The challenge. Oh, no biggie. Just create an "innovation-worthy" experience. (Seriously, no pressure).

1. Brand Identity:

The first step was to invent a brand identity that would support
The Henry Ford's position as the thought-leader on the subject of innovation through the creation of a memorable brand identity that can be leveraged across digital, broadcast, print, merchandising and signage media.

2. Website:

Next up: Create a best-in-class online experience where users can engage with over 400 video segments (with 600-700 more to come in the next 12 months).

3. Outreach Support:

Finally, support the organization's 2010/2011 national marketing plan which includes an extended social media campaign, as well as, provide design and development support for media and sponsorship outreach.

So, what does innovation look like?

The brand identity and visual language is memorable enough to live on its own, as well as, alongside the The Henry Ford's master brand. The brand identity system was designed with multiple media applications in mind, from online applications to broadcast, print, merchandise and signage. As new communications needs arise, our team is responsible for providing ongoing design and executional oversight, ensuring a consistent delivery of online and offline brand experiences.

An effort like this takes a lot of contributors.

We continue to work closely with The Henry Ford's internal teams and external partners to ensure OnInnovation.com meets the requirements of all and the visual brand is properly executed across all media.

Internal collaborators at The Henry Ford include:

• Institutional leadership team
• Marketing / communications leadership and staff
• IT leadership team and staff
• Curatorial / research staff
• Sponsorship development team
• Educational outreach department
• Internal web development resources

External partners and collaborators include:

• Brand strategy team ( Applied Storytelling)
• Video production team (Barry Hurd)
• Photography team ( Michelle Andonian)
• Social media marketing team ( New Marketing Labs)
• Video hosting partner ( Ooyala)
• Merchandising partners

Invent the interface to history's most inventive people? It's a good thing we love a challenge.

OFC provided strategic planning, design and development services that led to the launch of OnInnovation.com:
The process began with a thorough benchmarking and analysis of best-in-class video and knowledge sharing outlets. Next, we created the site architecture and designed a clean, easy-to-use interface that would appeal to a wide variety of audiences from industry to educational communities. We also provided all front- and back-end development services including all HTML, CSS, Javascript, as well as, CMS development and database integration.

We implemented a CMS that plays well with the client's existing data sources.
We worked closely with the client's internal IT and development teams to meet database and CMS requirements. Umbraco, an open-source, ASP.net-based CMS was chosen for its ability to leverage existing data structures. The new CMS allows our clients to efficiently and collaboratively manage the site. In addition, Umbraco's highly programmable structure meant there were no limits on our design.

The creation of tiered permissions allows the marketing department, curatorial staff, and outside content partners to effectively contribute to the site's content structure. In addition to the research and installation of the CMS, we continue to provide ongoing server and website maintenance support, as well as, education to The Henry Ford's curatorial staff.

Advanced search and filter tools provide users a quick pathway to the videos.
How do you create tools that allow users to search and watch over 400 video clips? (Did we mention 700 more are coming in the next 12 months?) First, we developed advanced search functionality that allows users to quickly sort and filter hundreds of video segments. We also engineered an interactive transcript feature that enables users to scan through video transcripts with clickable text that jump to the corresponding points in the videos. Our custom playlist feature allows The Henry Ford's historians and thought leaders to quickly and easily create curated playlists within the CMS.

We oversaw implementation of video hosting services.
As part of our services, we evaluated and recommended video hosting providers. Now that the public beta has launched, we provide ongoing support, management, traffic analysis and integration of newly released features offered by the video host, including closed-caption integration and other advanced features.

With a name like "OnInnovation", you better stay ahead of the curve.

We're supporting the institution's digital marketing and social media outreach.
Audience expectation evolves rapidly. Part of our role is to provide ongoing consultation on future phase enhancements that support the OnInnovation project and the institution's vision of being America's greatest history attraction. We continue to provide digital marketing and social media design and development support.

OFC's consultation on social media integration includes planning, design and development services. Our efforts are focused on ensuring a consistent brand experience is delivered across outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Brightidea. The integration of social media content streams from the innovators' own outlets makes OnInnovation a conversational hub. The addition of a user polling feature elicits input from the following.

We're helping to build a community to grow with the site.
We planned and integrated community-building features such as online polls and the OnInnovation blog which allow followers to weigh in on important topics affecting entrepreneurs and inventors. In an effort to reach the educational community, we provided graphic and development services for Ignite 2010: An OnInnovation Classroom Challenge that rewards teachers for incorporating assets from OnInnovation.com into their curriculae.

The OnInnovation blog allows their followers to engage in a deeper conversation.
We designed, built and integrated the blog feature that serves as a crucial thought-leadership tool enabling The Henry Ford to continue the dialog and create meaningful connections with their audiences. The development infrastructure is designed to help generate substantial amounts of traffic via RSS and links.

Additionally, search engines are attracted to fresh content. That, and the category features that allow for the effective aggregation of content according to themes makes it more efficient for search engines to index the content.