---
title: "Argus case study: Fertile ground for trade"
description: "Argus Media wanted companies in the African fertiliser industry to find each other and trade. Their new Drupal directory lets each organisation manage their own profile, and Argus admins approve new entries."
url: https://www.pivale.co/work/argus/
publisher: Pivale (https://www.pivale.co)
---

# Argus case study: Fertile ground for trade

Argus Media wanted companies in the African fertiliser industry to find each other and trade. Their new Drupal directory lets each organisation manage their own profile, and Argus admins approve new entries.

The problem: Argus wanted companies in the African fertiliser industry to find each other and trade. The solution: A Drupal directory where organisations manage their own profiles and Argus admins approve new entries. The outcome: Content in place from day one, kept up to date by its members.

| | |
|---|---|
| Client | Argus Media, market intelligence publisher |
| Sector | Media and market intelligence |
| Services | Discovery workshop, Drupal build, custom workflows, data migration, mapping |
| Engagement | Discovery workshop, then a phased build from June 2014 to launch in March 2016 |

## Outcomes

- **Day 1** with content in place, imported from Argus's contacts spreadsheet
- **1 yr** without an update flags a company as dormant, so admins can follow it up

## The challenge: An industry that needed to meet.

Argus wanted organisations in the African fertiliser industry to find companies to trade with. A discovery workshop showed the directory also needed self-service profiles and moderation.

Argus is an independent media organisation who publishes market analysis on price assessments, business intelligence and industry trends. Their directory had to let each organisation update their own company, employee and partner details through linked user accounts.

Argus admins needed to approve new companies and contacts, and to spot organisations with no updates in a year so they could check in. An existing contacts spreadsheet had to move across so the site worked from day one.

## What we built: A Drupal directory with workflows for admins.

### Self-managed profiles

Organisations update their company, employee and partner details from their own accounts, and a profile-completeness score encourages them to finish their profile.

### Moderation and follow-up

Argus admins approve new companies and contacts, and see which organisations have gone a year without an update.

### Maps and filters

Visitors find companies near them or in a chosen location, and filter listings by business and service type.

### A responsive theme

A custom responsive Drupal theme lets members use the directory on the device they have to hand.

### Proven parts, joined up

The directory combines about 80 open-source Drupal modules with 7 custom modules that tie its workflows together.

## Results: A directory that stays current.

### Working from day one

Argus imported their existing contacts spreadsheet, so the directory had content at launch.

### Members keep it up to date

Organisations edit their own details, and Argus admins approve new companies and contacts before they appear.

### Dormant firms followed up

Admins can see organisations with no updates in a year and check whether they're still active or need support.

### Early feedback

A phased plan let Argus stakeholders try each feature and give feedback early in the build.

### Handed over

Argus's own team hosts and runs the directory. Pivale supported it for the first month after launch.

## Related solutions and services

- [Portals & intranets](https://www.pivale.co/solutions/portals-intranets): Custom systems that support daily operations.
- [Audits & discovery](https://www.pivale.co/services/audits): Customer experience and website systems audits.
- [Drupal development](https://www.pivale.co/services/drupal): Content management for ambitious enterprises.

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Source: https://www.pivale.co/work/argus/. Pivale is a UK digital consultancy. Book a 30-minute call at https://www.pivale.co/contact/ or email hello@pivale.co.