Redline's impressive new website pays homage to investment in training

It will, at the end of the day, add a sheen or brilliance to everyone's work, and your customers and your bottom line will reap the rewards of their enthusiasm and professionalism.

This is the opinion of Redline managing director, David McCullough, who holds out the stakeholder communication company's new website, www.fcbredline.co.za, as an example.

Redline is a member of the Draftfcb South Africa group, which recently won the National Business Awards' ‘National Investor in People' award and was named one of the country's top employers in the 2007 edition of BEST Employers™ South Africa, compiled by the Corporate Research Foundation.

“It is always gratifying to be formally recognised by your peers in the industry for the investment you make in human resources, and Draftfcb South Africa is a proud recipient of both these awards,” he said.

“However, the cherry on the top for us is watching trainees grow into ‘magic' people, witnessing their confidence and abilities improve on a day-to-day basis, and then finally appreciating the very positive aspect they have on our businesses.

“A case in point is our new web site. It was developed by a young lady who joined Draftfcb's digital interactive division as a trainee, excelled during her internship and is now a full-time employee. In addition, the site features the face of a Redline intern who worked with us in the office as part of the practical component of her PR course. She is now a full-time account executive.”

The latest technology in both design and development, including Flash and C#, were used in the creation of this highly functional website, which is located at www.fcbredline.co.za. As a result, Redline's online home is a colourful breath of fresh air; its clean, stylish and contemporary design is easy on the eye and encourages users to navigate the site to learn more.

Commented the creative director on the project, Kabelo Moshapalo, who joined Draftfcb in May 2000 as a trainee but was soon winning local digital interactive advertising awards, including three Silver Loeries and one Gold Construction New Media award as well as international kudos, importantly a Webby Honoree: “We feel the design effectively reflects the bold, energetic energy you will find at Redline. The friendly reds and clear spaces draw the user in and is representative of the level of quality and professionalism you can expect from the Redline team.

“Putting a human face into this forum - one of the interns who works at Redline was filmed welcoming visitors to the site and then guiding them through its features and components - immediately breaks the ice that the digital environment can create for those who are not computer savvy.”

Moshapalo's co-developer of the site was Seipei Mathole. She joined Draftfcb in 2004, was trained for a year and then offered a permanent position in 2005.

“The site works flawlessly - the fact that visitors don't struggle to navigate it and that it doesn't take what seems like ages to switch from page to page pay homage to the adage that ‘less is more' and is testament to how hard design and technology can work for you in the right hands,” she said, adding the she is currently working on taking the site ‘mobile', that is, creating what is known as a ‘mobi-site', because of the value the Redline team see in the technology.

Added McCullough: “Draftfcb South Africa has been putting an enormous focus on the human resources field over the past years, including nurturing an environment that stimulates their creativity, as is displayed in our web site.

“We have created an atmosphere where creativity can thrive and the principles of business are respected. We have also put a big emphasis on upskilling all levels of staff through ongoing training and skills development. Last year, over 70% of our staff went through some form of training programme, and our business has certainly benefited from that.”

Draftfcb South Africa's BEE facts and figures are also impressive - out of 650 staff, 43% are black, 55% are women and 63% of executive senior staff is black. It was a participant in the first major broad-based empowerment transaction to be concluded within the advertising industry; a 2005 deal which saw Bourasque Advertising Investments acquire a 26% stake in the agency. A subsequent transaction, announced in January 2007, has resulted in the creation of an employee trust, which holds a 23.9% share in the company. Through this trust, over 40 black staff, as well as 40 white staff, own shares in the company.