Our Favorite Projects from the Past 20 Years

Think back to life 20 years ago. The year was 1996 and you were probably on your way to the movie theater to see Independence Day, or maybe Space Jam if that was more your thing. You used dial-up Internet and got excited when AOL exclaimed, “You’ve Got Mail.” Your kids wanted a Nintendo 64 or Tickle Me Elmo for Christmas. Dolly the Sheep was the most controversial news item and everyone was obsessed with the Macarena (sorry for the reminder).

Twenty years brings a whole lot of change. With 20 years officially in the books and more than 1,000 clients served, we’ve been reminiscing over our own CWS highlight reel. Check out a few of our favorite projects.

Wall of Americans  | 9/11 Website

Year: 2001

After the September 11 attacks, the CWS team recognized the need for a virtual spot for global remembrance. Within 24 hours, staying up all night and working nonstop, developers created the Wall of Americans: a website where people could share stories about, memorialize the victims, and share condolences. While no longer operational, the site was featured in a Wall Street Journal news article on the one year anniversary of the attacks, noting the presence of solace on the web and the impact online memorials make.

Minnesota Corrugated Box | “Think Outside the Box” Facebook Contest Campaign

Year: 2013

CWS assisted Minnesota Corrugated Box (MCB), a display and packaging solutions provider, with an interactive engagement strategy. The goals were to involve MCB in a community effort, promote creativity, build awareness for their product, and gain followers on their Facebook page. To meet these goals, the team developed a contest where entrants submitted an original sculpture made entirely of cardboard. The entries were collected and shared across their Facebook pages. The contest resulted in a 367% increase in Facebook Likes, and an average reach of 70,000 daily Facebook visitors.

MedEd Manager  | Application

Year: 2007

CWS believes in continual growth. What started out as a project with a local medical institution has expanded into a new CWS product offering. CWS saw an evolving need within the healthcare industry. Powered by CWS, MedEd Manager assists institutions with course management and Continued Medical Education (CME) marketing. MedEd Manager continues to expand into resources and offerings for all things CME.

Club Rochester | Application

Year: 2002

Before Facebook, there was Club Rochester. Developed by CWS in 2002, it was a social platform specifically for Rochester, Minnesota that enabled users to meet and greet each other. It became a popular site for meeting friends, people with similar interests, and even dating!

Group Loop | Application

Year: 2006

Described as a passion project by founder, Alan De Keyrel, Group Loop was a solution to a frequently encountered problem. Alan was involved in a number of local community efforts and became frustrated at the lack of effective means for communication among the numerous groups and committee members. Group Loop was developed as web-based software tool that “Kept Your Group in the Loop,” and made it easy to share information. It was an experimental project as at the time; the team knew little about the framework they used to build the site. It earns its spot as a CWS highlight because this project embodies what CWS strives for: continual learning while providing innovative results. While no longer operated by CWS, it’s still utilized today to keep committees, sports teams, and other small groups in the loop.

Crosby Lake Spirits Company | Kinky Liqueur Product Launch

Year: 2010

With the opportunity to be involved in a new product launch for Crosby Lake Spirits Company, CWS responded in a unique way. Being new to the market, the main objectives were to: build awareness, define a target market, quickly grow mass distribution, and develop a way to generate buzz and feedback. Instead of building the traditional website and online presence, CWS built a Facebook community for the new product, Kinky Liqueur. They promoted a giveaway, held monthly contests that endorsed ways to use Kinky Liqueur with fun recipes, and encouraged engagement. The campaign quickly went viral and resulted in more than 20,000 new Facebook likes in one day!

Main Street Dental Clinics | Digital Environment

Year: 2014

Main Street Dental Clinics wanted to update and improve their digital presence and most of all, focus on growth by obtaining more patients. Using a Growth-Driven Design methodology, CWS built a cohesive rebrand that included a responsive website and updated logo, plus a specific call-to-action for new patients.  A digital ad campaign pushed people to a conversion form that allowed new patients to take advantage of a great offer. This is one of our favorite projects because of the tremendous ROI the client was able to measure immediately.

What’s next? While we don’t even want to try to predict what the next Macarena will be, we do promise to continue offering solutions that grow your business. View our portfolio for more of our favorite success stories!