TROY, Mich. - The latest feature to The NEWS’ 2010 Dealer Design Award (DDA) microsite is an interactive bracket competition that pits this year’s winning products against each other in one final showdown. The site has officially launched and visitors can vote for their favorite products over several rounds. A final champion will be declared and highlighted in a future issue of The NEWS.

Covering 14 different categories, each winning product has a place in the site’s main attraction - the Dealer Design Product Collection. This graphic gallery holds product photos, descriptions, and manufacturer contact information. Users can choose a product from a thumbnail lineup and instantly learn about it in the viewer.

Visitors will have a chance to win different products from the DDA competition in a monthly product giveaway that is also on the site. Three manufacturers have donated an item to be given away. Participants may enter once daily to increase their chances of winning.

Seeing photos and reading descriptions provides a valuable resource, but watching live videos on DesignVision helps explain product applications more clearly and in greater detail. Contractors will find manufacturer videos on the microsite that cover many topics, including training and applications. This year, the viewer has been updated. A playlist sits next to the expanded video box on the DDA homepage. There is also a complete video archive of all videos available to the site.

“This site is the place to find products, information, and interaction,” said Angela Harris, e-media development specialist for The NEWS and DDA microsite administrator. “The new bracket competition should prove to be fun and interesting. This is a must-see for those who are interested in HVACR products.”

To keep products fresh, the DDA microsite will be an active entity until Oct. 18. It will then remain as an archived resource.

Visit the new microsite at www.achrnews.com/dealerdesign. For more information or to provide feedback, contact Angela Harris at angelaharris@achrnews.com.

Publication date: 07/12/2010