Content Identification | Exploring Web Marketing and Project Management

In Chapter 10, we discussed putting together client questionnaires, assessing their goals for the Web site. In the content development phase, we must identify specifically how the Web site will help the client to at-tain these goals through written copy and graphical presentation.

David Siegel's wonderful book, Secrets of Successful Web Sites, suggests sending the client on a field trip, asking them to rate sites based on appearance, content, and functionality. This is a great way to get a feel for what the client is attracted to and sees as a priority. Do they want multimedia presentations, using technologies such as Macromedia Flash (an application that incorporates sound and graphic animation seamlessly) to impress their customers? Or would the client rather present a site that makes information very easy to get to, so visitors will have an immediate feel for the navigation scheme and can immediately get where they want to go?

Consistency throughout the site-reinforcing the client's logo or "brand-ing"-is also important. One often hears the estimate in the advertising industry that individuals need to see a message seven times before it really begins to make an impression on them. We like to keep repeating a client's logo not just because we want to be sure that the visitor knows that he or she is still within that client's Web site but because it helps to reinforce the logo or the brand name in the visitor's mind. That way, if through cross promotion the visitor sees print, television, or advertising on other Web sites, the chances for instant brand recognition increase. Consumers tend to feel more comfortable about opening their wallets for a "familiar face."

As the client is identifying their goals for building a Web site, the creative team can also help the client to consider the main messages being communicated. If the firm is selling computers, do we want to key on the fact that this firm is particularly good with customer service, can access any and all parts, whether discontinued or currently in production, or offers the best prices anywhere? Perhaps it's a combination of all of these messages that is important. The creative direction and the functionality will all support these ideas.

If a financial advisor wishes to build a site focusing on a particular sort of mutual fund, is it better to project the image of being an old, well-established firm that has been around for a thousand years, or should the image be highly edgy and contemporary? While an edgy, more casual image might work very well for a Web firm, consumers want to see stability when initiating investment activities. So the message goes beyond what is written on the screen to the subliminal impressions a visitor may have while at the Web site.

Hopefully, in the process of identifying main ideas, a story will emerge. Drawing on the hierarchy developed during the project specification stage and incorporating the creative team's (including the client) creative ideas, one can "storyboard" the site. Often, very savvy clients have already done this. They come with designs written on graph paper or even napkins, and it's all extremely helpful. Even if a client can use squares or circles to block things out on a piece of paper, it's a fantastic start. From there, the creative team can refine the design and effectively storyboard the site.

Exercises

Conduct a Client Creative Interview

Your client owns a venerable old bookstore, which has been a fixture in its community for over seventy-five years. The people who run it now understand the value of offering goods and services over the Web. They are not trying to compete with amazon.com but want to emphasize the store's ability to provide highly personalized attention and perhaps create a much different look and feel from Amazon. What types of questions would you ask of this client? In order to distinguish itself from Amazon, what might this bookstore do in terms of Web site content?

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A small Mom and Pop computer store wishes to project a bigger, more corporate image on the Web in hopes of attracting corporate customers. What kinds of questions would you ask them? What might you advise them to do?

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Establish Branding

Give three examples of how branding can be implemented on a site. Which do you think is best? Why?

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How would you establish branding on the bookstore Web site mentioned above in 11.1.1a?

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Identify The Main Ideas

What sort of strategies might you use to encourage a client to identify the main ideas they wish to convey in their Web site, both the evident ideas and the ideas a visitor would pick up in a subliminal fashion?

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Give three examples each of the direct communication of a message versus a subliminal message.

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Storyboard the Web Site

How would storyboarding the bookstore Web site (11.1.1.a), with the client better facilitate the creative development of it?

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Storyboard your vision of the bookstore Web site.

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Exercise Answers

This section gives you some suggested answers to the questions in Lab 11.1. with discussion related to those answers. Please post any alternative answers to these questions at the companion Web site for this book, located at http://www.phptr.com/phptrinteractive.

Answers

a)	Your client owns a venerable old bookstore, which has been a fixture in its community for over seventy-five years. The people who run it now understand the value of offering goods and services over the Web. They are not trying to compete with amazon.com but want to emphasize the store's ability to provide highly personalized attention and perhaps create a much different look and feel from Amazon. What types of questions would you ask of this client? In order to distinguish itself from Amazon, what might this bookstore do in terms of Web site content? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
Answer:	Who does the client want to use its Web site? Is the client targeting people who come into the store and providing them with an on-line alternative? Is the client trying to attract new customers? How does the client see their bookstore as being different from Amazon? Is the client comfortable with putting together a graphical representation of a well-established old bookstore, complete with all of the subliminal messages to support this? Or, are they interested in another direction? What makes this bookstore different from other bookstores? Would the client be comfortable with featuring long-time employees on the site, who might specialize in a certain area, and allowing them to make recommendations? Are there any logos or graphics identified with this bookstore that the client would like to adapt for the Web?
b)	A small Mom and Pop computer store wishes to project a bigger, more corporate image on the Web in hopes of attracting corporate customers. What kinds of questions would you ask them? What might you advise them to do? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________
Answer:	To add credibility, what kinds of informational resources are available to them? Would they feel comfortable writing white papers and press releases and including them on their Web site, just as a large corporate entity might do? Of the Web sites maintained by large corporations in this industry, which does the client feel are most effective from a graphic and content perspective? What themes do they wish to emphasize? An example might be "Large enough to have a wide inventory, small enough to know you." Or perhaps they wish to make no reference to smaller size at all. "We are a big Corporate Entity-TRUST US!" What sort of navigation will best present the products? Which products do they wish to push? If the visitor has ten seconds to get to know this company, what would the client wish the message to be?

Answers

a)	Give three examples of how branding can be implemented on a site. Which do you think is best? Why? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Answer:	Three ways to establish branding on a Web site include Domain name Regular use of logo embedded with the navigation Use of logo as a watermark I like to establish branding using the logo embedded in the navigation scheme. Unless the company is well known, the domain name can be used to establish better ranking with the search engines by incorporating important keywords that the company would want to be found under. Also, using the logo as part of a water mark can obscure the text. While these two methods help to establish branding, they take away from communicating other important messages. Using a navigation bar that incorporates the company's logo consistently throughout the site firmly roots the artwork in the visitor's mind without threatening other useful features of the Web site.
b)	How would you establish branding on the bookstore Web site mentioned above in 11.1.1a? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Answer:	First, I'd use the method of firmly tying the logo to the navigation scheme. Then I would be sure to include the logo in any banner or tile advertising done on other Web sites. Any ordering text-based ordering confirmations should also include the name of the bookstore. If the user has elected to receive HTML based e-mails, the logo can be sent as part of the e-mail. Also, offer license plates on the site. A license plate is a small graphic that the visitor can download and place on their own Web site, similar to "Best Viewed with Internet Explorer 5.0" or "Netscape Now!". It might be fun to offer a license plate with messages like "I get the best books at the Book Nook," "Book Nook Groupie," or "I belong to THE World Wide Web book group!" Let people link to these graphics via the bookstore's site and make it easy to provide the link back to the site.

Answers

a)	What sort of strategies might you use to encourage a client to identify the main ideas they wish to convey in their Web site, both the evident ideas and the ideas a visitor would pick up in a subliminal fashion? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Answer:	The following questions might be useful: Picture having thirty seconds to introduce your company; what do you want the potential customer to know? Do you like a casual, edgy, classic, conservative, or contemporary image? Are you interested in attracting impulse buyers or long-time clientele? You have ten keywords to use to organize your company's information. What would they be?
b)	Give three examples each of the direct communication of a message versus a subliminal message. __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Answer:	The following are examples: Direct Message-Placing text in the company profile page about how a financial services firm has over forty years of experience, touting the various positions held by members of the firm. Subliminal Message-The use of very classic graphics and fonts, which speak of upscale conservatism. Direct Message-Including text on the main page about how a bookstore was founded based on the owner's love of books and wish to share this with others. The business has grown due to the devotion of its customers, because the owners know their customers' tastes and wish to cater to them. Subliminal Message-Pictures of "customers" reading and enjoying a cup of tea around a fireplace, or a book discussion group talking with an employee at the store. Perhaps pictures of a famous author doing a book signing at the store surrounded by many happy faces. Direct Message-Our hardware store is service oriented, not like the large corporations. We will hunt down the most obscure tool because it's our specialty. Subliminal Message-Pictures of hardware store employees speaking with happy customers. Pictures of odd tools. A graphical image that is reminiscent of fonts and logos one might find in an old-time hardware store.

Answers

a)	How would storyboarding the bookstore Web site (11.1.1.a), with the client better facilitate the creative development of it? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Answer:	If the client is fairly reasonable to work with and doesn't go off on tangents, storyboarding is a good tool, like the project spec, to pin the client down to an exact model. This is best accomplished at a meeting with the Web developer. Whichever way vagueness can be eradicated from project requirements, it will only help the process. True, there are times when you get a client who just can't seem to make a decision. I sometimes find myself pushing this client along and taking them out of the creative decision-making process as much as possible, just so that we can complete the project to the best of our ability. I've been known to make comments like, "Our graphic designer knows the message you are ultimately trying to communicate, and he also knows the Web. Don't worry about it." And sometimes that comment works! However, if the client not only can't make a decision but also prefers that we do not either, I sit them down with a pad of graph paper. I explain the storyboarding process and tell them that I need that storyboard completed by the end of the week. If it's not completed by the end of the week, we will have to bump the site out of its place in the production schedule, and we will have to reschedule at our convenience. We will not perform work until the client can settle on a vision.
b)	Storyboard your vision of the bookstore Web site. __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
Answer:	The following is a rough front page representing my vision, with the navigation on the side.

Self-Review Questions

In order to test your progress, you should be able to answer the following questions:

(True/False) Creative development can be difficult because

_____ Clients' requirements can be vague due to the subjective nature of evaluating artwork.
_____ Subliminal messages are so difficult to convey on the Web.
_____ Most graphic designers want to create Web sites their own way.

(True/False) When there is a difference in opinion about whether a certain creative direction was authorized by the client, the project manager can refer to the

_____ Creative interview
_____ Web site storyboard
_____ Graphic artist