We are very proud to announce The International Hotel School website won a bronze award for The Best Corporate Website. Over the past few years, IHS and Digitlab have worked together to create a finely tuned digital marketing strategy that has the agility to move with an ever-changing and demanding Millennial Generation.
The newly launched website is the latest incarnation of this partnership, where Digitlab used the latest in development technology and design trends to provide a strong image centric design to capture the imagination of IHS’s youth-centric target market.
Ruth Paulsen, Sales and Marketing Manager for International Hotel School says “We are very proud of the digital strategy and work that Digitlab does for us and in particular the new website. It has the right balance of functionality as well as aesthetic appeal. Since its launch in July the number of enquiries from the site and the number of online applications has increased substantially.”
Along with this prestigious accolade, we are also extremely proud that Digitlab CEO, Mike Saunders, won the Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Media at the New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards, held last night at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Mike’s vision for the industry is to see organisations effectively using digital media to communicate – increasing their reach, influence, and effectiveness. He fulfills this vision in his consulting role, as well as in his capacity as a speaker, where he shares his expertise in the fields of social marketing and digital strategy.
Mike is passionate about driving the social media industry forward, being a regular contributor on Bizcommunity, AdLip, Memeburn, African Business Review, and SME SA. Mike is also a keynote speaker, who has presented on social media and business in over 25 conferences this year, both locally and abroad.
Mike wrote and published the “Raising Digital Citizens” eBook. Along with this thought leadership, Mike headed up the Digitlab team to produce “The Future State of Retail” report highlighting five digital disruptive forces, including social media, and nine emerging trends impacting the retail industry. Mike developed the “SMART Customer Experience Framework” Report, explaining how Social, Mobile, Agility, Research, and Transformation need to be on the forefront of every brand’s customer experience design.
Mike leads by example, both in his approach to digital strategy, and in the way he has structured the Digitlab team, choosing to hire talented young professionals who share his vision for what Digitlab could be and where the industry is going.
Mike’s positive can-do attitude, innovative thinking, and tireless work ethic keeps the Digitlab team motivated. Mike is an inspiring leader and a talented strategist, always pushing boundaries and encouraging innovation and collaboration.
An awards ceremony for a new space
Now in its second year, the New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards, hosted by Lavello Marketing Solutions, aims to properly showcase the strides being made by both South African digital agencies and corporate brands in the online arena.
The Awards cover 40 different categories, from Innovation in Social Media to Crisis Communication. The selection criteria for each award included:
- Innovation: originality of campaigns submitted
- Creativity: uniqueness in implementation, concept and content
- Results and Efficiency: resources used in achieving the results. Coverage (reach), engagement (rate of interactivity) and sales (lead generation resulting in new business) were considered
Congratulations again to our CEO Mike, as well as to the International Hotel School and the Digitlab team.
“We are honoured to receive these awards. Our focus has always been to resource the digital industry and create great digital experiences, so to be acknowledged by our peers in both aspects is a humbling experience.” – Mike Saunders