Also in this report:

– Columbus offers more than just technology p.19

– Digital Renaissance a ‘reality broker’ p.19

– e-Commerce: strong foundations p.20

– Genesis takes next logical step p.20

– ICE takes counter-culture approach p.24

– Intellia archetypal success story p.25

– Leo Burnett Interactive puts emphasis on brands p.26

– Mackerel swims up creative stream p.27

– McGill: autos to Intranets p.28

It sounds like such a simple exercise: pick Canada’s top interactive marketing agencies. Simple, that is, until you actually try to do it.

Consider this: the use of so-called new media such as cd-rom and the World Wide Web by marketers is still in its infancy. By what standard, exactly, does one judge agencies working in a field that, for all intents and purposes, didn’t exist a few years ago?

For the record, Strategy has taken into account more than just the ability to design cool Web sites. Instead, we have spotlighted agencies that clearly understand how interactive media can serve the strategic communications needs of clients, and that offer depth of expertise on both the technical and creative sides. We have looked for those that possess a solid track record, and that focus on well-defined areas of strength, rather than attempting to be all things to all clients.

Is our list comprehensive? We think so. But then, this landscape is changing so rapidly that last month’s unknown commodity may well be next month’s rising star. And as some, such as Digital Renaissance’s Michael Shostak, have pointed out to us, the interactive field is almost certainly due for some rationalization, with many of the smaller players likely to merge or be swallowed up by bigger fish. In other words, don’t expect to see all of the same companies on this list in 1998.

Strategy’s picks of the top interactive agencies appear on pages 19-28.

Quadravision Communications, Toronto

Banks and their brethren are known for many things, but bestowing great joy is not among them. So when John Long talks about financial institutions using the Internet to ‘delight’ their customers, one is forced to conclude that he is (a) visionary, or (b) barking mad.

So far, the smart money is riding on (a).

As president of Quadravision Communications, a firm specializing in the development of interactive marketing solutions for the financial sector, Long promotes the Internet as the perfect channel for ‘relationship banking’ – a mode of one-to-one marketing in which the institution steadily builds its profile of the customer, and uses that knowledge to add value to his or her life.

In an industry where many of the leading lights are still paying off their student loans, Long enjoys a certain elder-statesman status. Quadravision began life nearly 15 years ago, developing large-scale corporate communications programs. By the early ’90s it had ventured into new media work.

As commercial use of the Internet took off, Long says, the company elected to focus its energies on one particular sector rather than adopt an all-things-to-all-clients approach.

Financial services seemed a logical area in which to specialize, Long says. Banks, mutual fund companies and others in the sector would be quick to spot the potential of the Internet as a marketing and distribution channel, the Quadravision team reckoned.

They were right. The company’s client list currently includes such major industry players as Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canada Trust, Fleet Financial Group, New York Life Insurance and Scudder Mutual Funds. Approximately 70% of its clients are u.s.-based.

The Web sites that Quadravision creates for its clients differ from the standard model, Long says, in that they are database applications, rather than mere collections of file pages.

‘They hold content, they hold user profiles. And they can take that content, modify it and display it, based on a user’s profile. So that we’re able to give you, as an individual, exactly what you want.’

The company has also become adept at building interactive tools into these sites, such as an application for New York Life that will automatically send customers an e-mail when it’s time for their children to visit the doctor for shots.

Long says Quadravision now has a staff of 65, working from its offices in Toronto and Atlanta, Ga. The operation comprises two major groups – one with marketing know-how, the other devoted to technical matters, such as building applications. And every project team includes members from both sides.