Luxury Online Flagships Go For a Redesign

Luxury brands have traditionally been a bit slower to take up new technologies, therefore it is interesting to watch when and at what pace they play catch up. Recently some brands have rolled out more frequent website updates to drive traffic from both a search perspective, and visual and UX standpoint. Aston Martin chose to announce the redesign of their site via the brand’s social media outlets, instead of simply releasing the changes through an announcement on the site page itself, noting on Twitter both the “new and improved homepage design and navigation.” This was an interesting tactic for Aston Martin because it helps drive current brand enthusiasts to the new site, in effect to test out changes, tracking time spent on the site and identifying the most popular areas or content. Instead of having to navigate to a particular model, the different cars are the first menu options at the top bar, and slide across as full-screen images on the home page. As most users are likely looking for a particular car within the Aston Martin line, it was advantageous for the company to retool the site to align more closely with those search inquiries and page visits.

Marc Jacobs also recently revamped its online flagship, taking away some of the hierarchy to streamline the process of viewing and purchasing the product. The side menu is now organized in the same way in which customers would shop in-person, structured by gender, rather than by collection. Once navigating to the women’s section, the grid layout carries over from the home page, but there is also a split screen with two scroll bars. This could prove somewhat confusing or overwhelming, but does allow the site to push a ton of content and descriptors onto one page, which may help drive traffic from a search perspective.

Providing frequent website updates can help a brand stay relevant, not only through its content but also by staying up to date with developments in web design and architecture. Incremental changes make it easier to stay on the forefront of a competitive market that demands unique online experiences, meaningful content, and ease of use – and that’s just once the customer is already on the site. Driving customers to the online flagship requires proper understanding of the back end design as well, which Aston Martin and Marc Jacobs appear to recognize and work towards.  

How to market a jewelry brand online

Given that our recent guest speaker was from Squarespace and mentioned how important it is to have a website, I wanted to share the basic layout of a jewelry website. Having scoured multiple jewelry websites I came to the conclusion that these headings are must haves to build your visual identity online

Headings & subheadings

              History/Our Story

•       Brand - what does it stand for, USP, values, design aesthetics.

•       The designer - their vision, inspiration and other relevant information

•       Timeline: how the brand has evolved

•       Craftsmanship  -   Consumers want to know how diamonds/gems are sourced and where the product is being made

•       Philanthropy - always helps to show the brand in a positive light

            Bespoke/high jewelry (if the brand offers custom made jewelry)

•       A video showing the designer sitting with a client and the steps involved in making custom orders from start to finish

•       Button on page leads directly to book an appointment

           Boutique/jewelry (affordable collections)

•       Collections: e.g. the Tiffany enagament collection, valentines collection etc

•       Categories: Rings, Bracelets, Earrings, Cufflinks

          Masterpieces

•  Exclusive one of a kind pieces. Also ones that you don’t want to share a price for.

          Press/Featured/In the News

•       Editorial – When featured in magazines 

•       Celebrity – what celebrities are wearing the brand

•       Events – that the brand does/sponsors

        Enquiries

•       Leads directly to form where the options are

•       Request appointment or Request information

      Recommendations also know as Bestsellers – items that the brand wants to push

    

      New arrivals – update as necessary

    

      Retailers/Buy/Shop – update as and when we new partnerships are formed. Good 

      to have a feature that one can search with postcode.

These are some of the best jewelry websites:

http://www.davidyurman.comhttp://us.chopard.comhttp://www.buccellati.comhttp://www.graffdiamonds.com/#/expertise/designhttp://www.theglamculture.com/web/us/#/site/sitemap/hp-stories/hp-gala-on-costa-smeraldahttp://www.vancleefarpels.com/us/en/?from_unlocalized=1
http://www.harrywinston.com/store/jewels/rings-jewels/products/crossover-ring

Absolut-ly Fabulous

Reading Sophia's post title "An alcohol brand that knows how to engage young people..." reminded me of when I was younger...a time when you needed a quarter to make a phone call….a time when the library was your main source of information…a time when a former actor lived in the White House…life seemed simpler then….

This is a two part posting about Absolut Vodka of Sweden. The first part deals with the advertising campaign and the second speaks to the product variety.

PART 1: Absolut-ly Engaged: Engagement through Media Campaigns of Absolut Vodka

Absolut Vodka is a longtime believer of simplicity, ingenuity and innovation, as it related to the product and its process of continuous distillation and the bottle which resembles a 19th Century Pharmacy Bottle or its campaigns and artistic vision – by focusing on the bottle through art, fashion, music and everything else…Absolut worked with creative thinking people in all fields creating an “absolut world’ including Andrew Warhol >> Hirst >> Britto >> Blecker >> Ford >> Gaultier >> Newton

Absolut Timing
In 15th Century, the vodka distiller industry was growing and maturing.
In 1879, Lars Olsson Smith invented a new distillation method that is sill in use today.
In 1979, Absolut began exporting their vodka to the US after their improving and refining the vodka..
In 1981, Absolut began it longest and non-stop running campaign, selling 20,000 cases annually in the US
In 1985, Absolut is No1 in US, selling 444,000 cases in the US
In between, although I was not yet old enough to drink, I was old enough to initiate my collection of ads ripped from the magazines.
In 1995, Absolut was selling more than 3,000,000 cases annually in the US, by this time, I was able to contribute to their success.
Today, the Absolut trend of Ad Campaigns continues. One can keep up with the latest limited edition releases by visiting http://www.absolutads.com/.

Over the years, http://www.absolut.com/us has evolved with the changing landscape while staying true to its core in creating an “absolut world’ through an expanded reach online and across the world. With its website and mobile apps rich with drink recipes and links to their limited edition bottles and flavors, as well as a host of stories – whether a TV show, a short film or other worldwide engagement to the customer. The graphic above incorporates the current variety and creativity of Absolut’s media arm....To Be Continued....

Corporate Websites Versus Facebook

On the corner of Canal Street and West Broadway there's a billboard for Jack Daniels. At the bottom of the ad, where you would usually see the company's website information, it read www.facebook.com/jackdaniels.

This is the ultimate manifestation of the perceived value of word of mouth advertising versus straight marketing from the company. Jack Daniels has a robust website with lots of terrific content for someone who likes whiskey. It's the kind of digital home that promotes brand loyalty. But no one knows that a friend loves Jack Daniels if they visit the website; by contrast, all of a person's friends and acquaintances are alerted if the customer 'likes' the company's facebook page.

Of course, for liquor companies, facebook has an added advantage. The company need not ensure that a customer is 21 or over just to have that person 'like' them. On their own website, Jack Daniels must have users type in their birthdate, presumably to ensure that they are legal to drink. Not only is this a deterrent because it's an extra step, revealing personal information on an alcohol site feels a little creepy.

I wonder, though, how the role of facebook and other similar social networks will change the importance of a company's website, particularly if the product (liquor, for example) is sold through a distribution network versus directly to the customer. From a customer acquisition perspective, it may be a better investment to soup up a strong social media presence, with apps, badges, and plugins, than to build a blockbuster web platform.

After all, you can always do as Jack Daniels is doing: send people to your facebook page rather than your corporate website.

Visualizing Successful Website Design

Is simpler better for website design? I have held to this maxim for years now, but after today's class I'm not so sure it's true. Today we discussed website design with the many personas of potential viewers in mind. Website design has often been regarded as more art than science, but I believe that in class Professor Kagan successfully demonstrated that the design process is scientific and can be accurately measured and tuned to optimize the viewer's experience.

The key to successful design is a combination of researching past design (using tools like the "Way Back Machine"), using proper keyword and link allocation that we discussed in class, and leveraging available optimizer tools like Google's Website Optimizer. There is really an overwhelming amount of information that one can use for web design, yet it does not lead to one clear layout or template for perfect design.

I think this is because designers are catering to all potential visitors and their various viewing habits and idiosyncrasies. Even broken down by visitor's personas, there are various possible viewing patterns (such as the one shown above). It stands to reason then that though we cannot please everyone, there is a happy medium to be found that covers the majority of the website's target visitors by combining the dominant patterns into a website that is a mosaic of the various styles dictated by target viewers' personas.

Reid Hoffman - Angel investor and Internet sage

Yesterday, we had a very special guest at my company, Knewton.com. Reid Hoffman, CEO of LinkedIN and angel investor to our start-up, met with us to discuss his thoughts ranging from viral campaigns and network effects to entrepreneurial investing and leadership. ANGEL investor (i.e., he invested before anyone thought they would be successful) in: Digg, Facebook, Flickr, Friendster, Ironport Systems, Last.fm, Nanosolar, Ning, Six Apart, Socialtext, Tagged, Technorati, Tiny Pictures, Wikia, and more. His ability to foresee which start-ups will ultimately succeed is the stuff of legends. Witty, humble and (dare I say it?) nerdy (remember, it takes one to know one!), Mr. Hoffman was an exceptional gracious speaker and we felt very fortunate that he had taken an interest in our start-up. Here are a few key takeaways from the interview…

On website launches: Mr Hoffman made a very interesting analogy about website launches. He said “if you are not embarrassed by the first launch of your website, you waited too long”. As a company, we have struggled with getting a product up that was both functional and visually attractive. With our first launch in October 2008, the site was launched and honestly, it was quite weak - no fancy animation, no Ajax graphical elements, few videos (and our online GMAT prep course was based on video classrooms!). It was Spartan but at least it was operational. We still struggle with the website now, (it’s only been 8 months), but at least we have more videos up. So yes, the challenge of managing scarce resources torn between graphical and operational improvements still remains. But on a brighter note, our SEO efforts seem to appreciate the heavy emphasis on copy --- so there is always a silver lining.

On the start-up process: Another interesting analogy about start-ups: “Trying to get a start-up off the ground is a lot like building an airplane – in mid-flight. The ground is fast approaching and you have a very limited amount of time to get everything together and working before you crash. If you do get it together, you suddenly take off. And then it’s about staying afloat and ascending. ” It’s good to know that the frantic pace and chaotic atmosphere is to be expected… Often times there are fierce battles for IT resources between Product and Marketing or debates on strategy and direction. The passion that people feel for the product is remarkable but it also makes it hard for us to be objective.

There was a lot of great advice he dispensed (the obvious and amusing one is use LinkedIn.com) and I am thankful to the opportunity to shake his hand. After all, I believe the recruiting company that introduced me to Knewton.com found me there.

So how’s that for a customer testimonial?

Play with Muji

Muji (無印良品) is a Japanese retail company which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods. Muji is distinguished by its design minimalism, emphasizes on recycling, avoidance of waste in production and packaging and no-logo or ''no-brand'' policy. In 2009, Muji introduced all its products line on-line through The PlayMuji Calendar. The calendar displays a different product everyday with a short video that shows how to use it and provides a close look at its details. You could use this site to discover new product ideas( Muji has tons of original ideas and they are practical) or simply learn how does Muji makes your life easier. A screensaver is offered to downloaded to retrieve the site.

I like Muji very much. I have a lot of their products and I used to collect their catalogues every season. They simply offer inspiration of lives, makes trivia less daunting, and smartly solve the problem. The PlayMuji site plays the function of catalogues. It is well-designed and in line with Muji Brand. Moreover, the idea of making Muji products part of your lives seems very convincing through online demonstration because people easily grasp their product solutions. You can even envision you're using any of the product and feel inspired. This also break the barrier of language. Through visualization, everybody can understand it without further explanation. 

The last but not the least thing is that you can find a link to the online store that allows you to purchase. This site works smoothly to combine brand communication with e-commerce and leaves a pleasant experience whether you make the transaction or not. But I am sure you will put Muji on your top list in next shopping. 

MySpace: Design Anarchy That Works

The social-networking site is no looker, and the freedom it gives users leads to some pretty loud results. But that may be the secret to its success

It came late to the market -- so late, in fact, that by the time it launched, people were already declaring the product category dead. It offered no new technology -- virtually every feature of the site was an imitation of something someone else had already done. It looked amateurish, lacking even the most basic level of visual consistency and appeal, never mind the high-gloss polish of its venture-backed competitors.

It seemed like an also-ran. But in less than two years it built up a community of more than 20 million users. And then it sold for half a billion dollars.

The site is MySpace, a social-networking space where people connect with their friends and make new ones as they share their interests and personalities through the blogs, photos, comments, video, and audio they post. MySpace has developed a particular appeal for young people because the site makes it especially easy for bands to set up pages to communicate with their fans.

Read the entire article.

I found this article particularly interesting given my distaste for MySpace and its poor design concept.