Kindred Communications Creates Web Site for Tommy Bahama — www.tommybahama.com

Business Wire,  May 30, 2000  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Business/High Tech Editors

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2000

Kindred Communications, Inc., a premier provider of integrated marketing communications and Web-based technical solutions, has designed and developed a new Web site for Tommy Bahama, a lifestyle company that offers a collection of men's and women's upscale casual sportswear, swimwear, footwear, and accessories.

The island lifestyle clothing manufacturer and restaurateur wanted not only to extend the Tommy Bahama brand online but to establish an unforgettable user experience and prepare for a future e-commerce initiative. "Our biggest goal was to create a tactile, experiential site that immerses users in Tommy Bahama's island world, known as Paradise Nation," says Robert Holmes, Vice President of Business Development for Kindred Communications. "What sets the site apart is the elegant mix of voice-over, music, ambient sound, and visuals." Working closely with Foundation, the design firm responsible for creating the Tommy Bahama image, Kindred was able to "accurately extend the Tommy Bahama brand and imagery to the Web," Holmes added.

The purveyor of island lifestyles has brought its laid-back, tropical flavor to the Internet with the newly launched Web site. "This gives us the opportunity to grow and expand brand awareness, to clearly show what the lifestyle stands for," explains Keri Chapman, in-house Webmaster for Tommy Bahama. The Web site lists the locations of Tommy Bahama retail stores and cafes, and provides a response mechanism for customer inquiries made by e-mail, working as a precursor to e-commerce.

The possibilities for the site are endless, Chapman says. "Anything that encompasses the Tommy lifestyle and mindset is viable," she says. "We are going after those who know and understand the good life -- and it's not necessarily about driving a Mercedes. The Tommy customer knows that life is about enjoying the trip."

Kindred Web developers were presented with a unique opportunity to integrate two of the Web's most exciting visual and back-end technologies: Macromedia Flash and Microsoft Active Server Pages. This allowed Kindred's team of developers to make a visually stunning, fully functional Web site that uses the best in Flash-based design and technology to provide a rich, high-quality experience to users. Visitors to the site are also able to bookmark and later revisit their favorite parts of the site -- something ordinary Flash-based sites don't offer.

Tommy Bahama is a division of Viewpoint International, a privately held corporation. Established in August 1992, Viewpoint International has corporate offices in New York and Seattle. The company owns and operates six Tommy Bahama cafe/emporiums and retail-only shops in California and Florida. Tommy Bahama collections are also available at some of the country's finest retailers, including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom, as well as high-profile golf pro shops and resort hotels around the world.

Founded in 1990, Kindred Communications, Inc. has provided integrated Web-based solutions for industry-leading clients in varied industries including high technology, retail, healthcare, biotechnology, and nonprofit organizations. Kindred was recognized in 1999 as the fifth fastest-growing privately held company in Washington State by the Puget Sound Business Journal and was awarded the 1999 Washington Family Business of the Year by the Family Enterprise Institute. A Microsoft Certified Solution Provider, Kindred uses the latest software and most innovative technologies to deliver sound business solutions that support a healthy return on investment.

See www.tommybahama.com and www.kindredcom.com for more information.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning