2008

Good Words. And Great Names. Green Lipstick and the Environmental Pig. How it Feels to Live in a 650-year-old Wooden Home. The Key to a More Productive Workflow. Marketing that Makes a Sustainable Difference. New Year’s Resolutions for Your Marketing and Branding Efforts. Sweet Successes.

2007

2007. The Perfect Time for a Road Trip Alcoa CSI “Uncorks” a New DVD to Introduce its Unique Wine Seal. Cook for the Cure 2006: Record-Setting Sauces Cook for the Cure—Spoil Your Dinner! Green What? Integrate, Segregate, Reformulate? Measuring the Effectiveness of PR: Thinking Beyond the “Thud Factor” Miller Brooks Builds with Habitat for Humanity. Online Media Measurement See What’s New at Miller Brooks! The Shock of the New. What is a Brand Touchpoint? What We’re Reading: Made To Stick Word of Mouth Marketing

2006

Brand Washing. Branding in the Blogosphere. Cook for the Cure: A Souper Time Cook for the Cure Invite How Does Your Brand Speak to Multiple B2B Audiences? June Blitz: Largest in Habitat History Making the Most of Your Online Advertising New Look, Easy New Access. New Year's Resolutions for Your Marketing and Branding Efforts. Peter Drucker: Thoughts on Business from "the Man Who Invented Management." Trade Shows. Afterthought or Forethought? Why Marketing Matters

2005

Are Employees Speaking Your Brand Language? Conducting a Brand Audit: An Energizing Experience. How to Justify Your B2B Budget. How to Watch TV for Your Brand. You Can Learn a Lot. Less is More: Refining Your Brand's Print Materials. Patience. Is it the Missing Ingredient in Marketing Innovative New Products? Personal Accountability in Branding. Taking a Cue from Reality TV: Is It Time to Pimp Your Brand? The Sound of Branding. Triangulation: Three Views into Your Brand. Value Proposition. Positioning Statement. Are They Really Different? What's an Elevator Pitch?

2004

Are You Over-Hyping your Brand? Brand Understanding: Developing a Great Positioning Statement. Brand Warfare: 10 Rules For Building The Killer Brand. Good News/Bad News: Your Brand Made Headlines. How to Recover from Bad Press. Marketing B2B, Products vs. Services: Is There a Difference? Media Management: The Value It Brings to a Brand. Measuring Marketing ROI: Holy Grail or Myth? Mosaic Branding: A Way of Thought? The Right Media To Drive Your Brand. The Value Of Market Research For B2B Brands. Trade Show PR: Remain True to the Brand. Writing a Marketing Plan: Taking the Hassle Out and Putting the Value In.

2003

Brainstorming: How To Get The Most From Your Ideation Sessions. Brand Crisis? What Crisis? Brand Messaging: Why You Need It, And How To Develop It. How Do Customers Touch Your Brand? Understanding What's Important Can Make All the Difference. How To Get Your Brand Into Show Business. Is Your Brand a Product, Organization, Person, or Symbol? Keeping Your Brand Look and Message Consistent. Project Management: Working Behind The Scenes To Synchronize Your Brand. Putting The Web To Work For Your Brand. The Art Of Innovation: What Every Brand Can Learn From Inspired Product Design. When Do You Need Another Brand? Who Cares About Paper?

2002

A Brand's Functional Benefits vs. Emotional Benefits. An Electronic Brochure? What Is It and When Is It Needed? Collaborative Branding: When Agencies and Other Suppliers Work Together, Brands are the Big Winners. Creating A Direct Response Campaign? Think Like a Fisherman. Expand Your Brand: How to Make Your Brand Speak to Media and Analysts. How Long Should It Take to Produce a Brochure, a Website, an Ad? The Purpose Of A Corporate Brochure. The Softer Side Of Branding: Understanding the Nuances of Brand Personalities. What Color Is Your Brand? What's The Personality Of Your Brand? Try This Simple Brand Association Exercise. What Is The Value Of Your Brand? When Does A Brand Need A Logo?

2001

All Aboard: How to Get a Greater Return from Your Direct Mail. Brands, Channels, and Customers. Building Your Brand in a Tough Economy? Give Your Brand A Spring Cleaning. Is Your Brand Ready for the Internet? Get a Clue from the Cluetrain. It's A Brand New Day. Branding with Strategic Public Awareness. Justify Your Marketing Budget. Lights, Camera, Action! Tips for Launching Your Brand on TV. Photography: To Stock or Not to Stock? Is This Really a Question? SIC vs. NAICS: Understanding the Difference. What Business Are You In? What's an Elevator Pitch? Wolverine: Building A Brand That Works.

2000

Bingo Cards: Are They Dead? Creating a Harmonious e-Brand. e-Branding: How To Embrace It. e-branding: Sometimes Simpler Is Better. How to Strengthen Your Lead Management Process. Maintaining Your Brand's Image. Making Taglines Work. Managing Visual Assets In A Digital World. Mapping Your Web Site. Messaging: The Foundation for Good Communication. Miller Brooks: Growing with the Changing Times. Naming: Will It Play Around the World? Project Management: Necessary Evil or Strategic Advantage? Top 10 Steps to Taking a Brand Overseas. Why Every Brand Needs a Brand Architecture.

e-Branding. Sometimes Simpler Is Better. - Issue: 2000 Qtr 2

e-Branding. Sometimes Simpler Is Better.

We've all seen them. The websites with zooming logos, scrolling frames and spinning graphics. Sure, these sites may have all the latest bells and whistles, but are they effective?

Having a site with lots of razzle-dazzle can be a double-edge sword. On one side, the site may prove to the world that you're knowledgeable on the latest technology. But on the flip side, it can also damage your e.brand's image if your site hinders how quickly your customers and prospects can download and navigate your site, understand your brand position - and in the case of e.business sites - purchase your products.

Forrester Research predicts that business-to-business e.commerce will represent a $1.3 trillion market by 2003. With this kind of market potential, it's even more important that your website be designed to promote business, not turn it away.

So what constitutes a well-designed site? To answer that question, you may think about some of the websites you enjoy visiting. One successful site is Amazon.com. Consider what makes it work: Its design is simple and easy to navigate. The copy is content-rich and presented in a fashion that's easy on the eyes. And the purchase process is quick and simple.

Other Web experts agree - simpler is often better. Consider this advice recently given in an Inc.magazine article:

"What matters is speed. People want to get in and get out." --James J. Cramer, cofounder of and columnist at TheStreet.com

"Fancy front-end technology slows down the user experience. Ultimately, that will turn people off. I was shopping on toy sites from my home the other night. One loaded in one second, and one loaded in 15. Guess which one I bought from?" --Chip Hazard, general partner and E-commerce specialist at Greylock, Boston

"There's a minimum level of slickness you want to see when you go to a site, and people will probably add those features as broadband becomes more common, but I expect you'll see a lot of diminishing returns as well." --Kathleen Eisenhardt, professor specializing in competitive strategy at the School of Engineering, Stanford University.

So whether you're considering reformulating your website, or you're just getting started in the e.business world, stay focused on what your website should do and how it should reflect your e.brand. Don't over-design it just for the sake of having all the bells and whistles.

For additional reading on how to achieve the right balance of speed and creativity in website design, check out "I Was Seduced by the Web Economy: 7 Myths of the Web Economy" in the February 2000 issue of Inc.magazine at www.inc.com/incmagazine/article/1,3654,ART16843_CNT53,00.html.

And to learn more about how we've approached e.branding for a variety of our customers in various industries, contact us at contact@millerbrooks.com or call 317.873.8100 to request a free copy of our e.branding brochure.

Back to top