Cobourg wins gold-level Hermes
Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The Town of Cobourg has announced a special honour received by its communications department – a Gold Award in the prestigious 2018 Hermes Creative Awards competition for overall website design and social-media and interactive-media strategy.
The award was developed in partnership with eSolutions Group, a leading Canadian company specializing in digital solutions for public-sector products and services.
Cobourg’s website was one of eight municipal websites in Canada to be so honoured, the town’s press release said.
In 2016, the town’s communications department launched a fully redesigned website with eSolutions and, after a year of testing, redesigned the home page to address any gaps and create an even friendlier layout. The redesign included further enhanced content and upgrades citizens had asked for, including better placement for the search bar, drop-down navigational enhancements and a fully integrated community calendar.
The redesigned site was considered to have exemplary creative marketing and communications qualities in electronic media, while demonstrating excellence in using the skills and technologies of a new generation of marketing and communications professionals.
Communications manager Ashley Purdy said it is crucial to listen to what citizens want and continually improve upon its communications strategy.
“This project was about engagement, testing out what worked and what could work better, and about embracing technology and adapting,” she said in the press release.
“We won’t be left behind.”
Entrants in the competition came from corporate marketing and communications departments, advertising agencies, public-relations firms, graphic-design shops, production companies, and web and digital creators and freelancers from all over the world.
All worked tirelessly to create something new and exciting, eSolutions president Karen Mayfield said.
“These websites not only showcase what each platform has to offer, but also offer users and audiences a place to connect, share ideas and communcate – values that are at the heart of these awards.”
Meanwhile, Purdy welcomes any suggestions on how the municipal website (at www.cobourg.ca) might be improved – contact her at communications@cobourg.ca.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
