CI Celebrates 10 Years
October 2004 marked the 10th anniversary of
CI Marketing Communications.

"On October 24, 1994, I met with Becky Keenum at Benmark, and was awarded their communications account," recalls CI founder and president Mike Shaw. "The next day we were at work on our first campaign, and our attorney was registering our corporate name with the Secretary of State."

Ten years later, Benmark, now a publicly-traded company and the leading company in its field, is still one of CI’s principal clients – and testimony to the kind of work that has distinguished the agency and accounted for its growth over the past decade.

"CI quickly developed a sound base of knowledge regarding our complex business of bank-owned life insurance (BOLI) sales, retirement benefit programs, and the complex accounting and regulatory issues surrounding the sales of BOLI and design of retirement plans," said Keenum, Benmark president and COO. "Benmark is recognized today as a leading expert in our field. That is due in no small part to the well thought-out marketing campaigns CI provided for us over the years."

Today, 11 CI account management and creative professionals work with 25 accounts, providing full agency services, from strategic planning through tactical execution of print, video and web-based communications. Shaw’s founding partner, Simeon Smith, still heads up the company’s thriving video division.

"We’re committed to having happy clients and happy employees," Shaw noted. "It’s a pretty simple formula, but if you do what’s required to achieve and maintain that status, not only can you build a successful company, you can have a good time doing it."

Communicator Bestows Crystal Award of Distinction on CI Videos

CI Marketing Communications Video Group has been recognized for producing some of the worlds best corporate video. The Atlanta company was one of only two Georgia video production firms to be honored twice with 2004 Communicator Awards, one of the most prestigious video competitions in the world.

The Communicator Awards is an international competition established and judged by communications professionals. Throughout the course of 2004, approximately 3,000 video entries were received in Broadcast and Non-Broadcast categories. Non-Broadcast was further divided into External and Internal productions. In the Internal category, CI and its edit partner EditLab, also of Atlanta, were awarded the Crystal Award of Distinction for Cingular Merchandising: RAE’s Making It Happen, produced in conjunction with Cingular Wireless's Merchandising Department. The video trains field representatives on operational changes resulting from Cingular's acquisition of AT&T Wireless. CI also was awarded an Honorable Mention in the External category for another Cingular employee training production, Merchandising: Your Key to Success.

The Communicator Awards recognizes production firms and their clients for work that is outstanding and highly regarded by their peers. Presented each year in January, the Awards recognize the best video, film and multi-media productions of the previous year. The competition affords an equal chance of winning to all entrants, regardless of size and budget; all work is judged solely on its own quality, creativity and resourcefulness.

CI Marketing Communications is a full-service marketing firm. Its Video Group has produced marketing and training videos and TV commercials from its Atlanta facilities for 10 years. CI’s Video Group VP Simeon Smith is a celebrated producer and writer who has won six Emmys.

Brochure/Video Depict Grand Style of New GICC

ATLANTA, GA . . . As the spectacular Georgia International Convention Center unveiled itself to more than 2,000 guests at a gala grand opening on June 10, CI Marketing Communications delivered an elaborate brochure featuring full-page photography of the facility and its remarkable characteristics, including its contemporary architecture, Georgia’s largest ballroom and a specially commissioned art collection. The brochure positions the new facility for trade show, convention, corporate meeting and special events organizers as "a new standard of convention." The theme will also be reflected in a marketing video being shot & produced by CI.

The new GICC has attracted broad interest through its bold design featuring winged and angled shapes of aluminum and glass. But it works as well as it looks good: 150,000 square feet of exhibit space; smartly appointed meeting rooms; an elegant ballroom and gourmet food from on-site caterer Proof of the Pudding.
"We have presented the facility as a master plan of aesthetics, amenities and accommodation," offered Sherman Wade, VP of CI’s Event Marketing division, who managed the project. "With all that it offers, and a location neighboring Hartsfield airport, it promises to be a primary destination for conventions and meetings."