Brighton-based internet consultancy Intermedia PhD is helping veteran showbiz legend Sir Cliff Richard return to the limelight through a new website.
There are hundreds of unofficial sites devoted to Sir Cliff (real name Harry Webb). But the new site will enable him to control the flow of information as he relaunches his career.
After taking last year off, Sir Ciff has been preparing for the release of his new single Over The Rainbow/ What A Wonderful World in time for Christmas.
InterMedia PhD's creative director Paul Harris said the site was about managing the flow of information, rather than profits.
He said: "We worked very closely with Cliff's management team to create just the right image, impression and content for his fans.
"It's almost unbelievable just how loyal and enthusiastic they are. Within hours of the site going unofficially live on November 2, we had had more than 1,000 entries to the competition and the comments about the new-look site were so gracious and flattering, it was overwhelming."
InterMedia PhD, which has been in business for seven years, has been working with Sir Cliff's management team since 1998. But the company is best-known for its government work.
Mr Harris said: "A lot of the work we do for some of our business clients, like the Department of Trade and Industry, is technically challenging and technically rewarding but it has been a real buzz to see this kind of reaction and get people who use the web telling you just how much they value the work and effort you have put into the job. It's very satisfying."
Sir Cliff's management company, CRO, is equally pleased with the site.
Managing director Malcolm Smith said: "We embraced the internet as a marketing tool quite early on but nothing really prepared us, or indeed Cliff, for the level of interest fans would take in the site.
It's a great way of keeping people informed and making Cliff more accessible.
"We are arranging a web cast in early December with Cliff taking questions and talking live to his fans and we have commissioned InterMedia to integrate its content management system IQ Author to allow us to update the content and keep the site much more newsy and fresh."
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