Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

After months of long and hard work, Eaton (a power management company) launched www.youpowerthrough.com. The Web site is one of many pieces that we have been building to create a diverse campaign speaking to end-users (clients) and resellers (sales).

The grandeur of this launch is the magnitude of knowledge gathered, learned and regurgitated into innovative and fresh collateral, all in a short few months. Trade shows table clothes, t-shirts, banner ads, print ads and emails are a few of the pieces we have launched. Its amazing to see how quickly folks here got over the learning curve and became experts on really foreign subject matter. However, we did have some help from some our office heroes, Donna and Rob, who loaned their server expertise. And in Rob’s case, his stunning good looks for a few print ads.

Our goal when creating the site was to construct a memorable and different brand experience that focuses on Eaton’s unique and witty brand personality. By creating an easy-to-navigate web experience, it allows users to power through the content. We wanted to ensure that users got what they needed to take the next step without getting lost in the details. We also included a strong call to action that will encourage users to request more information or sign-up to become a reseller.

Congrats to the Eaton Team!

While minding my own business on three different occasions of surfing the web I came across some great art gallery sites. My wife and I are art lovers. These artists were good and the prices reasonable.

With each discovery I said to myself, “I love this gallery!” Each site had a section to purchase on-line.

I bit.

Sadly each time, the on-line purchases didn’t go through. So I called. And each time all three galleries said, “Oh, we don’t do that any more. I don’t know how you got this number.” Newsflash: I got the bleeping number ‘cause YOU put it on YOUR web site to SELL YOUR CRAP.

Like all good cobblers’ children, Capstrat struggles to build fresh content throughout our various web properties. We try really hard but still could be better. At least we see the value.

This is puzzling. You design and program a site, then host it. All these events cost money and time. Why don’t people take them down after they no longer do business?

It’s not like they have to unprogram it. What’s your favorite Web peeve?

Who do I love? Duke Corporate Education.
 
You know what I love?  Well, besides diet soda of course, I love the feeling you get seeing a site that you put your heart and soul into finally launch live on the Web.  Dukece.com launched on Wednesday, check it out if you have a minute.  
 
As we all know, working day in and day out on a project can cause one to get buried in the trenches of day to day project management.  Stepping back from the flurry of activity post launch Wednesday night (with a Coke Zero in hand), I consulted the Blueprint to assess where we finally landed compared to where we started this project almost a year ago.  Looking back on this experience, I fully realize not only the worth of pleasing our clients but also the true value in sticking to strategic objectives defined in the discovery phase.  
 
Thanks to everyone who touched this project and to those who make it possible for us to do work that explores the avenues of imaginative navigation techniques.  Each and every one of you deserve an ice cold Diet Dr. Pepper.  I’m buying.

Contempt for the traditional corporate Web site?

I read a great article by a Web strategist I have grown to like and trust named Jeremiah Owyang , who is foretelling the end of the Web site as we know it.

I have to agree on some points and disagree on others.

I agree the corporate Web site as a marketing institution will erode and its relevance will slowly give way to a more conversational mode but having been in the corporate Web site development biz for 14 years, I believe the change will go as slowly as everything else has. 

Recall how blogging's maintream entrance was celebrated? Then lagged and lagged and now, with RSS being understood and adopted, blogging is the light and the new way. 

Jeremiah makes the point that the corporate Web site is irrelevant today. I know what he is saying and I too am on the futurist side of the argument but I have a few dozen corporate clients with highly engaged customers who are no where near ready for this shift. In fact they just started to get the corporate Web site thing in that last year or so. At the risk of sounding like a slow-adopter or a curmudgeon, my bet is that the corporate Web site will continue to thrive while  more conversational or "social" approaches to corporate marketing begin to succeed. I believe this will take at least 3 years if not longer.