The Observer Group was a thriving newspaper publishing company with several successful divisions. Their most popular division was its community papers - eight weeklies that focused on community news stories and events in some of the country's wealthiest neighborhoods. Several upstart magazines as well as new dailies and weeklies were cutting into The Observer Group' sophisticated reader base. The company needed to consolidate their brand with an interactive community-driven Web site to remain competitive. Though the group had one of the strongest newspapers in the area in terms of content and readership, its online presence went unnoticed.
After interviewing The Observer Group's readers, we discovered that the most anticipated (and saved) section of every paper was coverage and photos of the area's glamorous and thriving social scene. atLarge began building the most comprehensive, interactive online events medium the region had ever experienced. We created an innovative photo application that allowed Observer staff to conveniently upload photos to the site gallery immediately following an event. Visitors could browse and bookmark events and photo galleries. They could add events to their calendars, share photos with friends and even purchase prints of their favorite images for mail delivery to their home and office.
The site unveiled to over 500 guests at The Observer Group's annual “Black Tie Bash,” one of the area's most exclusive events that centers on the unveiling of the official Florida Gulf Coast Social Calendar. Guests cooed at the new online Black Tie section featuring innovative photo galleries, interactive events calendars and in-depth coverage of the area's social happenings. This became the first service of its kind on the Gulf Coast, and reflected the paper's mission to give hyper-local coverage and connect the readers within the communities they served. In the weeks after the bash, over 10,000 visitors flocked to the new site, making yourobserver.com the online authority for area social events. Sales from the purchased prints created a new revenue stream, as thousands of dollars poured in for the publishing group. Best of all, the site established the group's brand and solidified its unique niche within the local media market.
