MRM Worldwide, the digital agency of McCann Worldgroup, managed to shine in an otherwise bleak year by developing groundbreaking work for clients and expanding digital capabilities.

The agency, whose b2b work accounts for nearly one-third of its total business, won new accounts including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, 2009 Intel Developer Forum, iShares and Microsoft Office.

In a year when clients were cutting budgets and looking to improve efficiencies, MRM worked with them to roll out new processes and deliver high-performing, targeted work. One of its biggest projects was the implementation of a global work-flow collaboration system called MRM Works, which it uses to share work with clients.

“This became a lifeboat for us, as our clients cut budgets, because it helped us improve efficiencies and get the maximum bang for the buck,” said Reuben Hendell, CEO of MRM Worldwide.

The agency also pushed the envelope with new technologies and communication platforms to deliver innovative creative work.

MRM developed a campaign for client Intel Corp. to drive attendance to its 2009 Intel Developer Forum and deepen the company's relationships with its software developer audience. MRM re-engineered the Intel Developer Forum Web site, building out the online community of developers and adding rich tools for collaboration and content sharing. It also made heavy use of social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, to drive attendance to the event.

The campaign exceeded results, adding more than 2,500 new members to the online community and more than 600 new fans on the Intel Developer Forum fan page.

For Verizon Wireless, MRM developed an integrated campaign targeting second-generation Hispanic business owners, one of the fastest-growing small-business groups in the U.S. The agency used direct mail and online ads to drive users to landing pages with offers on specific BlackBerry products. Users could send referral email or text messages to friends in English, Spanish or a bilingual mix.

The campaign was rolled out in December and the results are still being evaluated, although MRM reports higher-than-average business activation plans for Verizon Wireless among this target audience.

For client L'Oreal's Redken, MRM created an iPhone application targeting professional hairdressers to inform them about educational programs offered by the Redken Academy. The app, which debuted in Italy, featured a survey that analyzed hair stylists' needs, a detailed list of educational courses, reservation capability, and videos and photos of relevant products and services.

“It's a lot more than an iPhone app,” Hendell said. “It is real business software that is delivered in an iPhone app.” In the first month of the campaign, more than 250 hairdressers downloaded it.

MRM is continuing to expand its services by rolling out new capabilities that address client needs.

“We developed what we call "search-infused content,' and we changed our processes to make sure that all the content we develop for our clients is search-infused,” Hendell said. “We did this to deliver better interactive content for our clients.”

The agency also developed new metrics to measure the performance of online campaigns. “We use the phrase "winning reach'—which is basically the same thing as "earned reach'—which shows what it would have cost you in media dollars to get the same level of engagement with users,” Hendell said. —K.M.

LARGE AGENCIES
	WINNER: BBDO New York READ MORE
	RUNNER-UP: Ogilvy & Mather READ MORE
	HONORABLE MENTION: Euro RSCG READ MORE
MIDSIZE AGENCIES
	WINNER: Doremus READ MORE
	RUNNER-UP: GyroHSR READ MORE
	HONORABLE MENTION: PJA Advertising+Marketing READ MORE
SMALL AGENCIES
	WINNER: Chempetetitive Group READ MORE
	RUNNER-UP: Schermer Kuehl READ MORE
	HONORABLE MENTION: RiechesBaird READ MORE
INTERACTIVE AGENCIES
	WINNER: MRM Worlwide READ MORE
	RUNNER-UP: Traction READ MORE
	HONORABLE MENTION: BusinessOnLine READ MORE