Blog readers, meet Ari Franklin. He’s the new Associate Project Manager who joined our team last month.

Ari comes to us from the account team at a large branding agency here in Chicago, and he’s now helping to coordinate and streamline the production of envisionit media’s interactive projects. Since he began, Ari’s experience and strategic thinking has been upping the momentum of our projects and helping to cement our many new client relationships. As he continues to settle in here, we look forward to the ways in which he’ll help our team create work that stays on schedule and on strategy.

When asked the old “what do you like most about being here” question, Ari mentioned the supportiveness of the envisionit media team. When asked him what he does for fun, he sort of blanked out in that way people do when asked to talk about themselves.
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There’s no telling what could happen inside Wrigley Field anymore. Brawls? Drama? Defeat? Gasp…Victory? Yes, those lovable losers are at their MOST lovable this year, but the good news is, no matter what’s going on inside the ballpark, you now can always, at any time, see what’s going on outside the park.

Our friends at CubWorld.com have recently added a cool, new, live-streaming Wrigley Field web cam to their site. Perched at CubWorld.com’s brick & mortar location, Sports World, across the street from and with a full view of the front entrance of the ballpark, the camera gives you a live feed of all the action! Visit it the day of a game to check traffic, weather, crowd level, or just to get a taste of the action when you can’t make the game. Oh, the stories it would tell if this camera could only talk….
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envisionit media enthusiastically welcomes to our interactive agency: Marquette Companies!

Founded in 1983, today Marquette serves as private real estate company committed to investment excellence in real estate assets across the U.S. Marquette Companies is involved in a number of local real estate properties, including the Ponds of Naperville and Lemont Lofts. The company also just moved their operations to a new office in Naperville, IL.

envisionit media has extended a warm, summertime welcome to one of the newest clients to our interactive agency, the ROOF at theWit in Chicago. The new relationship may require more than a few “user experience” visits on our part. Or, we hope so, anyway.

Sitting atop theWit, ROOF is Chicago’s unparalleled stargazing destination. A glamorous, 7,000 square foot, year-round indoor/outdoor lounge, ROOF offers stunning city views, roaring fire pits, handcrafted cocktails, live music, and–get this: a suspended, glass-enclosed table for eight that literally dangles 27 floors above the city. Rounding out this perfect experience is acclaimed chef Todd Stein’s menu of Italian-inspired small plates—American cuisine he created during his time as Executive Chef at MK restaurant.

We at envisionit media are raising our glasses high–very high–for the work ahead on this one. Welcome to our team, ROOF!

Today marks the first month of my internship here at EIM, and to say I’ve learned a lot since I started working here would be an understatement. When EIM declares themselves an “interactive agency”, they aren’t kidding, they really do live and breath interactive, and for some reason (although interactive is at the cutting edge of advertising) I was never taught these techniques in college.

After working here for a month, I’ve already learned various “new” advertising tactics (SEO/SEM, PPC, Social Media, and the list goes on) that leave those “old-school” techniques (my professors spent months talking about) in the dust. Don’t get me wrong traditional forms of advertising can be extremely beneficial to your business, and a great foundation for a campaign, but these days it’s about integrating both modern and traditional forms of advertising to create that perfect cocktail that tastes like nothing other than success!
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envisionit media would like to welcome its newest client, VOA Associates, to the agency! We are proud to have teamed up with Carolyn Grisko & Associates as part of an integrated marketing strategy.

For more than 40 years, VOA Associates has delivered award-winning design, architectural and planning services for an impressive list of clients in a wide range of markets, both geographic and sector-diverse. With offices currently on four continents and projects spanning the globe, VOA is unquestionably an elite and successful design firm that continues to shape our world!

We are proud to partner with them in their new marketing efforts!

We’d like to put a bug in your ear about our newest client, H.D. Hudson. envisionit media has partnered with H.D. Hudson as their interactive agency. Here’s the “buzz” about them:

H. D. Hudson Manufacturing Company is a long-standing, global company specializing in consumer and professional sprayers and dusters since 1905. The Hudson brand is recognized and known for quality, service and value throughout the world. H.D. Hudson’s company headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois with products distributed and sold worldwide. The lady bug sure can travel!

We would like to welcome the H.D. Hudson team to the envisionit family. You have inspired a new passion for our gardens this year!

We are very excited to announce that NTN Bearing Corporation of America has retained envisionit media as their interactive agency!

NTN Bearing Corporation of America manufactures and distributes throughout the U.S. a wide range of ball and roller bearings, serving the automotive, industrial and recreational markets. In addition to bearings of all sizes and types, NTN is also one of the largest producers of constant velocity joints for automotive front-wheel and four-wheel drive applications. Over 70% of the bearings sold by NTN in North America are manufactured by one of the seven manufacturing plants the company operates in the USA and Canada. The company maintains their primary website at www.ntnamerica.com.

Needless to say, we’re excited to get our ‘bearings’ around this new relationship!

I’ll admit, we have our fair share of Cubs fans here at the office. Even as I type this on the Cubs Home Opener, there are Cubs t-shirts proudly being worn today. Some discretely under blazers and others loud and proud. There’s already been some Sox vs. Cubs ‘sniping’ this morning (all in good fun of course, but it’s still early in the season).

To say this season is pivotal for the Cubs would be an understatement. There are new owners involved, the Ricketts family, so Sam Zell can no longer be blamed for Cubs misfortune. Tom Ricketts, the chosen media face for the family, has been all over Chicago speaking to business groups about the fresh air being brought to the Cubs organization. And when I say fresh air, I mean it literally. One stadium update you will notice this season is fewer concrete walls closing off outside views, allowing a lovely skyline to emerge and of course, more fresh air into the park. A telling omen for this season? Maybe we should check out the promised bathroom updates instead for better insight.
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Hey Hey, Cubs fans. Just in time for the 2010 baseball season, we’ve got a hot tip on discounted Cubs gear. We’ve just launched a $5 Off Facebook app for CubWorld.com (the online home of Sports World, located across from Wrigley Field at Addison and Clark). CubWorld.com has pages and pages of Chicago Cubs jerseys, shirts, hats, and accessories galore. Plenty of great threads to wear to the games…or to work, just to spite the Sox fans in the office (just an idea).

The app will only be available for a limited time, so check it out today and enjoy $5 off your next CubWorld.com purchase!