The creative team at Kilgannon McReynolds (KGR) has some new direction. Elizabeth Smith has been named Vice President, Creative Director. Previously, Smith worked as a freelancer and as Vice President, Creative Group Head at Sawyer Riley Compton where she worked on accounts including Eli Lilly, Dow Corning, Esab Welding & Cutting Products, Goldkist Poultry, and Mistubishi Cellular Phones. Smith’s hearth is decorated with numerous awards including the 1997 Best of Show CEBA Award, Telly Awards, New York Art Directors, Communication Arts, Print Regional Design Annual, Show South, ADDYS, and B/PAA National Pro Comm Awards.

As online/offline advertising agency, KGR, recently reeled in two awards for its company hearth at the 2000 WebAwards from the Web Marketing Association, Inc. (WMA). An agency that has positioned itself as integrator of the two mediums, KGR won for clients Tucker Federal Bank and The Fund. The former site received an Outstanding Website award and the latter, a Standard of Excellence award.

Tucker Federal’s site was launched in December 1999 with a virtual banking channel. Kilgannon McReynolds designed the concept and look of the site, a co-brand for its parent company. With justrightbank.com, Tucker wanted to convert existing brick and mortar customers into online bankers and of course, to concurrently gather new customers. Since its launch, traffic has increased over 350% and the number of online bankers has increased 120%.

A simple Flash dialogue opens to the red and black splash page of thefund.com. Launched a year ago as a resource for its attorney agent member base, Kilgannon designed the site to web-enable seminar information and the registration process for the company.

The agency also won a MOBIUS Advertising Award for Southern LINC’s radio spot, “The Poem.” Featuring a septic tank repairmen at a poetry reading, the :60 spot, shows its protagonist bemoaning the trouble he had keeping in contact with his employees. From over 6,000 entries, this spot took a second place “Certificate For Outstanding Creativity.”

Continuing their relationship with client, Southern LINC, KGR began running a new campaign in February with a new message, “Built around business. Built around you.” The campaign targets business decision makers in industries including transportation, construction, specialty trade consultants, utilities, finance, and field based services such as computer consulting and pest control businesses. Ads are designed specifically to engage each of the targeted audiences, giving the subject both personality and humanity. Each ad features a face made of tools specific to the particular industry.

An all out attack, the campaign includes print, radio, outdoor, and interactive media. Banner ads are scheduled to appear on cnn.com, the Weather Channel’s site, CBS Sportsline, and across Engage’s B2B network. Newspaper advertising is slated to begin during the second quarter of 2001. Hoping to grow the company’s exposure, Southern LINC provides services in Georgia, Alabama, Northwest Florida, and Southeast Mississippi. Credits for the campaign go to Elizabeth Smith, Creative Director; Tony Messano, Art Director; Kim Sundling, Art Director; Eric Van Fossen, Copywriter; Tom Abraham, Photographer; Sharon Ryan, Production; and Michelle Melnik, Account Executive.

On the cultural front, KGR is widening its horizons by partnering with BBN The Multicultural Agency, becoming the agency’s third U.S. agency partner. BBN is an independent partnership of B2B agencies throughout the world, providing clients access to 850 marketing communications professionals around the world.