One of Campaign Advantage's first national website development awards was for the website of a Missouri veteran of the first Iraq War who went on to win a state representative seat. This cycle, we are honored to be developing a website and online campaign strategy for Paul Renneisen, a businessman and community leader from south Florida. Paul is running as an anti-war veteran and electric car proponent in his race to win a Congressional seat from Florida's 22nd District.
The Renneisen website was developed to evoke fond memories of southern Florida, and especially the coastline in the 22nd District near Ft. Lauderdale. While Paul has hard-hitting issue pages and the online campaigning tools to run a strong race, he also has a website that celebrates his many accomplishments and the beauty of his seaside community.
An advocacy group dedicated to stopping a piece of legislation on Capitol Hill wanted a website that could make its case online, while also providing contact information, telling visitors how they could contact their legislators, and other traditional website functions. Two Flash presentations were created that tell visitors, whether they have fast or slow internet connections, why they should oppose a bill pending on the Senate floor. Compelling personal stories, facts about the issue, and news releases give visitors personal reasons why they should support support the cause.
PoliticsOnline.com cited Asbestos Truth in its NetPulse newsletter a "Super Site," and an advocacy website that "is a good example of using the Internet for persuasion and evocation of emotion, not just collection of names and donations. Creators of the site have confirmed that in just a few days of the website's launch, it has already received many personal stories and feedback from individuals who are fighting asbestos-related cancer. Another thing that makes it special is the usability. Slow connection users can see the short version of the Flash."
The Asian American Action Fund (AAA-Fund), a not-for-profit Political Action Committee, asked Nash Interactive to implement an online campaign to help Asian Pacific American (APA) candidates and politically empower the APA community. The goal is to raise funds for candidates and encourage more APAs to get involved as volunteers, donors, and candidates. The website features information about Asian Pacific American candidates from across the nation.
To educate visitors about the issue, Nash Interactive created a database-driven interactive to show the level of under-representation in each state.In usability tests, the interactive map page created a healthy level of cognitive dissonance in visitors. They clicked on the data for their state, and were amazed that APAs could be so under-represented. They usually checked out the data for states where their friends and family reside as well. To channel that concern into positive action, Nash Interactive put three action buttons at the bottom of the results page. Visitors can either go to the Take Action page, send the data to a friend via email, or print out the data in a format that can be posted on a bulletin board, appended to a memo, or passed out as a flyer.
Sometimes your cause needs a one-animation-tells-it-all approach to advocacy. Given the complicated back-and-forth allegations surrounding the dangers of Oxycontin, Nash Interactive decided to summarize the issue in one compelling Flash presentation, and then follow up with personal histories, facts about the drug, and ways that visitors to the website could take action.
This archived version of the Oxyconned website has interactivity features that have been disabled, but you can still see why the Flash piece, personal stories, and other features proved that a good advocacy website can help with both fulfillment (signatures and newsletter signups) and persuasion. On May 10, 2007, the makers of Oxycontin pleaded guilty to felony charges that they purposely misbranded OxyContin with intent to mislead and defraud, and also settled accusations regarding its promotion of OxyContin by paying $19.5 million to 26 states and the District of Columbia.
Jerry Northington is a veterinarian, Vietnam War veteran, and committed peace activist who is running for Congress as the At-large Representative for Delaware. The Revolutionary War quotes and fonts are a reminder that Jerry's messages to defend the Constitution and honor our veterans are not new, but are messages that would have been supported by the Founders of the Republic.
The photos on the website remind visitors that Jerry is a down-to-earth person who loves music, animals, and good friends, while his biography page reminds visitors of the many skills and experiences he will bring to the office as Delaware's sole Representative in the House. A "How You Can Help" box on every page helps convert visitors to newsletter subscribers, donors, and voters.
This website, created for the Century Council's campaign to fight alcohol abuse on campus, features a multimedia Flash presentation, streaming video, downloadable program materials, and press information. The website also provides a password-protected area for educators that includes an online discussion board and a variety of online reference materials for those who are implementing alcohol abuse prevention programs.
Award Winner
Its eye-catching, multimedia interface provides content designed to engage specific student populations: first year students, student athletes, and fraternity members. The engaging visual design is teamed up with a no-nonsense approach to organizing content: uncluttered, easy-to-use navigation helps educators, counselors, and others who are looking for authoritative information on preventing alcohol abuse on campus. The Alcohol 101 Plus educational CD-ROM program received a Freddie award the category of Health and Wellness at the 29th Annual International Health and Medical Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles.
Based on the positive feedback they received for other websites we produced for them, the Century Council, a leading non-profit organization, invited us to produce a fourth website, focusing on high school students. Graphics and features were designed to appeal to students as well as educators and parents.
A database-driven ordering system allows visitors to order a
The Blood Alcohol Educator (BAE) is an interactive, educational program that is available in English and Spanish. Developed in conjunction with the University of Illinois, it educates the public about Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels and how alcohol affects you as an individual. By entering your gender, weight, and the number and type of drinks consumed, you can quickly learn how alcohol affects your BAC level in a safe and alcohol-free environment.
The BAE program also shows information regarding your state laws for drinking and driving, the effects of alcohol at various BAE levels, how food impacts BAE levels and how alcohol affects friends differently. When the website was live, it also had a schedule for times and locations where visitors could see BAE Cybervan in person.
This site won a first-place Pollie Award for best Congressional Campaign Website from the American Association of Political Consultants. Colorado Senate President Stan Matsunaka asked us to produce a strategic website that would send a strong message with local appeal to voters in his large and diverse Congressional District. He also wanted features to mobilize grassroots supporters: send-this-page-to-a-friend scripts, forms to encourage visitors to subscribe to campaign updates and to volunteer, and a complete system for collecting and tracking both online and offline contributions, including real-time website contribution reporting.
Award Winner
Senator Matsunaka is a fourth-generation Coloradan and an avid outdoorsman. His website shows him as a true Colorado native, and celebrates the pride of Coloradans in their spectacular state. It also presents his plan to address the changing needs of the 4th District while preserving its natural resources through managed, pay-as-you-go growth. Voters can find his legislative accomplishments showcased in user-friendly format. His photo album allows voters to glimpse a more personal side of the candidate, by showing his years as a student in Fort Morgan, and service as a football coach and Cubmaster. Meanwhile, in keeping with Stan's "Colorado Belongs to Us" message, the top of every page features a different vista of Colorado, using photos taken by noted local photographers.
Above all, Stan's website encourages activism and participation in the campaign. The press room provides a complete downloadable press kit in press-ready file formats, making it easy for journalists to write stories about the campaign. For voters, a user-friendly campaign calendar, a schedule of upcoming events, and volunteer sign-up form all encourage participation and volunteerism. In addition, the site provides thorough, up-to-date voter information in a well-organized, easy to use format.
A uniquely personal feature is What I Learned From My Dad, Senator Matsunaka's tribute to his father, Harry Matsunaka, and the valiant World War II generation. By informing a new generation about this legacy, Stan is using the Internet's power to educate and inspire even as he uses it to mobilize.
This advocacy website was launched as the centerpiece of a multi-million advocacy campaign by a new centrist, non-partisan group, Americans for Gun Safety (AGS). Funded by Internet billionaire Andy McKelvey, AGS reaches out to both gun owners and non-gun owners who support "common sense" solutions, such as closing the Gun Show Loophole that allows criminals to buy guns at gun shows in 32 states.
Innovation Finalist
Interactive features on this site include online video versions of the television ads, the ability to send letters to congressional representatives directly from the site, and viral-marketing scripts that allow visitors to send emails to their friends recommending the site.
As reported in Newsweek and the New York Times, AGS debuted late in Campaign 2000 with TV ads in Colorado and Oregon, where voters faced referendums on background checks at gun shows. The ads featured Arizona Senator John McCain backing the initiatives in his trademark plain-spoken style.
Within a week of launching its website, Americans for Gun Safety had received mentions in the New York Times, Denver Post, Newsweek, and other prominent press venues. By November 7th, 2000, AGS had succeeded in helping Colorado and Oregon become the first two states in the nation to close the gun show loophole on a statewide basis through ballot initiatives.
The Americans for Gun Safety Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization whose site uses an SQL database and Active Server Pages to provide personalized "information-on-demand" to visitors. By clicking on a map to select a state, visitors can view detailed information about gun laws in that state.
The AGS Foundation site has features designed to raise awareness and motivate visitors to use guns safely. PDF versions of key reports are available. Gun safety tips and an annotated guide to other gun safety organizations are provided in easy-to-use formats. A glossary, site map, and search feature help visitors to understand the issues and find information quickly and easily on the website. A press room features press releases and access to research reports.
The site uses send-this-page-to-a-friend scripts to encourage visitors to send emails to friends and colleagues, whether recommending the site as a whole, or sending specific data the user has chosen from the database-driven interactive pages.
After five years as the webmasters of Rep. Richard Gephardt's award-winning Congressional campaign website, we were invited in January 2003 to create his Presidential campaign website. This site featured online fundraising, constituent contact, press release updating, and other features that brought the Gephardt online operation favorable reviews in the press.
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The Spanish version of the website, for example, was cited by Campaigns and Elections magazine as the most complete and compelling Spanish language site in the presidential campaign. Flash presentations on the Home page were modified regularly to feature photos from recent events as well as photos of key constituent groups. Special pages were created on the website for state groups, union groups, and others. To mobilize support from each constituent group, targeted newsletters were sent out using the latest email outreach tools.
By allowing two levels of zooming, the permanent online photo gallery for the photographs of Ricardo Alvarado allows the online visitor to see the photographs with more detail than if the visitor had come to Washington to see the original offline exhibition.
Most museums keep visitors a safe distance away from their treasures, and the lighting and traffic in large galleries does not always allow a visitor to closely observe the story in the background of an historical photo. After exhibitions close or move on to other venues, the exhibition usually exists only in the minds of those who came to see it. Thanks to this permanent online gallery, these precious photos continue to be available for study and enjoyment.
Painter, university professor, and feng shui master Catherine
Within days of launching her website, Dr. Woo was contacted by a gallery that had previously told her they currently did not have budget to host an exhibition of her paintings. "The director was impressed by the paintings she saw on your website," said her contact, "and wants to host your exhibition in a few months."
The Smithsonian wanted two related websites: one that would serve as a permanent online exhibition for a collection of historic photographs, and another site for the Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Program. The APA Program site would allow visitors to easily find the updated information about upcoming and recent events, volunteer opportunities, and other Smithsonian programs.
Because the Smithsonian site contains a wealth of exhibit and event information that is frequently updated, the site needed to have a clear logical structure that would allow visitors to find information easily and quickly. As a resource for millions in the U.S. and and abroad, the site also had to be fully Section 508 compliant for accessibility. The completed site provided familiar navigational tools such as a sitemap, as well as basic and advanced search options. However, most of the navigational design went into the site structure itself. The site uses clean, consistent, intuitive nagivational layout, along with hot-linked features on every page that provide previews of exhibit items that the visitor might otherwise not learn about.
