How Do You Create A Veritable Feast For the Senses Online?

Here’s How NetSuccess, Inc. Pulled It Off With www.mercywinebar.com.

 

In our line of work, we’re used to developing exceptional Web designs for a wide variety of industries.  We’ve delved deep into mediation and arbitration for attorney clients and learned the difference between cotton and acrylic diabetic socks.  We learned more than we ever knew existed about cutting-edge neurostimulation and drug pump pain management solutions.  But that’s just the beginning…

When Mercy Wine Bar owner, Glen Agritelley, gave us the direction, “Feel like you are at the bar,” we were in our element!  Yahoo!  Let the design fun begin.  Not only are we adept at online branding, but dare we say, we’re a relatively young and fun group of folks who have tipped our share of wine glasses and know a hip and happenin’ bar scene when we see one.  And Mercy did we ever see one.  We just couldn’t wait to put our expertise to work and recreate Mercy Wine Bar online.

Taking a Tall Order

Branding has become an important element of any business, but it’s especially important in the restaurant industry where dining and bar establishments are a dime a dozen and finished faster than your favorite bottle of vino.  Being the new kid on the block, Mercy Wine Bar needed an online edge to distinguish it against the competition and they contacted us to make it happen.

 

 

Mercy Wine Bar, a new establishment in Addison, Texas, ordered a dynamic interactive Website that would capture its unique ambiance and essence.  Their target upscale clientele includes the aesthetically savvy theatre crowd.  But as anyone in the wine industry will tell you these days, wine connoisseurs come from all walks of life.  We needed to appeal to the upscale as well as the movie and happy hour crowd. 

 

With so many places to choose from in the Dallas area for socializing and relaxing, our primary challenge was distinguishing Mercy Wine Bar from all other establishments in the Metroplex.  You don’t need a psychology degree to know that different people are drawn to different atmospheres.   Fortunately, Mercy Wine Bar made this easy for us.  With one look around the place and time spent really getting to know the principals, we knew how we would conquer the challenge.  Exquisite photography was going to be key to the site’s ultimate success.

 

The Prep Work

This wasn’t your typical 9 to 5 project.  We were going to have to become night owls to catch Mercy Wine Bar at its best.  After a hiring a professional photographer who was up to the challenge, we got down to work.  Custom photography was the only way to capture the true colors and aura of Mercy.  Vibrant photos of Mercy’s every nook and cranny conveying different lighting and moods were shot during weekends, weekdays, wine tastings and private parties.  These photos are the driving element of the site design and give it its joie de vivre. 

 

Mercy Wine Bar was specifically designed to be as captivating and enriching as a trip to the world’s great wine regions.  Since the bar is so visually distinctive, our art directors simply had to capture that mood and make it pulsate and breathe online. Could we possibly structure the site design to match the obvious meticulous care that went into designing the bar and atmosphere itself?  You bet!

 

Can We Show You the Menu?

Mercy Wine Bar’s site navigation beckons visitors to learn about the wines, the regions, the bands, the Mercy scene, and most importantly, how to get to the bar and experience Mercy in person.  We mirrored the best aspects of Mercy Wine Bar on the corresponding site pages.  And of course, we carefully placed custom graphics and photographs to enhance the interactive experience.  If we could only figure out a way to have the site pour the visitor a glass of wine!

 

 

Conversational copy makes site visitors feel right at home before they ever step foot inside the bar.  Just imagine the conversation you’d have sitting at the bar or snuggled up in one of the lounge areas with the sommelier or bartender.  That’s exactly what you’ll read on the site, and along with the photography, what will entice site visitors to place Mercy on their “must see” list.  “The Cellar” and “The Buzz” pages in particular give visitors an insight into Mercy’s personality by giving an up close and personal perspective on the events that shape the bar and its direction.

 

 

Mercy Wine Bar specializes in European style small plates to complement their extensive list of wines, champagnes, and beers from around the world.  Full wine lists and menus complete with mouthwatering descriptions were included to start mouths watering.  We included extensive details to serve as an appetizer for things to come once they experience Mercy for themselves.

 

 

Encouraging interaction and keeping in contact was essential.  The usual “Contact Us” page wouldn’t do for Mercy Wine Bar.  Again we took custom photography of the hours signage posted by Mercy’s entrance and invited visitors to send an email for wine tasting reservations, corporate events, party inquiries and general comments.  The site features an opt-in email program inviting visitors to sign up to receive HTML wine party invitations and exclusive announcements.  Be a part of Mercy where everybody knows your name.  Have Mercy!

 

 

Tips & Gratuities

National praise from industry media and other bar owners is unanimous and claims, “The Web site is dynamite!”  Mercy Wine Bar gained immediate recognition and has been featured in several print and media segments including D Magazine, Nightclub & Bar Magazine, The Observer, and Dallas Morning News.  Today’s Restaurant News boasts, “Mercy has attracted quite a stir across the country.” 

 

 

The site attracted 8,000 visitors the first two months, including visitors from Europe and Africa who enjoy international ties to their wines.  Since then, international visitors have grown to be quite an impressive and tight knit group.  The e-commerce component allows the fan in Africa to buy Mercy Wine Bar memorabilia.  Not only has the site helped grow an international clientele, but it has also increased the number of bookings for private parties and wine tastings. 

 

The Dallas Fort Worth Interactive Marketing Association (DFWIMA) presented us with the Most Effective Online Brand Experience award for our creation of www.mercywinebar.com during their 2004 Excellence In Interactive Marketing Awards (EIMA) held on April 22, 2004 at the Dallas Infomart.

 

We also graciously accepted The Web Marketing Association’s 2004 WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development in recognition of Mercy Wine Bar as the 2004 Best Restaurant Website. 

 

Visit our Web site at http://www.netsuccess.com or contact Ms. Lori Barber-Thomas or Eric Williamson directly for more information regarding our creative direction, Web development services, or even if you just need a good wine and food pairing recommendation.

 

 

 

 

 

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