EMG Wins Silver at the W³ Awards

IRVINE, CA – Earthbound Media Group (EMG) is pleased to announce that the University of La Verne (ULV) virtual tour came out a winner at the 2007 W³ Awards. Garnering a silver medal for outstanding achievement in the category of rich media marketing, the virtual tour represents a fresh approach to interactive experiences for prospective college students.

Judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, the prestigious award signifies recognition of the virtual tour’s cutting-edge approach. The project’s inclusion with other esteemed W³ winners from large advertising agencies and Fortune 500 companies proves that EMG is producing work that rivals the best in the industry.

“When the EMG creative team heard the great news that we had won a W³ award for the ULV virtual tour, we were thrilled,” said Lawrence Williford, EMG Partner and Art Director. “This project really pushed our conceptual, design, content and programming skills, and in the end, turned out perfectly.”

The award-winning virtual tour is part of a larger undergraduate campaign created for ULV in collaboration with RHB/The Agency. EMG also worked alongside key decisions makers within the university to create a unique experience to correspond with ULV’s “Get InvoLVed” messaging.

Built in Flash 9 and enhanced with fresh, dynamic visual elements, the tour invites interactivity and firsthand discovery of the ULV campus through “choose-your-own-story” type navigation. The three ULV students featured in the tour were even given video cameras to document highlights of their everyday lives. Sample topics covered include student life, Greek life, academics and housing, and each video segment was produced in a fun, engaging documentary-like style complete with pop-up fun facts and an up-tempo soundtrack.

“The virtual tour really exemplifies the reality of what a day-in-the-life of a ULV student consists of,” Williford explained. “Clean design and intuitive navigability shows students as they truly are – and it’s a great way for prospective students to gain some honest perspective.”

EMG is honored to be recognized by the W³ Awards. The ULV virtual tour has broken new ground for higher education marketing, and the agency plans on using it as the standard for future projects.

“This is a huge accomplishment for our team,” Williford said. “We’re very excited that the project was recognized and looking forward to delivering more great solutions like this for our clients.”