EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I.  – Creative Circle Media Solutions has launched its first web site using an innovative new web CMS technology that is designed to make business and media web sites  more flexible and dynamic.

            The site, at www.anc.com, debuted with technology service provider ANC’s new brand identity, better positioning ANC as the nation’s leading provider to power sports stadiums, entertainment facilities, transportation hubs and retail venues with animated video displays.

            Dynamic is the buzzword about mediasiteQ, the content management system from Creative Circle, based in East Providence, R.I. The platform was recently upgraded to provide even more flexibility, which allows ANC’s site to change and dazzle much like its stadium displays. “What we really loved about it was the functionality that a (Creative Circle) newspaper website presents to a corporation,” said Michael Hopkins, ANC’s vice president for external communications.

            “ANC creates very dynamic displays for large digital signage, like the displays at Dodger Stadium or Penn State University’s sports venues. So they wanted a web site that could be dynamic, too,” said Bill Ostendorf, Creative Circle’s founder and president. “With our new version of mediasiteQ, they can turn up the volume as much as they like. They can apply a different look to every page and combine elements to create thousands of looks – all in a few clicks and with no technical background.”

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            To have that flexibility, most businesses would have to pay tons of money to a computer programmer or technology provider each time they wanted to emphasize new features. “Now, ANC’s communications and marketing staff can change the design of any page in infinite ways as the business expands and needs or priorities change,” Ostendorf said.

            ANC tapped into Creative Circle’s expertise in providing flexible platforms designed for fast-paced media use. Combining that with Creative Circle’s deep knowledge about design, content and visuals “allows us to build very sophisticated solutions for a business that no other vendor can,” Ostendorf said.

            Hopkins echoed that. ANC didn’t set out to use a news media web site developer like Creative Circle, but after an exhaustive search of other web companies, Creative Circle was the right fit. “No other content management system we came across in our search could deliver the ease of use along with the capabilities to do what we wanted to do,” he said. “They simply weren’t out there.”

            ANC is also using Creative Circle’s paywallQ platform to create customized, private pages for clients. “They can easily put resources or presentations on the web site in a portal behind our pay wall, give a customer a private access login and monitor any traffic or activity in those private pages,” Ostendorf said. “That kind of tool, along with our other unique software platforms designed for media companies, could prove useful to a lot of companies.”

ANC’s Hopkins applauded the interactivity that the paywallQ platform builds into the site, because now clients can see demos, view their projects and share feedback. “Now we have a robust platform that is not just a branding tool, we can use it as a discussion platform to exchange ideas with our clients,” he said.

            ANC hired an ad agency to develop its new branding and design its home page while Creative Circle extended that design to create the modular elements for interior pages. The site was actually delivered empty with no pages built other than the home page. The marketing team members at ANC built out the rest of the site themselves.

            As a company that designs displays for other brands, ANC team members wanted a web site they could control and alter quickly and cost-effectively. In the past, when they wanted to make a significant change, they’d have to go back to their outsourced web design firm and pay for each change. And wait for that change to happen. Now they can create everything they need themselves – new navigation bars, new layouts, new pages – and they can do it in minutes.

            “With this new version of mediasiteQ, we can provide for any company a website that they can change at will. I think a lot of businesses, corporations and associations would really appreciate the flexibility our CMS platform provides,” said Ostendorf. “We’ve long thought dynamic web sites could give companies a strategic advantage. There is no reason a web site has to be static or hard to manipulate. Not with this new technology.”

About Creative Circle

For 30 years, Creative Circle Media Solutions has been the newspaper industry’s most innovative consulting, training, design and software firm. Creative Circle has led training and consulting projects for more than 250 media companies in 23 countries. In the United States, Creative Circle consultants have led the redesign of more than 550 newspapers and magazines and more than 250 media websites. In 2004, the company launched a software arm to produce better web software for newspapers and has since developed a wide range of specialized software for classifieds, native news, advertising, more flexible web CMS software and pay walls. Their software launch was partially funded through Rhode Island’s Slater Fund and a grand from the Economic Development Corporation.

Creative Circle (www.creativecirclemedia.com) has built and hosts more than 200 media-related web sites around the country, including pbn.com and the web sites of several other Rhode Island media outlets. Increasingly, Creative Circle is applying its deep knowledge of design, content, readership and software development to help businesses, non-profits and associations deliver better printed materials and web experiences. Founder and president Bill Ostendorf heads up the team at Creative Circle, based in East Providence, R.I. To schedule a demo, contact him at bill@creativecirclemedia.com or 401-455-1555.

About ANC

ANC, a Learfield company, is the leading turnkey technology service provider offering integrated signage, design, and marketing solutions for sports, retail and transportation facilities. ANC’s service platform offers the integration of Light Emitting Diode (LED) and LCD Displays, rotational and fixed visual signage; the award winning vSOFT™ display control system; signage operation and maintenance; advertising sales and marketing consultation; graphic design; and printing production. To learn more about the company’s history, products and services please visit www.anc.com. To learn more about Learfield Sports, please visit www.learfieldsports.com.