Vega Digital Awards: Crescendo's winning partnership with Invesco QQQ

Creating digital experiences that truly shine requires innovative design, seamless functionality, and an earnest, collaborative spirit. Crescendo, in partnership with Invesco QQQ, recently proved this on the global stage, earning multiple gold and platinum honors at the prestigious Vega Digital Awards. These accolades celebrate our high-impact projects like the "Recipe for Innovation" and "NCAA March Madness" platforms.

What truly brought these award-winning visions to life? We’ll go behind the screens with our team members to find out, but first, check out the videos for a look at the work itself.

Behind the screens: insights from the team These award-winning projects don't just happen; they're the result of deep collaboration and a dedication to pushing boundaries. Our team members shared how they brought these complex digital experiences to life. Bringing the vision to life: the developer's craft For developers like Ruben Marin and Jon Kelley, bringing "March Madness" and "Recipe for Innovation" to life meant embracing new challenges. "This year, we pushed the boundaries of what both developers and designers are capable of bringing to life," says Ruben Marin, reflecting on the intricate animations and seamless responsiveness required. "Getting these animations to work well on one device was a challenge, but across various devices was a feat. It took various trials and errors, testing across multiple devices, screen sizes, and open communication between all parties."

Jon Kelley emphasizes the importance of teamwork in transforming creative visions into functional realities. "Collaboration with the designers and marketers is all about open communication," Jon explains. "We create prototypes early on to discover and iron out any technical difficulties. Brainstorming, testing things out, iterative feedback, and getting into the weeds of the design — all of those are parts of the open communication that keeps projects like this on track until they work exactly like the designers and marketers imagined." Decoding success: the analyst's perspective Understanding the true impact of these digital experiences is where Crescendo’s digital marketing analysts, Eric Stalee and Emma Pergolski, shine. "While a large reach is great for driving traffic, what truly matters is the quality of that engagement once users arrive," Eric states. "We dig deeper into behavioral signals: how many people interact, how much time they spend exploring. By approaching it this way, we move beyond vanity metrics and start to understand what’s really resonating with people."

Eric's insights don't just report success; they inform future strategy. "A large part of the work revolves around properly structuring and modeling the data so that larger-scale, on-demand analysis is even possible," he notes. "We build dynamic dashboards, allowing us to monitor performance in near real-time and identify early patterns. After campaigns, we dive deeper into spend and performance to refine strategy for future seasons, understanding which methods drive the most value based on actual user behavior." The awards for digital experience and the teams that made them possible Crescendo's commitment to digital excellence, in partnership with Invesco QQQ's vision, was honored with multiple Vega Digital Awards. The "March Madness" Digital Experience secured a Platinum award in Sports, along with Gold awards for Mobile User Experience and Financial Services. The "Recipe for Innovation" Digital Experience also earned a Gold award in the Food & Beverage category. These accolades highlight the seamless teamwork and shared vision behind our impactful, cutting-edge solutions, made possible by the dedication of our Crescendo team:

• Jakob Romboy: Project Manager

• Ruben Marin: Web Developer/Designer

• Jon Kelley: Web Developer

• Eric Stalee: Senior Digital Marketing Analyst

• Emma Pergolski: Senior Digital Marketing Analyst

• Amelia Szymanek: Digital Marketing Analyst
  

We extend our gratitude to our valued partners at Invesco QQQ – Bryson Livingston, Venera Zaripova, Victor Rodriguez, Sumit Saraswat, Osei Wilks, and Juliet Fong – for their collaboration and trust. We're ready to cook up the next wave of digital innovation and eager to continue delivering exceptional results together. Stay tuned!