Ag Results Newsletter Fall2008

1. FLIP TO THE BACK TO LEARN ABOUT ACQUITY GROUP’S RECENT REBRANDING FLIP TO THE BACK TO LEARN ABOUT ACQUITY GROUP’S RECENT REBRANDING BRANDS AND BUSINESSES. ELEVATED. FALL2008 No Retreat! Are your eCommerce priorities on track? p.04 Quest Diagnostics: TheBlueprint forWellness United Airlines: SimpliFLYing p.02 p.08 A strategic plan of action and custom application supports a rapidly expanding business — leapfrogging it over the competition as a leader both from a product and technology perspective. Beleaguered by change and challenge, a carrier’s survival in the airline industry hinges on its ability to transform IT processes. Acquity Group worked with United Airlines to model, customize, implement and monitor a complete IT governance solution. News & Events Acquity Group Trends Acquity Group has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America for the second year in a row. The redesign of our new website is a rich tapestry of brand expression, messaging and voice. Discover how all the pieces came together to launch our new website. p.11 p.06

2. “The timing issue was major,” noted Quest Diagnostics’ Wendi Mader, Director of Operations. “Our business needs made for a complicated project that needed to be completed at rapid speed, but we didn’t want to sacrifice quality in the process.” The Blueprint for Wellness selected Acquity Group — based on the company’s in- depth expertise in integrated marketing strategies and application development — to help improve online user experience and meet its business and technology goals. The two organizations quickly entered into the first phase of their partnership. The Global Business Challenge Although Quest Diagnostics’ Blueprint for Wellness application was satisfying current business needs, their existing system — hosted by a third party — was expen- sive and not flexible enough to meet the rapidly growing demands of the company. Limited third party support did not allow Quest Diagnostics to continuously fine tune and optimize the participant experience. In addition, Quest Diagnostics needed to implement a solution in a short period of time, which necessitated a highly aggressive timeline. The application was sched- uled to go live in just 15 weeks. Acquity Group worked closely with client point-of- contacts to understand their overall platform needs. The With a solid plan in place, the team began the process of designing and building a new, intuitive scheduling and registration functionality which improved the visual and workflow experience for the application’s end users. All the while, the team was looking toward the future. The goal was to create a scalable solution that would integrate with other Blueprint for Wellness offerings as they were developed, namely the Health Risk Assessment , Personal Wellness Report and Employer Wellness Report. Quest uest Diagnostics is the nation’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information services for patients and doctors. The company’s Blueprint for Wellness offering — a health risk identification program used by companies to promote employee wellness — was experiencing incredible demand, and Quest Diagnostics realized it needed to enhance the program’s business processes and application functionality to handle this growth. It’s no surprise that in the face of increasing American concern for healthcare and healthcare policy, Blueprint for Wellness has proven to be a resounding success. By imple- menting the program, companies can do their part to keep employees healthy, and in turn, lower insurance costs. With demand greater than ever, Quest Diagnostics A strategic plan of action and custom application supports the growth of a rapidly expanding business. FALL2008 acquitygroup.com | 877.227.1772 03 “Building a new Web application in such a short period of time was an extremely high pressure project, and Acquity Group delivered beyond our expectations,” said Mader. “The success of the new application has opened doors for strengthening additional business processes, and we’re looking forward to collaborating to create future success stories.” The objective was clear: to develop and launch a custom web application for Blueprint for Wellness that would allow Quest Diagnostics to enhance end-user experience and integrate new features and functionality. Diagnostics could then leverage this holistic solution offering for maximum benefit. Accuracy of clinical data has been a core value proposition for Quest Diagnostics and gaining full control of the wellness data would leapfrog them over the competitive landscape as a leader both from a product and technology perspective. With a detailed project roadmap in place, Quest worked with Acquity Group to build the application from scratch to production in only 15 weeks, much sooner than the previous estimates by other IT groups. Celebrating The Solution Acquity Group and Quest Diagnostics delivered impressive results. Since the launch of the new Blueprint for Wellness application, Quest Diagnostics has achieved cost savings on vendor-hosted event scheduling capabilities, and has significantly increased the operational speed of end-to- end set up and administration of events through the new system’s simplified and intuitive application design. Users have noted that the new application is visually rich, easy to navigate, and therefore much more likely to encour- age users to register online. In this sense the application functions not only as a technology to help internal business processes, but also as a useful tool in the sales process. The application has significantly increased speed to market and serves as a considerable differentiator among Quest Diagnostics competitors. In a market with tremendous op- portunity, the company is positioned to succeed. team decided to create an application architecture that could act as an effective replacement for the existing application functionality, but would also scale to support future evolution. Acquity Group and Quest Diagnostics founded a project team with a unified goal focused on the initiative’s success. Acquity Group developed a hybrid strategy to build out the new application, including creative design and project workshop processes to develop a visually rich front-end experience. With heavy client involvement and a targeted, dedicated team with extensive business and technical expertise, the new application development was underway. Building The Custom Web Application The strategy focused on four main areas: defining the scope of the custom build, building the scheduling application, creating a framework for future phases and supporting data ownership. Partnering with Acquity Group allowed Quest to utilize a proven methodology which ensured a quick and successful implementation. To begin, Acquity Group conducted client interviews to gather a comprehensive set of functional requirements, and then distilled them through best practices to define a finite set of functionality to be built. This enabled the development of a rapid execution plan that would guide the organization through all phases of the project, from design to launch.

3. “The timing issue was major,” noted Quest Diagnostics’ Wendi Mader, Director of Operations. “Our business needs made for a complicated project that needed to be completed at rapid speed, but we didn’t want to sacrifice quality in the process.” The Blueprint for Wellness selected Acquity Group — based on the company’s in- depth expertise in integrated marketing strategies and application development — to help improve online user experience and meet its business and technology goals. The two organizations quickly entered into the first phase of their partnership. The Global Business Challenge Although Quest Diagnostics’ Blueprint for Wellness application was satisfying current business needs, their existing system — hosted by a third party — was expen- sive and not flexible enough to meet the rapidly growing demands of the company. Limited third party support did not allow Quest Diagnostics to continuously fine tune and optimize the participant experience. In addition, Quest Diagnostics needed to implement a solution in a short period of time, which necessitated a highly aggressive timeline. The application was sched- uled to go live in just 15 weeks. Acquity Group worked closely with client point-of- contacts to understand their overall platform needs. The With a solid plan in place, the team began the process of designing and building a new, intuitive scheduling and registration functionality which improved the visual and workflow experience for the application’s end users. All the while, the team was looking toward the future. The goal was to create a scalable solution that would integrate with other Blueprint for Wellness offerings as they were developed, namely the Health Risk Assessment , Personal Wellness Report and Employer Wellness Report. Quest uest Diagnostics is the nation’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information services for patients and doctors. The company’s Blueprint for Wellness offering — a health risk identification program used by companies to promote employee wellness — was experiencing incredible demand, and Quest Diagnostics realized it needed to enhance the program’s business processes and application functionality to handle this growth. It’s no surprise that in the face of increasing American concern for healthcare and healthcare policy, Blueprint for Wellness has proven to be a resounding success. By imple- menting the program, companies can do their part to keep employees healthy, and in turn, lower insurance costs. With demand greater than ever, Quest Diagnostics A strategic plan of action and custom application supports the growth of a rapidly expanding business. FALL2008 acquitygroup.com | 877.227.1772 03 “Building a new Web application in such a short period of time was an extremely high pressure project, and Acquity Group delivered beyond our expectations,” said Mader. “The success of the new application has opened doors for strengthening additional business processes, and we’re looking forward to collaborating to create future success stories.” The objective was clear: to develop and launch a custom web application for Blueprint for Wellness that would allow Quest Diagnostics to enhance end-user experience and integrate new features and functionality. Diagnostics could then leverage this holistic solution offering for maximum benefit. Accuracy of clinical data has been a core value proposition for Quest Diagnostics and gaining full control of the wellness data would leapfrog them over the competitive landscape as a leader both from a product and technology perspective. With a detailed project roadmap in place, Quest worked with Acquity Group to build the application from scratch to production in only 15 weeks, much sooner than the previous estimates by other IT groups. Celebrating The Solution Acquity Group and Quest Diagnostics delivered impressive results. Since the launch of the new Blueprint for Wellness application, Quest Diagnostics has achieved cost savings on vendor-hosted event scheduling capabilities, and has significantly increased the operational speed of end-to- end set up and administration of events through the new system’s simplified and intuitive application design. Users have noted that the new application is visually rich, easy to navigate, and therefore much more likely to encour- age users to register online. In this sense the application functions not only as a technology to help internal business processes, but also as a useful tool in the sales process. The application has significantly increased speed to market and serves as a considerable differentiator among Quest Diagnostics competitors. In a market with tremendous op- portunity, the company is positioned to succeed. team decided to create an application architecture that could act as an effective replacement for the existing application functionality, but would also scale to support future evolution. Acquity Group and Quest Diagnostics founded a project team with a unified goal focused on the initiative’s success. Acquity Group developed a hybrid strategy to build out the new application, including creative design and project workshop processes to develop a visually rich front-end experience. With heavy client involvement and a targeted, dedicated team with extensive business and technical expertise, the new application development was underway. Building The Custom Web Application The strategy focused on four main areas: defining the scope of the custom build, building the scheduling application, creating a framework for future phases and supporting data ownership. Partnering with Acquity Group allowed Quest to utilize a proven methodology which ensured a quick and successful implementation. To begin, Acquity Group conducted client interviews to gather a comprehensive set of functional requirements, and then distilled them through best practices to define a finite set of functionality to be built. This enabled the development of a rapid execution plan that would guide the organization through all phases of the project, from design to launch.

4. RETREAT! INVESTING IN ECOMMERCE DESPITE THE TIMES BYLAURENFREEDMAN (ofthee-tailinggroup,inc.) As daily headlines focus on the mortgage crisis, collapsed investment banks, high fuel prices, and tough retail sales, it is obvious that today’s current economic climate is challenging for many merchants. This also makes it timely to tackle tough issues surrounding eCommerce investments including how merchants are positioning their companies for growth while still addressing the bottom line. Acquity Group and the e-tailing group went behind the scenes interviewing over 25 merchants to understand how our challenging economy is shaping their multi-channel selling and impacting their investment in people and technology. Download the full whitepaper and get the inside track and answers to questions like these: »» Are you truly committed to eCommerce? »» Are you concerned you don’t have the right investments planned? »» Is your eCommerce hampered today based on your legacy systems? »» Will you have the ability to evolve your multi-channel efforts in a timely fashion to keep pace with best-in-class merchants? Don’t miss this macro point-of-view as we delve into the details by exploring the top three initiatives on these merchants’ eCommerce to-do lists. The findings are fascinating and the stories are ones all merchants will identify with as they too evolve, in an effort to make challenging retail times prosperous. To download the complete white paper or view the archived webcast, visit: www.acquitygroup.com/articles ARE YOUR ECOMMERCE PRIORITIES ON TRACK? 05 acquitygroup.com | 877.227.1772

5. RETREAT! INVESTING IN ECOMMERCE DESPITE THE TIMES BYLAURENFREEDMAN (ofthee-tailinggroup,inc.) As daily headlines focus on the mortgage crisis, collapsed investment banks, high fuel prices, and tough retail sales, it is obvious that today’s current economic climate is challenging for many merchants. This also makes it timely to tackle tough issues surrounding eCommerce investments including how merchants are positioning their companies for growth while still addressing the bottom line. Acquity Group and the e-tailing group went behind the scenes interviewing over 25 merchants to understand how our challenging economy is shaping their multi-channel selling and impacting their investment in people and technology. Download the full whitepaper and get the inside track and answers to questions like these: »» Are you truly committed to eCommerce? »» Are you concerned you don’t have the right investments planned? »» Is your eCommerce hampered today based on your legacy systems? »» Will you have the ability to evolve your multi-channel efforts in a timely fashion to keep pace with best-in-class merchants? Don’t miss this macro point-of-view as we delve into the details by exploring the top three initiatives on these merchants’ eCommerce to-do lists. The findings are fascinating and the stories are ones all merchants will identify with as they too evolve, in an effort to make challenging retail times prosperous. To download the complete white paper or view the archived webcast, visit: www.acquitygroup.com/articles ARE YOUR ECOMMERCE PRIORITIES ON TRACK? 05 acquitygroup.com | 877.227.1772

6. VENENATIS MAGNA ARCU VIVERRA Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Praesent volutpat, urna vel egestas luctus, libero velit molestie sapien, sed tristique nisl sem id nisi. Integer facilisis. Proin leo felis, iaculis quis, varius sed, rutrum id, arcu. Sed ac quam. Nullam gravida, dolor nec suscipit laoreet, enim erat pretium neque, vel venenatis magna arcu viverra justo. Sed eu ante. Donec faucibus tempor ipsum. Etiam dictum, metus vitae faucibus accumsan, nisi risus vehicula nulla, a elementum sapien enim sed tellus. Nulla tempus, diam vel hendrerit fermentum, tortor nibh egestas velit, at gravida nunc felis sed ligula. Etiam nulla. Praesent volutpat, urna vel egestas luctus, libero velit molestie sapien, sed tristique nisl sem id nisi. Integer facilisis. Proin leo felis, iaculis quis, varius sed, rutrum id, arcu. Sed ac quam. Nullam gravida, dolor vel venenatis magna arcu viverra justo consectetuer Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer elit. Praesent volutpat, urna vel egestas luctus, libero velit molestie sapien, sed tristique nisl sem id nisi. Integer facilisis. By John H Doe and Jane M Smith InteractiveMarketingCaseStudy ACQUITYGROUP.COMREDESIGN acquitygroup.com | 877.227.1772 07 8.8.08 launched the new brand identity and website for Acquity Group. Theuniqueaspectofthisprojectisthatweareourowncasestudy—leveraging ourintegratedapproachofstrategy,technologyanddesigntoevolveourbrand and launch our site. Find out from Acquity Group’s Interactive Marketing team how our holistic vision and execution brought all of the pieces together. PHASE I: LAYING THE FOUNDATION USER EXPERIENCE TEAM Our User Experience team worked to discover the different perceptions and meanings of Acquity Group to internal and external audiences, key users of the website, and its business objectives, via multiple stakeholder and customer discovery sessions, competitive analyses, and research. Based on these findings, the team developed a 3-dimensional User Experience Strategy. Establish an Audience-Centered Information Architecture: Create a user-friendly, intuitive experience that included page-level information architecture, navigation labels and content headings phrased in natural language. Organized content to most efficiently address specific questions users ask when they visit the site. Make Smart use of Technologies: Implement innovative new technologies and design elements — moving away from the typical layout, navigation and interaction paradigms — without sacrificing usability. Sell the Promise: Provide a complete, consistent, informative experience to our visitors without overwhelming them. The User Experience Strategy, along with a Creative Brief, was used in the next phase by our Visual Interface Design (VID) team to create a custom, engaging site experience. PHASE II: CREATING THE EXPERIENCE CREATIVE TEAM In defining the overall aesthetic for the site, the VID team looked to Acquity Group’s holistic process for providing solutions to industry-leading clients as a blueprint. To reflect this end-to-end approach, a full- screen treatment was used to provide an immersive, tactile experience — enveloping the audience within the interface. These backdrops were then complimented by modal overlays that include the content on Acquity Group’s solutions, customers and services. Linear lines represent principles, structure and logic...arcs, circles and curves represent creativity and flexibility. This illustrates Acquity Group’s belief that while adherence to best practices, routines and disciplines is crucial in achieving and maintaining the perfect balance of form and function, we are equally focused on infusing creativity, modularity and fluidity in all our designs. With the VID team’s attention turned to creating the website, our Digital Marketing team centered their focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Web Analytics. PHASE III: ELEVATING THE PROFILE DIGITAL MARKETING TEAM The Digital Marketing (DM) team’s analysis revealed that Acquity Group’s customers don’t heavily utilize natural search in decision-making. It was therefore recommended that lesser focus be put on SEO and more freedom be given to the VID team to create an engaging user experience unbound by the restrictions often involved with a natural search friendly website. Technologies such as Flash and AJAX, which can’t be crawled by the search engine spiders, could more readily be utilized. Focus was instead applied to discovering target keywords that could utilize landing pages optimized for natural search. Following our proven methodology, the DM team constructed a list of target keywords and compared them against the site structure created by the User Experience team to identify existing copy that could be leveraged for the landing pages. These landing pages were then created as part of the website structure — not stand alone pages — to allow the web spiders to properly index the pages and take advantage of internal linking from the website’s sitemap page. CONCLUSION The end result is a rich tapestry of brand expression, messaging and voice that was brought together by the integrated approach and methodology that makes up Interactive Marketing at Acquity Group. For the full experience, visit: www.acquitygroup.com

7. VENENATIS MAGNA ARCU VIVERRA Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Praesent volutpat, urna vel egestas luctus, libero velit molestie sapien, sed tristique nisl sem id nisi. Integer facilisis. Proin leo felis, iaculis quis, varius sed, rutrum id, arcu. Sed ac quam. Nullam gravida, dolor nec suscipit laoreet, enim erat pretium neque, vel venenatis magna arcu viverra justo. Sed eu ante. Donec faucibus tempor ipsum. Etiam dictum, metus vitae faucibus accumsan, nisi risus vehicula nulla, a elementum sapien enim sed tellus. Nulla tempus, diam vel hendrerit fermentum, tortor nibh egestas velit, at gravida nunc felis sed ligula. Etiam nulla. Praesent volutpat, urna vel egestas luctus, libero velit molestie sapien, sed tristique nisl sem id nisi. Integer facilisis. Proin leo felis, iaculis quis, varius sed, rutrum id, arcu. Sed ac quam. Nullam gravida, dolor vel venenatis magna arcu viverra justo consectetuer Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer elit. Praesent volutpat, urna vel egestas luctus, libero velit molestie sapien, sed tristique nisl sem id nisi. Integer facilisis. By John H Doe and Jane M Smith InteractiveMarketingCaseStudy ACQUITYGROUP.COMREDESIGN acquitygroup.com | 877.227.1772 07 8.8.08 launched the new brand identity and website for Acquity Group. Theuniqueaspectofthisprojectisthatweareourowncasestudy—leveraging ourintegratedapproachofstrategy,technologyanddesigntoevolveourbrand and launch our site. Find out from Acquity Group’s Interactive Marketing team how our holistic vision and execution brought all of the pieces together. PHASE I: LAYING THE FOUNDATION USER EXPERIENCE TEAM Our User Experience team worked to discover the different perceptions and meanings of Acquity Group to internal and external audiences, key users of the website, and its business objectives, via multiple stakeholder and customer discovery sessions, competitive analyses, and research. Based on these findings, the team developed a 3-dimensional User Experience Strategy. Establish an Audience-Centered Information Architecture: Create a user-friendly, intuitive experience that included page-level information architecture, navigation labels and content headings phrased in natural language. Organized content to most efficiently address specific questions users ask when they visit the site. Make Smart use of Technologies: Implement innovative new technologies and design elements — moving away from the typical layout, navigation and interaction paradigms — without sacrificing usability. Sell the Promise: Provide a complete, consistent, informative experience to our visitors without overwhelming them. The User Experience Strategy, along with a Creative Brief, was used in the next phase by our Visual Interface Design (VID) team to create a custom, engaging site experience. PHASE II: CREATING THE EXPERIENCE CREATIVE TEAM In defining the overall aesthetic for the site, the VID team looked to Acquity Group’s holistic process for providing solutions to industry-leading clients as a blueprint. To reflect this end-to-end approach, a full- screen treatment was used to provide an immersive, tactile experience — enveloping the audience within the interface. These backdrops were then complimented by modal overlays that include the content on Acquity Group’s solutions, customers and services. Linear lines represent principles, structure and logic...arcs, circles and curves represent creativity and flexibility. This illustrates Acquity Group’s belief that while adherence to best practices, routines and disciplines is crucial in achieving and maintaining the perfect balance of form and function, we are equally focused on infusing creativity, modularity and fluidity in all our designs. With the VID team’s attention turned to creating the website, our Digital Marketing team centered their focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Web Analytics. PHASE III: ELEVATING THE PROFILE DIGITAL MARKETING TEAM The Digital Marketing (DM) team’s analysis revealed that Acquity Group’s customers don’t heavily utilize natural search in decision-making. It was therefore recommended that lesser focus be put on SEO and more freedom be given to the VID team to create an engaging user experience unbound by the restrictions often involved with a natural search friendly website. Technologies such as Flash and AJAX, which can’t be crawled by the search engine spiders, could more readily be utilized. Focus was instead applied to discovering target keywords that could utilize landing pages optimized for natural search. Following our proven methodology, the DM team constructed a list of target keywords and compared them against the site structure created by the User Experience team to identify existing copy that could be leveraged for the landing pages. These landing pages were then created as part of the website structure — not stand alone pages — to allow the web spiders to properly index the pages and take advantage of internal linking from the website’s sitemap page. CONCLUSION The end result is a rich tapestry of brand expression, messaging and voice that was brought together by the integrated approach and methodology that makes up Interactive Marketing at Acquity Group. For the full experience, visit: www.acquitygroup.com

8. simpliFLYing Beleaguered by change and challenge, a carrier’s survival in the airline industry hinges on its ability to transform IT processes and policies. ntense economic, competitive and regulatory pressures in recent years have forced airlines to re-examine the way they do business—both in public and behind the scenes. United Airlines, one of the largest international carriers based in the United States, understood that the financial recovery and future survival of the company required a radical transformation of its IT governance and processes. UNITED AIRLINES GEARS UP TO TRANSFORM To accomplish this company-wide transformation of IT governance and business processes, United distilled its ideas for change into three concrete objectives: 1) reducing and managing operational costs, 2) capturing total cost of ownership for all programs and projects and 3) creating a standard IT governance framework. But first, some serious challenges to the airlines’ internal processes would need to be addressed. Most glaringly, visibility and collaboration within the IT enterprise were siloed across divisions. Similarly, the metrics and quantitative data needed to drive strategic decisions were unavailable in a single-point location. Full visibility and control of operational processes would help to facilitate the company’s long term goals. Next, a series of investment goals for IT was prioritized and planned for accordingly. These goals included: Prioritizing IT investments across all lines of business to align with business strategies Reducing the siloed approach that led to ad hoc or under-investing Reducing “core support” management and moving toward “investment” management Addressing process gaps to establish consistent delivery of projects Establishing accurate forecasting and tracking of resources for optimized use Providing visibility into resource demand versus resource supplies All that was left to do was find the solution and the partners ca- pable of helping United address its challenges and realize its goals. i acquitygroup.com | 877.227.1772 WHY UNITED CHOSE ACQUITY GROUP United chose Acquity Group based on the digital services firm’s proven expertise in Project and Portfolio Management (PPM), and for its holistic approach for solution development. Acquity Group provided United a complete, end-to-end PPM solution, from strategic development to technical implementation. SOLUTION: INCREASE ALIGNMENT, CREATE INTEGRATIONS, IMPROVE PERFORMANCE Acquity Group teams worked with United to plan, deploy and activate a customized project management solution based on HP PPM software. Understandably, changes that involve people and processes are likely to be met with some resistance. Acquity Group mitigated this resistance in the first step of the transformation by interviewing United’s process owners. The interviews provided valuable information about United’s legacy processes from the people who understood them best, enabling the identification of processes that were still effective and which had proven to be inadequate. [ Continued on page 10 ] 1 Documented modeled existing project, resource, financial operational work- demand management processes 2 Focused on data capture metrics reporting of existing project, programs, budget, resource time allocation 3 Analyzed data capture identified best practices to improve strategic operational decision-making processes FALL2008 Together, Acquity Group and United Airlines tackled the UA implementation in three phases: 09

9. simpliFLYing Beleaguered by change and challenge, a carrier’s survival in the airline industry hinges on its ability to transform IT processes and policies. ntense economic, competitive and regulatory pressures in recent years have forced airlines to re-examine the way they do business—both in public and behind the scenes. United Airlines, one of the largest international carriers based in the United States, understood that the financial recovery and future survival of the company required a radical transformation of its IT governance and processes. UNITED AIRLINES GEARS UP TO TRANSFORM To accomplish this company-wide transformation of IT governance and business processes, United distilled its ideas for change into three concrete objectives: 1) reducing and managing operational costs, 2) capturing total cost of ownership for all programs and projects and 3) creating a standard IT governance framework. But first, some serious challenges to the airlines’ internal processes would need to be addressed. Most glaringly, visibility and collaboration within the IT enterprise were siloed across divisions. Similarly, the metrics and quantitative data needed to drive strategic decisions were unavailable in a single-point location. Full visibility and control of operational processes would help to facilitate the company’s long term goals. Next, a series of investment goals for IT was prioritized and planned for accordingly. These goals included: Prioritizing IT investments across all lines of business to align with business strategies Reducing the siloed approach that led to ad hoc or under-investing Reducing “core support” management and moving toward “investment” management Addressing process gaps to establish consistent delivery of projects Establishing accurate forecasting and tracking of resources for optimized use Providing visibility into resource demand versus resource supplies All that was left to do was find the solution and the partners ca- pable of helping United address its challenges and realize its goals. i acquitygroup.com | 877.227.1772 WHY UNITED CHOSE ACQUITY GROUP United chose Acquity Group based on the digital services firm’s proven expertise in Project and Portfolio Management (PPM), and for its holistic approach for solution development. Acquity Group provided United a complete, end-to-end PPM solution, from strategic development to technical implementation. SOLUTION: INCREASE ALIGNMENT, CREATE INTEGRATIONS, IMPROVE PERFORMANCE Acquity Group teams worked with United to plan, deploy and activate a customized project management solution based on HP PPM software. Understandably, changes that involve people and processes are likely to be met with some resistance. Acquity Group mitigated this resistance in the first step of the transformation by interviewing United’s process owners. The interviews provided valuable information about United’s legacy processes from the people who understood them best, enabling the identification of processes that were still effective and which had proven to be inadequate. [ Continued on page 10 ] 1 Documented modeled existing project, resource, financial operational work- demand management processes 2 Focused on data capture metrics reporting of existing project, programs, budget, resource time allocation 3 Analyzed data capture identified best practices to improve strategic operational decision-making processes FALL2008 Together, Acquity Group and United Airlines tackled the UA implementation in three phases: 09

10. RECENT EVENTS »» Alfresco North American Community Conference »» 2008 Planview Horizons Annual Conference »» Oracle OpenWorld 2008 »» Shop.org Annual Summit 2008 »» Webinar: No Retreat! Investing in eCommerce Despite the Times RECENT NEWS ACQUITY GROUP NAMED TO INC. 5000 Acquity Group has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America for the second year in a row. Boasting an impressive 313.5 percent sales growth over the last three years alone, Acquity Group has continued to surpass its revenue goals since its foundation in 2001. “The Inc. 5000 gives an unrivalled portrait of young, underreported companies across all indus- tries doing fascinating things with cutting-edge business models, as well as older companies that are still showing impressive growth,” said Inc. Magazine Project Manager Jim Melloan. UPCOMING EVENTS Join Acquity Group at these leading industry events to learn from our best practices in deliver- ing innovative and powerful content management, eCommerce, visual design, digital marketing, and IT solutions. Learn more or register to attend at www.acquitygroup.com/events. »» Vignette Village 2008 »» CA World »» Webinar: “Creating a Business Centric Intranet using Universal Content Management” »» Oracle Healthcare 2.0 Solution Forum »» Internet Retailer Web Design Conference OTHER ACCOLADES AND ACHIEVEMENTS »» No. 2 Design firm in Kansas City – KC Business Journal »» No. 7 Management Consulting Firm – Orange County Business Journal »» Top 15 Fastest Growing Companies – Crain’s Chicago Business »» eCommerce Outstanding Achievement Award – Interactive Media Council »» Best IT Strategy Implementation Partner 2008 – Hewlett Packard OPENING OF THE L.A.OFFICE Acquity Group has recently extended its digital channel expertise to an area undergoing rapid business growth with our opening of a new regional office in Los Angeles. According to Inc. Magazine, Los Angeles is a hotbed of rapid expansion, ranking third overall with 244 of America’s fastest growing companies located there. NEWS EVENTS 10 By defining, digitizing and enforcing its processes, Unit- ed has gained the necessary controls and standards to deliver consistent, on-the-mark projects. Standardized templates and controls now provide IT and business leaders alike with the tools to efficiently manage initiatives. The increased collaboration across divisions and resources resulted in net gains and fostered a stronger sense of solidarity across the company — reinforcing common company goals. [ Continued from page 09 ] Just as importantly, the interviews helped ensure project buy-in and collaboration between process owners, departments and offices. The information and cooperation gained helped to pave the way for the remaining steps of the implementation, which included identifying interdepartmental responsi- bilities, designing workflow, developing custom reports for project and time management, training end-users, and configuring dashboards to monitor each portfolio’s metrics. HP Project and Portfolio Management Center software was chosen to provide United with the visibility and control necessary to easily access and use key decision-making data. United was struggling with both financial and resource challenges, and it was difficult for IT and business to prioritize projects and align operational activities with the company’s most pressing business needs. HP PPM software provided the most comprehensive view into operational demands as well as project and program demands. The solution provides United with this insight through: Dashboard pages and custom reports for executive- and management-level visibility and analysis Real time project, resource and financial status indicators Project tracking of all management-targeted processes Collaborative exposure into IT initiatives and demands BLUE SKIES AHEAD Project and program information is now captured in a single repository, putting key decision-making data in the hands of United IT and business leaders. The solution provides a dramatic increase in the visibility and integrity of United’s data, along with vastly improved project metrics that allow stakeholders to make decisions that are in the best interest of the company. Acquity Group teams worked with United Airlines to model, customize, implement and monitor a complete IT governance solution based on HP PPM software. FALL2008 simpliFLYing Project Summary Challenge The unprecedented challenges faced by the airline industry over the past few years compelled United Airlines to rethink and transform its IT processes and policies. Solution Acquity Group PPM Implementation services HP Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) Center software Benefits Reduced operational costs waste Increased collaboration across divisions and resources Automated management processes C S B

11. RECENT EVENTS »» Alfresco North American Community Conference »» 2008 Planview Horizons Annual Conference »» Oracle OpenWorld 2008 »» Shop.org Annual Summit 2008 »» Webinar: No Retreat! Investing in eCommerce Despite the Times RECENT NEWS ACQUITY GROUP NAMED TO INC. 5000 Acquity Group has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America for the second year in a row. Boasting an impressive 313.5 percent sales growth over the last three years alone, Acquity Group has continued to surpass its revenue goals since its foundation in 2001. “The Inc. 5000 gives an unrivalled portrait of young, underreported companies across all indus- tries doing fascinating things with cutting-edge business models, as well as older companies that are still showing impressive growth,” said Inc. Magazine Project Manager Jim Melloan. UPCOMING EVENTS Join Acquity Group at these leading industry events to learn from our best practices in deliver- ing innovative and powerful content management, eCommerce, visual design, digital marketing, and IT solutions. Learn more or register to attend at www.acquitygroup.com/events. »» Vignette Village 2008 »» CA World »» Webinar: “Creating a Business Centric Intranet using Universal Content Management” »» Oracle Healthcare 2.0 Solution Forum »» Internet Retailer Web Design Conference OTHER ACCOLADES AND ACHIEVEMENTS »» No. 2 Design firm in Kansas City – KC Business Journal »» No. 7 Management Consulting Firm – Orange County Business Journal »» Top 15 Fastest Growing Companies – Crain’s Chicago Business »» eCommerce Outstanding Achievement Award – Interactive Media Council »» Best IT Strategy Implementation Partner 2008 – Hewlett Packard OPENING OF THE L.A.OFFICE Acquity Group has recently extended its digital channel expertise to an area undergoing rapid business growth with our opening of a new regional office in Los Angeles. According to Inc. Magazine, Los Angeles is a hotbed of rapid expansion, ranking third overall with 244 of America’s fastest growing companies located there. NEWS EVENTS 10 By defining, digitizing and enforcing its processes, Unit- ed has gained the necessary controls and standards to deliver consistent, on-the-mark projects. Standardized templates and controls now provide IT and business leaders alike with the tools to efficiently manage initiatives. The increased collaboration across divisions and resources resulted in net gains and fostered a stronger sense of solidarity across the company — reinforcing common company goals. [ Continued from page 09 ] Just as importantly, the interviews helped ensure project buy-in and collaboration between process owners, departments and offices. The information and cooperation gained helped to pave the way for the remaining steps of the implementation, which included identifying interdepartmental responsi- bilities, designing workflow, developing custom reports for project and time management, training end-users, and configuring dashboards to monitor each portfolio’s metrics. HP Project and Portfolio Management Center software was chosen to provide United with the visibility and control necessary to easily access and use key decision-making data. United was struggling with both financial and resource challenges, and it was difficult for IT and business to prioritize projects and align operational activities with the company’s most pressing business needs. HP PPM software provided the most comprehensive view into operational demands as well as project and program demands. The solution provides United with this insight through: Dashboard pages and custom reports for executive- and management-level visibility and analysis Real time project, resource and financial status indicators Project tracking of all management-targeted processes Collaborative exposure into IT initiatives and demands BLUE SKIES AHEAD Project and program information is now captured in a single repository, putting key decision-making data in the hands of United IT and business leaders. The solution provides a dramatic increase in the visibility and integrity of United’s data, along with vastly improved project metrics that allow stakeholders to make decisions that are in the best interest of the company. Acquity Group teams worked with United Airlines to model, customize, implement and monitor a complete IT governance solution based on HP PPM software. FALL2008 simpliFLYing Project Summary Challenge The unprecedented challenges faced by the airline industry over the past few years compelled United Airlines to rethink and transform its IT processes and policies. Solution Acquity Group PPM Implementation services HP Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) Center software Benefits Reduced operational costs waste Increased collaboration across divisions and resources Automated management processes C S B

12. BRANDS AND BUSINESSES. ELEVATED. Chicago|Dallas|Irvine|LosAngeles|OverlandPark|Scottsdale acquitygroup.com|877.227.1772 FROM THE DESK OF CHRIS DALTON Acquity Group’s foundation has been built on our dedication to excellence, industry leadership and innovation to help brands and businesses maximize the digital channel. We celebrate the transformation of our brand, an elevation that represents the maturation of our business over the past 7 years. Our commitment to you remains the same but the look of Acquity Group has advanced. We will continue to offer you superior client service and leading edge practices in the area of strategy, technology and design services. Read the Interactive Marketing case study on page 06 to learn more about our new corporate brand identity and website redesign. Sincerely, Chris Dalton President CEO

Ag Results Newsletter Fall2008

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Ag Results Newsletter Fall2008