TBWA / PROJEQT

TBWA was up at the tip-top of the list of agencies whose Flash-based sites were named and shamed for not working on mobile a few weeks back, but it turns out the network had something big enough to reverse the stigma.

Today it's unveiled Projeqt, a CMS system it's calling a 'creative storytelling platform', enabling people to display content in a slideshow style, sort of Slideshare-meets-Cargo.

The site is written completely in HTML5 and, when we had a chance to test it out, runs as well on iPads and iPhones as it does on the desktop.

The thing that is different about making a site that is a platform versus a  more campaign-oriented site is that you have to do a lot of the heavy lifting before you even get to creating the content', says David Lee, digital executive creative director at TBWA\Worldwide. 'It's closer to building software than building a site. Because we want this to be used by different end users - both TBWA offices and individual users, we had to create something that is flexible enough to accommodate the different needs.' TBWA's production process for the project took around six months. 

The system builds around slides, which can be an image, text with or without a background image, an RSS feed, of a blog or Twitter stream for example, and a Vimeo video. The slides can then be grouped together and nested below or above others, creating a hierarchy visitors can navigate with their keyboard or touchscreen. Views can be changed, from filmstrip to grid view, and there's a full-screen option. One of the projects can be password protected, so conceivably you could even present new work this way. 

'It began as a brief for a new global site for TBWA, TBWA.com', Lee says. 'There were a few things we looked at that we needed to change. We're a network of 250 offices and 140 websites and after doing an inventory we realized that all those sites are very different. We needed a way to create a connected thread across the network and better digital brand behavior for TBWA'.

'We also wanted our site to give something back to the creative community and add value. People don't visit agency sites on a regular basis so you need to give them a reason to come back. We didn't want to create another brochure site or an agency blog, but a service that people will use and enjoy.'

The network's chairman and global director Lee Clow was insistent that any agency sites are based primarily around the work, and Projeqt seems to do just that - put the work up front and center. 

The project also introduces an interesting wrinkle - while all accounts are currently hosted on the Projeqt site, the team is going to be able to sell a plus version that can sit on your own server, without the Projeqt branding.

'It's open to anyone who has a creative story to tell,' Lee says. 'Whether you want to use it as a portfolio site, for anything from photography, design, sculpture, advertising creative and beyond, or to create and share presentations online. Anyone that can find a creative way of pushing the storytelling boundaries in Projeqt is welcome to use it'.

Given the success of platforms like Tumblr and Blogger, Projeqt stands out as one of the more immediately feasible spin-off businesses to come from agency land, with the weight of a network of early adopters built in.

http://projeqt.com/