THINK, Inc. drives the Windstream Truck Tour microsite to win the Outstanding Website award at the 2007 Web Marketing Association WebAwards.

In 2006, Windstream formed as a result of a strategic merger and spin-off of Alltel Telecommunication’s landline business – making it America’s largest telecommunications and entertainment delivery company servicing emerging rural markets. Windstream simultaneously joined forces with THINK, Inc. to introduce prospects and existing customers to the company’s product offerings through an online channel.

Windstream wanted to create a personable yet dynamic way to introduce the brand to cities throughout rural America and decided to do so with the Green Truck Tour – a cross-country trip utilizing the company’s green truck icon to bring Windstream to life.

Windstream turned to THINK to develop a microsite for the tour that would provide consumers with information about tour stops, show a photo gallery with event images and give product and service information that would lead consumers to the windstream.com site.

“We aimed to create a site that combined Windstream’s innovative technology with their down-home personality, “ said Blair Caplinger, Executive Creative Director at THINK. “We wanted current and potential customers to have the chance to personally get to know Windstream.”

Opportunities:

Increasing brand awareness through the truck tour provided Windstream with an opportunity to personally educate communities across the country about the safety and security of landline phones. Additionally, it gave them a chance to promote their phone, broadband and digital TV products and services with a personal touch.

On the tour, consumers would be given the unusual opportunity to meet their telecommunications company and talk with representatives face-to-face, creating an online community in an offline environment.  Both Windstream and THINK envisioned the creation of long-term relationships through the tour and site.

Vision:

THINK immediately realized the microsite needed to reflect the existing brand, while creating excitement around the tour and giving it a unique personality. In order to achieve this goal, THINK introduced a logo specifically designed for the Green Truck Tour site that seamlessly combined the feel of the tour with the core Windstream brand. The old-fashioned green trucks used for the tour, as seen in the logo, became a tangible example of tradition being taken to a new level – a symbol well understood and accepted by the target audience.

Primarily built for awareness, while also spotlighting products and services, the main goals of the Green Truck Tour site became promoting the tour, enabling visitors to view photos from the tour stops and alerting consumers of upcoming events. An example of the outstanding visual and technical elements the site offers is a data driven Flash map of the United States, which pinpoints tour stops and provides detailed information about each event.

Challenges:

In developing the vision for the Green Truck Tour site, THINK was challenged with creating the first instance of the Windstream brand online, outside of the primary www.windstream.com site. Windstream wanted to maintain their position as a big company who cares about individual consumers – a business with a traditional feel. At the same time, they wanted to highlight their innovative technological solutions for their customers.

THINK was also challenged by the site’s maintenance and weekly updates. Locations, dates, events and news needed to be kept current and photos had to be regularly uploaded to the gallery after the completion of each tour stop. In addition to current and potential customers, C-Level executives at Windstream relied on the site to keep track of tour locations and dates, making it extremely important for the site to contain accurate and up-to-date information.

Results:

Both the website and the tour had great successes. In its first year, the tour stopped at over 60 locations across the United States and is currently in its second year while planning a third. The microsite is being retained, with minor changes, to keep track of the new tour information. It currently experiences thousands of visitors a month with an approximate 5% click-through rate to windstream.com. 

In addition to the continuation of the tour, there is interest in expanding the site to include a content management system to make updates easier and to provide product managers with access to update event information.

About THINK Interactive, Inc.

THINK Interactive, Inc. is an Atlanta-based interactive agency that specializes in creating value for clients’ brands and businesses by surfacing unique idea and executing on them in ways that add new fuel to online marketing and web channel initiatives. Since 1995, THINK has helped a diverse mix of business-to-consumer and business-to-business Fortune 1000 clients engage customers and drive business results with the use of emerging media and the Web. For more information on THINK, please visit the company’s website at http://www.thinkinc.com.

For more information contact Simon Cole, THINK Interactive, Inc., 404-962-8975