SKOKIE, Ill. – The In-Store Marketing Institute has released the complete list of award winners for its 2006 Design of the Times Awards Competition, held in conjunction with the In-Store Marketing Expo in Chicago. Winners were announced Sept. 27.
Presented by P-O-P Times, the Design of the Times Awards Competition recognizes the in-store marketing industry's best displays and retail promotions. More than 100 brand-marketing and retailing executives judged the entries based on creativity in design and engineering, the innovative use of materials, the compatibility of the display to its retail channel, its ability to enhance the brand's image, and the realization of sales and marketing objectives.
The Microsoft Xbox 360 Kiosk Program earned the Best of the Times award, the highest award in the annual competition. The kiosk was produced by Design Phase Inc. of Waukegan, Ill.
"I was surprised by the win," said Michael Eckert, president of Design Phase. "I think you always are. I knew we had a great product with an incredible story behind it, so our chances were good, but there were several very nice programs entered this year that could have also won."
Eckert went on to boast that his winning program, had the highest product attachment rate in the history of video games the first month of sales in the United States and Europe. Beyond the typical video-game interactive kiosk, Design Phase offers downloadable consumer content for personalizing the game experience with personalized audio jacks for an enhanced retail-demonstration experience.
