The Marketing Agency Talk

There is a very common misunderstanding among marketing folks regarding the “web”. Many people confuse a glitzy, busy web site with a sophisticated, effective web site. Sometime, more is simply not better.

I am sure that in your years of working in the agencies, you must have encountered clients who insist on having all the bells and whistle on their web site. They want to include this “latest” Web 2.0 “stuff” and the coolest Flash animations. Sometimes, they even want to do it without regard for their audience and their markets!

To illustrate, I want to show case this site that sells Shipping Scales. Can you imagine, that this site does not have Flash Banner? What about if you found no trace of any animated GIFs? Would you think that this is a good web site?

In my opinion, it is a good website. And the reason is simple, it achieves its mission perfectly. You see, the company sells weighing scales. Once you hit the main page, there is no doubt about it. What is more, you will realize that they sell lots of different types of scales. Yet, the page does not give you a feeling of being over-crowded or messy. The presentation is straight-forward and no-nonsense. Right at the first box, you see “Shipping Scales”, which is their main product line (I am guessing).

Each page is clearly laid out in a simple, graphically pleasant way. No glitz, no clutter, no user interface problems. What about Web 2.0, you might ask. Well, there is a very nice “Live Support” button on the top left hand corner where you are given the opportunity to either speak online with a support personnel or to drop an email to the company. Again, a very elegant implementation of interactivity without going overboard with fancy shout-boxes, scrolling texts and so on.

I hope this would have illustrated that being “Web 2.0″ does not mean that you have to pull out all the stops on glitz and frills. Usability is a big factor and good design can make even the most simple appear very professional.

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