Merv Griffin – Entertainment Industry

Overview: Representing one of the most recognized names in entertainment, The Merv Griffin Group owns and operates ventures in the entertainment, production, and hotel industries. Merv Griffin Hotels, the result of an aggressive hotel acquisition strategy that began in the late 1980s, now includes premier properties such as the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills . Through the help of Merv Griffin Productions, these hotel properties are the venue of choice for high profile events such as the Golden Globe Awards. Through Merv Griffin Entertainment, Merv Griffin continues to develop and produce game shows and other forms of television programming.

Business Challenge: The Griffin Group sought to extend the Merv Griffin brand, identify and capitalize upon new revenue streams, and reduce the cost of doing business by using the web. A key obstacle to brand recognition was its corporate web site, which was hampered by confusing navigation and inconsistent branding elements.

Business Solution: Providing consulting services to the Griffin Group on a number of levels, DDGlobal created a new look and feel for the Merv.com web site and helped to establish a key revenue-generating initiative, Mervgames.com. DDGlobal wrote the business plan for Mervgames.com, which was founded in January 2000 with the aim of providing engaging online game shows and interactive games that appeal to a broad audience and are particularly well suited for online entertainment content. In addition, DDGlobal created rich gaming content designed to attract a loyal audience and entice users to consistently spend significantly more time per visit on the Mervgames.com site than the industry average, thus providing Mervgames with multiple potential revenue opportunities including advertising, click-through fees, e-commerce and potentially the licensing of intellectual properties.

Technical Solution: Through an extensive collaborative process, DDGlobal developed a new look and feel for the Merv.com site that included a Flash movie introduction and separate sections for the Entertainment, Productions, and Hotels divisions of the Griffin Group. The site also featured a new, streamlined navigational structure and applied a consistent look and feel to the many properties under the Griffin Group umbrella to reinforce the Merv Griffin branding identity.

Using Java and Lingo, a programming language used by Macromedia's Director animation tool, DDGlobal developed a series of online game prototypes for the Mergames.com site, including Celebrity Trivia, Blackjack, Celebrity Bingo, and Celebrity Poker.

Outcome of Engagement: Launched in May 2000, the Merv.com site established a clear and consistent online branding image for the Griffin Group and its three divisions.

 

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