. A merger of smart design, IA and functionality, “Wooster Is” presents the Home Page as a bulletin board-replica with jumbled papers, notes, photos and doodles. Key places on the site are revealed upon user interaction with items on the virtual bulletin board. For example, rolling over the Tootsie Roll (a Wooster icon) reveals specific information about the academic requirement of Independent Study at Wooster, and links to related site content. Rather than bringing site content into the feature, “Wooster Is” enables an alternative navigation method to draw visitors deeper into the Web site.

iWooster gives users an experience similar to one found on highly functional sites like iGoogle, allowing them to collect the content that is most interesting to them personally, all in one designated, branded place. After creating a profile, users are allowed to add and delete pieces of site content to their profile as their role within the Wooster community changes. For instance, a prospective student might save admissions content in her iWooster initially. After she’s accepted, that content could be replaced with information on academics, athletics and student life. Then, after graduation, items from news, events and alumni pages could populate her iWooster area. Essentially, it’s a valuable feature that adapts with the user, even as the user’s role changes over time. This is a major shift in thinking from traditional higher education Web sites that primarily target prospective students, which is essential, but then abandon their needs once accepted.

Other items of note: “The Social Toolbox” is an interactive Web 2.0 element that appears on every page of the site. This toolbox enables the user to easily interact with content, providing the ability to e-mail, share or post any page– text or multi-media–with the click of a button. It also reveals specific options for the user to share the content to popular social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. The “Areas of Study” spotlight on the Home Page immediately engages prospective students with access to all majors and minors through an easy scrolling feature of the complete list in alphabetical order.

“When people ask me how I feel to have the site launched, I tell them it feels great, but like Churchill after the Battle of Britain, I know that ‘This is not the end, nor even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning’,” said John Hopkins, Associate Vice President for College Relations &Marketing at The College of Wooster. “We’ve got a much more powerful, robust set of tools to work with, thanks to BigBad. Now, it’s up to us.”

See the full case study at the College of Wooster Case Study.

About BigBad, Inc.: Based in Boston, BigBad is an interactive agency that consults on and implements solutions to business problems of marketing, workflow, and communications for clients across the country. BigBad creates experiences at the convergence of information, tools and people. Among its clients are Harvard University, MIT, University of the Pacific, Miami University, University of Kentucky, Andover, WPI, Babson College, Rhodes College and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library &Museum.

For additional information, please contact Joan Wilson at BigBad, 617-338-7770, x405. E-mail: pr@bigbad.com

BOSTON—June 19, 2009—BigBad, Inc. (www.bigbad.com), a leading national interactive agency with expertise in the healthcare industry, hosted an engaging and informative live healthcare webinar on Thursday, June 18, 2009.

With an overwhelmingly high turnout, “The ROI for Incorporating Social Media into Healthcare Web Properties” webinar featured four leading experts in the healthcare communications field: Lee Aase of the Mayo Clinic; Ed Bennett of University of Maryland Medical System; Brian Charlonis of Danbury Health Systems; and Jennifer Texada of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

“Our experts were the reason that this webinar was such a success,” said BigBad Chief Creative Officer Jeff Johnson, who moderated the event. “They each offered valuable content and insight on high-level social media trends in the healthcare industry, as well as tactical ‘how to’ approaches for implementation. We are incredibly grateful for their participation.”

According to Twitter follower aaronwatkins, the webinar was “One of the best social media presentations we’ve attended. Thanks!” Read the full stream of webinar tweets for a play-by-play recap at http://search.twitter.com/ and enter #BBMTEHC.

To read further insights from the Webinar experts, visit their blogs:

• Lee Aase, Communications Manager, Mayo Clinic: http://social-media-university-global.org
• Ed Bennett, Director, Web Strategy, University of Maryland Medical System: http://ebennett.org
• Jennifer Texada, Digital and New Media Program Manager, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center: http://jennifersreport.blogspot.com/

About BigBad, Inc.: Based in Boston, BigBad is an interactive agency that consults on and implements solutions to business problems of marketing, workflow, and communications for clients across the country. BigBad creates experiences at the convergence of information, tools and people. Among its clients are Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Danbury Health Systems, Shields Health Care Group, Harvard University, MIT and New York Medical College.

# # #

Contact: Joan Wilson
pr@bigbad.com
617-338-7770, x405

“BigBad brings its extensive knowledgebase about what actually works on the Web to achieve Admissions, Advancement and Academic reputation outcomes into every higher education engagement we conduct,” said President & CEO Ty Glasgow. “We’re proud to have collaborated with the talented teams at Salem State College, Shenandoah University and The University of Tulsa on their Web site redesigns and believe that the powerful results speak for themselves.”

All three of the recently launched Web sites had critical areas to address for project success at the most fundamental level, including information architecture, visual design, usability and content management issues. Each engagement presented a unique set of challenges for BigBad in realizing the institution’s differentiating identity and core messaging effectively.

BigBad brought its strategic approach to the projects, working to eliminate typical administrative silos and replacing them with a framework that emphasizes user-centered information architecture while presenting a singular, cohesive brand experience.

“The success of our work relies on our ability to gain a true understanding of the relationship between an institution’s strategic goals and the needs of its target audiences,” said Chief Creative Officer Jeff Johnson. “Higher education Web sites all have a wide range of users, and to ensure success, the site must meet all of their needs.”

BigBad also recommended and implemented content management systems for each institution. The University of Tulsa selected Sitecore CMS, while both Shenandoah University and Salem State College leveraged RedDot CMS for their projects. Client and user feedback for each site has been positive from the outset.

Web site redesign projects for clients in higher education currently underway at BigBad include: Babson College, College of Wooster, Long Island University, Lasell College, LIM College, Molloy College, Miami University and University of Redlands.

About BigBad: Based in Boston, BigBad is an interactive agency, consulting on and implementing solutions to business problems of marketing, workflow, and communications for clients across the country. BigBad creates experiences at the convergence of information, tools and people. Among its clients are Harvard University, MIT, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, Stonehill College, Massachusetts Cultural Council, CDM, and University of Kentucky.

# # #

Contact: Joan Wilson
pr@bigbad.com
617-338-7770, x405

“We’ve delivered another year of excellent results, powered by creative strength, technical expertise and sound management,” said President & Chief Executive Officer Ty Glasgow. “In a challenging business climate, we are proud to have proven effective at demonstrating our benefit and value to clients by delivering solutions that achieve their strategic objectives. These are tough economic times, and clients are recognizing that their web presence provides the largest impact and greatest return, compared to all other channels.”

Among the agency’s notable engagements in 2008 were Web site and third party Content Management System (CMS) implementations for Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center, the MIT Alumni Association and Phillips Academy Andover. In addition, BigBad continued to attract engagements of increased scale and scope with high-profile new clients, such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Key Achievements in 2008:

Healthcare/Medical. BigBad’s growth in its Healthcare Practice Area included large-scale Web and CMS deployments for two of Boston’s leading healthcare providers: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (www.bidmc.org) and Shields Health Care Group (www.shields.com). The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Web site was a finalist in the 2008 MITX Awards competition. Current engagements underway for 2009 include the STRATUS Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Danbury Hospital.

Higher Education. BigBad’s experience in Higher Education has produced a massive knowledgebase of what actually works on the Web to achieve Admissions, Advancement and Academic reputation outcomes. BigBad President Ty Glasgow was a featured speaker on this topic at the American Marketing Association’s Annual Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education in Chicago in November. BigBad launched five Higher Education sites in 2008, with another seven currently in the pipeline for 2009:

• Colleges and Universities: Web site and CMS implementations included Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., (www.stonehill.edu), Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. (www.merrimack.edu) and Whittier College in Whittier, Calif. (www.whittier.edu).

• Alumni Associations: While meeting advancement objectives are part of every higher education engagement, BigBad worked with both the MIT Alumni Association and the Harvard Alumni Association to comprehensively redefine and redevelop their dedicated alumni web sites and online communities. The solutions identified for these clients led BigBad to develop social networking approaches that enable colleges, universities and professional associations to revolutionize their online alumni communities and enhance engagement. The resulting MIT Alumni Association’s Infinite Connection Web site (www.alum.mit.edu) was vetted by user testing in the renowned MIT Media Lab and launched to acclaim in 2008.

• Independent Schools: The Web site for Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. (www.andover.edu), one of the nation’s top independent schools, marked new territory for BigBad by extending the agency’s work beyond college/university engagements and into the “G20 Schools,” a group of 20 highly selective, independent secondary schools worldwide.

In addition, new and ongoing Higher Education clients include Babson College in Wellesley, Mass.; the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio; Long Island University on Long Island, N.Y.; Salem State College in Salem, Mass.; Daemen College in Buffalo, N.Y.; Lasell College in Newton, Mass., LIM College in Manhattan; Molloy College in Rockville Centre, N.Y.; Wake Forest University, Winston–Salem, N.C. and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Arts & Advocacy. BigBad continues to work with numerous non-profit organizations, developing strategies that help to motivate and focus the energy of their constituents online. In 2008, BigBad developed the Web strategy and design for Legal Momentum (www.legalmomentum.org), the nation’s oldest legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls. BigBad continues to work with the Massachusetts Cultural Council (www.mass-culture.org) to add new interactive features and functionality to its site that BigBad created in 2002, enhancing the way users can view and enter information about statewide grant allocations.

According to Mike Weiss, who joined BigBad as Vice President of Technology in July 2008, “Moving forward in the new year, we’re committed to producing a suite of social networking platforms that will complement the services we offer clients. This goal will be balanced with our ongoing pursuit to be the leading industry expert in each vertical market we pursue.”

About BigBad

BigBad, Inc., is a Boston-based national interactive agency committed to creating exceptional online experiences for our clients. The company is focused on large-scale Web engagements and Web applications that drive client business outcomes. Founded in 1991, BigBad, Inc. is one of the Northeast’s largest privately held interactive agencies.

For additional information, please contact Joan Wilson at BigBad, 617-338-7770, x405. E-mail: pr@bigbad.com

“We’re very excited to have Stefan on board,” said BigBad President & CEO, Ty Glasgow. “Throughout his career, he has proven himself to be a visionary leader who provides customers with successful technology solutions. He is smart, motivated and has a value-oriented customer focus that will make him a tremendous asset to prospective clients, as well as the BigBad team.”

In addition to bringing nearly 16 years of sales experience to BigBad, Evers also brings leadership qualities that have served him well in his previous positions. Previously, Evers was Managing Director for Enterprise Sales and Services at Salary.com, a $35 million SaaS HCM software and services company in Waltham, Mass. Before advancing to his role there as Managing Director, Evers held the title of Director of Compensation Sales and Services.

Prior to Salary.com, Evers was the Director of Customer Advocacy, New England at Computer Associates in Framingham, Mass. Before that, he held sales management positions at Transcentive, Inc. in Shelton, Conn., SoftChoice Corporation in Toronto, and Stream International in Westwood, Mass.

Evers holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago and a Bachelor’s Degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. He is a certified compensation professional, and served on the Board of Trustees at Lasell College in Newton, Mass. (a current BigBad client) from 2004-2006. He currently resides in Shrewsbury, Mass.

About BigBad

BigBad, Inc., is a Boston-based national interactive agency committed to creating exceptional online experiences for our clients. The company is focused on large-scale Web engagements and Web applications that drive client business outcomes. Founded in 1991, BigBad, Inc. is one of the Northeast’s largest privately held interactive agencies.

For additional information, please contact Joan Wilson at BigBad, 617-338-7770, x405. E-mail: pr@bigbad.com