Monday, March 05, 2007

Web Power

Finally marketers in India realized the potential of worldwide web. “Something interactive karna hai,” is the common cry in all client corridors. Most big agencies have set-up their own interactive department and clients are very excited the moment they hear interactive. Therefore, communities building, post a blog, share a picture, post an opinion, invite or send to a friend etc. are fast picking up, marketers and their advertising agencies have decided to do something meaningful with the medium.

The latest in the bandwagon is Mentos. Quirky but err interesting.

Gang of Girls was a break through piece of interactive work while Being Girl was an immediate answer from P&G since they didn’t want to be left behind.

No doubt, the web is a powerful branding tool. Since there’s lot of information about it on the internet and several books by renowned branding gurus, I thought I’ll let you know few practical things to keep in mind (which I learned while working on an interactive project) while creating a powerful brand experience on web:

  • Express the brand’s personality as effectively as possible. Being an interactive medium it actually gives you that freedom
  • Think about the content first, technology, html, flash etc. can wait
  • No one likes to wait for eternity for your page to open. Try to grab the attention of your visitors while the home page is being downloaded
  • The website should reflect the brand’s core values because it gives that opportunity to the visitors to forge a meaningful relationship
  • Give out interesting information about the brand which will keep your visitor engaged and allow them to dig deeper
  • Try to put photographs of real people. Gives authenticity to the message
  • Feedback is important, it provides you with valuable information about what they like and what they not

Axe is one brand which has always been at the forefront of web experience. They have always managed to keep visitors engaged.

Nike is another brand which offers a similar experience. TicTac in USA is another good example.

Marketers in India are truly experimenting in the virtual which is a good sign. Well, will someone also try experimenting in the real world, please?

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