In addition to two silver Communicator Awards, Illumine8 recently won a gold Communicator Award for the website redesign of their client, Kenwood Management.
The Communicator Awards’ primary mission is to “provide winners and their clients the recognition they deserve, and give communications and creative professionals proof and validation that their work is highly regarded by their peers within the industry.” This year marks the 26th season of the Communicator Awards. The award categories include Digital, Design & Print, Video, Mobile, Podcasts & Audio, Integrated Campaigns, and Marketing Effectiveness.
The Communicator Awards are governed by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA), “an invitation-only group consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms.” The AIVA includes executives from some of the most respected companies in the world, including Coach, Disney, MTV Networks, Time, Inc., Wired, and more.
Kenwood Website
Kenwood Management Company is an investment and property management firm that operates out of the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas. The firm was founded in 1997 by Phil Ackley and Hank Bowis with the goal of attracting equity from long-term investors and providing superior property management to the tenants who occupy Kenwood’s commercial buildings.
Kenwood approached Illumine8 to discuss a possible website redesign in 2019. The firm had already experienced several decades of success, but the outdated web presence did not match the current standards of the industry. Kenwood wanted to have a website that matched the sophistication and excellence of their organization. In addition, the website provided a place for Kenwood to promote their original thought leadership articles and convert new leads.
“Kenwood grew its brand through years of exceptional commercial real estate and investing service,” said Pitzer. ”The goal of the redesign was to take an already well-established and respected company to the next level through digital marketing and an improved user experience.”
One unique aspect of the project was separating Kenwood’s three key stakeholders within the website — investors, tenants, and brokers. With each group having completely different relationships with Kenwood, the content and structure of the website needed to be designed with their individual needs and purposes in mind.
In addition to the original thought leadership content, Illumine8 created a series of videos to be included on the website. These videos help explain Kenwood’s operations and give credibility to their services through the testimony of tenants, investors, and brokers.
“It is safe to say that this has been one of our most successful projects,” said Pitzer. “Our team is proud, our client loves their website, and all the key stakeholders have a user-friendly experience that provides the information they need.”
