When Your Site can’t be a Joke:

At a very high level we are looking for the following in a CMS

Can’t limit Creative

Must Support key elements of 'enterprise’ architecture

Must be easy to use for us and clients

Must be easy to customize and extend

Must be easy to reuse work

Must be able to integrate and support our client’s larger marketing ecosystem

Must have support outside of us

We felt Drupal was a good fit against these criteria and we had two

projects where we got to try it out…

Original Drupal Experience

In mid 2008 we were approached by the Cartoon Network in EMEA to do full

siteredesigns and implement an new CMS platform to power 11 of their

European sites.

They needed a system to support

multiple sites in multiple languages but that shared common elements

very flexible design on a per page basis that could be easily updated

easy to use for non-technical staff

integration with video services, games and ads

the ability to create a community for the users

Based on the success of the Pets.com community and the creative freedom

and video integration from Manga.com we recommended the Cartoon

Network use Drupal as the basis for their new platform.

Cartoon Network United Kingdom

Cartoon Network Germany

Cartoon Network France

Cartoon Network Hungary

Cartoon Network Netherlands

Cartoon Network Spain

Cartoon Network Romania

Cartoon Network Italy

Cartoon Network Sweden

Cartoon Network Poland

Cartoon Network Norway

VML redesigned the existing Cartoon Network

website adding MyCN, a social networking element for kids.

Members create a personalized account, add favorite videos

and games, send MyCN friends messages, earn activity

coins, and store trophies won by playing site games.

The experience is optimized through safeguards. Kids join

MyCN through a print-off parental approval form or email.

Friends are added by e-mail or a printed form, members are

unsearchable and photos are not used as avatars. Kids

choose a favorite Cartoon Network character to represent

them in MyCN reflecting the fun, creativity and excitement

of the Cartoon Network experience.

Case Study – Cartoon Network EMEA Redesign

Site is designed for each show to have their own theme or inherit from the the core site theme.

This approach has allowed the local countries to provide local agencies/freelance talent an easy

framework to provide ‘seasonal and promotional’ designs throughout the year.

Case Study – Cartoon Network EMEA Redesign

We set up the main flash navigation element at the top of the page to be fully editable to allow

them to add easily add new shows or update one of these three elements

Leveraging the approach and success of the Cartoon Network, we strived to

make ALL content and functionality manageable through the platform.

Here are some examples of how that got carried forward

HNTB

Collective Brands

Constellation Brands

Kansas City Art Institute

Gavilon

HNTB

HNTB

Constellation Brands

Constellation Brands

Collective Brands

Collective Brands

Case Study – Gavilon

Case Study – Gavilon

Collective Brands

For Collective Brands we built an updatable framework for managing embedded 3rd party content on the site via iFrames

Case Study – Gavilon

Case Study – Gavilon

Case Study – Kansas City Art Institute

Case Study – Kansas City Art Institute

Why limit our reuse of this functionality to Drupal sites.

Here are some examples where we leverage Drupal beyond traditional site

management.

vml.com - Managing content in a non-Drupal site

LG Fame Us – Managing content and functionality in a non-Drupal site

WIP - Video Solution Provides integration with CDN/Streaming Server

WIP - Administration for content in Facebook Applications

VML Client Showcase

VML Client Showcase

LG Fame Us

LG Fame Us

LG mobile division created a contest and sweepstakes giving away $50,000 cash, free

phones and loads of prizes to anyone willing to submit their reenactment of the Fame

theme song or, (for the more camera-shy) those willing to judge other contestants on their

Submission.

The end result was a true-to-life web experience that the NY office is proud to confirm

captures the look, feel, and sounds of New York City while authentically integrating the

celebrity characters our youth audience wants to engage with.

To support this initiative we implemented the following,

contest submissions including video upload

contest workflow including acceptance, rejection based on age and getting parent approval if necessary

User promotion of their submission through a variety of social channels

Email notification and moderation tools for site administrators

Populate flash video player with all approved submissions, along with all metadata to determine sort options

voting on submissions

LG Fame Us

LG Fame Us

LG Fame Us

Innovate on the front AND back end of your site: Drupal as an agency friendly marketing platform

Based on it’s flexibility and the ease of reuse Drupal is becoming pervasive

throughout our organization.

We continue to add clients to our list of Drupal users

We power over a dozen internal sites using Drupal

All of our pro-bono site work is now done in Drupal

Our agency within an agency, Version, that focuses on SMB has made the switch to being a Drupal shop

We continue to leverage functionality from all of these engagements and use it on others.

We continue to package what’s universal and contribute it back

Efficiency starts with a commitment to always try to

Manage all content through the platform

Use the platform to implement or integrate functionality

Repeat

Questions?

The Drupal Difference

When deadlines are tight, client expectations are high and creativity is key, VML relies on Drupal, a content management system that offers the flexibility

to customize without sacrificing performance. Whether we’re building a Facebook application, a brochure-ware website or a highly interactive financial

tool, our clients require the ability to modify their products as the needs of their businesses and their customers change. Because VML nurtures an

environment where designers and programmers collaborate, we invest in a tool that continually improves organically — the same way we evolve to meet

the needs of our clients.

VML’s Drupal Practice, The Best Practice

VML’s Technology department boasts a broad range of talents. And with Drupal, we’re able to develop a mature practice, utilizing custom modules and

packaged solutions that can be altered and enhanced with every new project. At VML, we strive to accommodate our clients’ every need and

expectation, so we use Drupal’s extensive features — information, images, podcasts, blogs, video and more — to provide creative solutions quickly.

Saving Time, Increasing Efficiency

Using Drupal, VML has established a standard process — a “no limits” approach to creative design

The Creative, User Experience, Account and Project Management and Technology teams work together in tight collaboration to deliver the best solution

Results that take a long-term view of site maintenance—developing Drupal sites that are simple to manage

VML + Drupal:

A Winning Combination

• With VML’s full-service digital agency capabilities and Drupal’s reputation as one of the best website frameworks available, we’re able to meet objectives for nearly any organizational structure

• Drupal enables VML to provide innovative solutions without the constraints of other CMS platforms

• VML uses Drupal to deliver superior solutions for a wide array of clients, providing efficiencies that can be shared across all projects