- 1. LITMUSGet in the Game:Are Branded Manufacturers Missing the
Mark Online? MethodologyAre you O.P.E.N., or are you dangerously
closed? Our assessment helps guide brandplanning and priorities for
digital investments. An O.P.E.N. score is an evaluation ofyour
brands digital experience through the eyes of your target segments.
Our team of Resource Interactive researchers scored 15 sites within
three umbrellacategoriesmajor appliances, consumer electronics and
outdoor products. Each auditor focused on a single category for
their review, and was given a pre-determined scenario and task to
complete across all sites they audited. Forexample, You are a new
home owner, shopping for a push mower and looking forproduct
comparisons. All sites were scored using a 1-5 point scale for each
O.P.E.N. brand criteriaOn-Demand, Personal, Engaging and
Networked.SummaryMost Branded Manufacturing sites need improvement
in all O.P.E.N. criteriaPersonal and Networked in particular. These
are prime areas to invite and involveconsumers in your brand. Areas
where loyalty is built and testimonials are shared.Experiences that
create dramatic points of differentiation. Clearly,
importantinvestment opportunities. Additionally, we noticed a lack
of cohesiveness between channels. Across thebrands we audited,
there were no holistic consumer experiencesno connectionbetween
purchasing a product and purchase support. In these instances the
brandsinternal silos become awkwardly visible.On-DemandMany
consumers come to branded manufacturer sites to research and find
decisionsupport. Overall, the On-Demand criteria provided the
highest scores from ourauditors, as manufacturers have improved
their online product selection andelevated information about how to
buy the product. www.resource.com 2009 Resource Interactive. All
rights reserved.
2. The Major Appliance category stood out by making products the
heroshowingfeatures and benefits as well as visualizing them in a
range of room settings andcolors. For an investment product, this
is key. GE had the highest on-demand score within the major
appliances sub-segment. Thebrands site was simple, clean, easy to
navigate and made it easy to narrow downoptions. Of note was a
comparison tool that allowed a consumer to compare upto four
products including pricea rarity in our audit. Another on-demand
featurewas the ability to locate the closest dealer from within the
product details section ofthe site. Last but not least, the
visualization tool was best in class as it allowed theconsumer to
select a kitchen scene and manipulate the counters, paint, and
flooringwhile interacting with the scene to learn more about the
specific products.GE Enter a coption hereConsumer Electronics
brands wisely emphasize how-to-buy content, but with sitesthat are
difficult to navigate and contain calls to action that dont lead
down intuitivepaths, these brands are falling behind their
manufacturing peers. A disappointing example: Sonys Television
Advisor tries to provide good decisionsupport but misses the mark
as the criteria isnt user-friendly, and by leading withprice they
miss an opportunity to up-sell the consumer. www.resource.com 2009
Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 3. Char-Broil had the
highest score within the outdoor category as it did the
simplethings extremely wellload time was very quick, search
produced fast, relevantresults and express checkout was offered for
grills. Most impressive, however,was the dealer locator that
included a list of all products carried at each location.Additional
kudos for the infraRED gas grill demoeducational and
engagingdecision support that we didnt have to dig for.Char-Broil
Enter a coption herePersonalCreating a welcoming experience for
brand fans is a way to activate consumerloyalty and let your
enthusiasts spread the word. Our auditors found a big opportunity
for more personal experiences. Scores werelow across the board,
with Major Appliance manufacturers at the bottom of the scoring.
While loyalty programs were commonand often a way to bring both
value and apersonal touch to a sitewe found that many had a
difficult time communicatingthe value of their programs. One
question consumers ask when it comes to loyaltyprograms is Whats in
it for me? Another is What do I have to do? Panasonicsloyalty
program stood out by capturing a great balanceoffering a lot of
perceivedvalue for only having to provide your email address. Free
shipping alone mightbe enough incentive to sign up, but additional
features such as the camera loanerprogram and gift suggestions were
a nice touch. www.resource.com 2009 Resource Interactive. All
rights reserved. 4. Consumers looking for a bit of fame need to go
no further than Webers WeberNation site. There, grill owners can
submit their Weber grill story for a chance to bea part of a Weber
TV commercial. You cant get more notoriety than that.Weber Enter a
coption hereCustomizable applications fell short, as with John
Deeres Build Your Own JohnDeere feature. What should be a fun and
engaging process becomes mundanewith a clunky user interface and
complete lack of visuals.EngagingLike a shiny new button on the
latest product model, branded manufacturing sitesshould get, hold
and reward consumers attention. Our team of auditors found sporadic
results in this area, with Sub-Zero and Char-Broil standing out
from the pack with highly engaging experiences. Sub-Zeros elegant
product design and features are enhanced through its sitedesign and
layout. As a result, it received the highest Engaging score of any
sitewe reviewed. Consumers have the opportunity to explore products
through video,a product selector tool, visualizer tool and
inspirational imagery. Visitors can alsogather product tips,
kitchen trends, related suggestions and news, as well as learnabout
events and other information to keep themselves connected to the
brand.www.resource.com2009 Resource Interactive. All rights
reserved. 5. Toro Enter a coption hereDespite having leading edge
products, the Consumer Electronics sites we reviewedwere severely
lacking the eye candy and head-turning wows that we
wereanticipating. Televisions and home theater brands proved more
confusing thaninviting and lacked demos that featured products in
usea real disappointment. A few outdoor brands dialed up the fun
factor with contests. Toros SmoothOperator campaign came to life
with a unique video challenge. We continue to findToros dual site
strategy interestingusing yardcare.com to inform consumers
aboutlawn while keeping toro.com focused on products. An atypical
experience (and notone we would typically recommend) but engaging
nonetheless.NetworkedThe larger the purchase, the more likely
consumers are to solicit advice from theirnetworks before
purchasing. Our auditors discovered, however, sites scored
lowestwithin this O.P.E.N. category, signaling a significant
opportunity for manufacturers. Among appliance brands, KitchenAid
stood out with its high traffic discussionforums and use of social
networks, although most brand conversations centeredaround the
brands iconic mixer. www.resource.com 2009 Resource Interactive.
All rights reserved. 6. While shopping for televisions, our
auditors applauded Samsungs use of theBazaarVoice Ask & Answer
feature. Consumers can post a question and getfeedback from the
brand as well as members of the consumer community. With the
exception of Weber Nation, outdoor brands scored surprisingly low,
giventhe level of consumer enthusiasm often associated with the
category. In fact, nobrand in our audit is successfully leveraging
Facebooks 200 million users to invitedialogue, share ideas or get
product feedback. We found it perplexing that of the brands we
reviewed, those attempting to engagetheir consumer communities were
doing so by creating their own community fromscratch. This is an
expensive option, especially since communities likely already
existand are ripe for brands to join.Get StartedBefore you plan the
future of your brands digital experience, its important to knowjust
where your opportunities are. The Resource Interactive O.P.E.N.
assessment canhelp identify gaps in your current online experience
and start a dialogue with yourcustomers to determine where they are
already talking about your brand online. For more information about
getting an O.P.E.N. assessment for your company andyour
competitors, contact Gail Sech at [email protected].
www.resource.com2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 7.
OUTDOOR LARGE APPLIANCES ELECTRONICSRED TO -D LC VI ER L ET AII Z
OH RO M NI RO EE SH GO SU LPO DA SO ENTO UNSA SO CA JO -B
IBO.P.E.N. Assessment CH R KI G H N E Y ARSA IR N EB TCN BNB KI H
CUE LG PA W W
GON-DEMANDEfficiencyEaseControlFindabilityInstantaneousnessOn-Demand
Experience
ScorePERSONALAcknowledgementDialogueCustomizationPrivilegePopularityPersonal
Experience
ScoreENGAGINGParticipationBelongingImmersionEntertainmentInspirationEngaging
Experience
ScoreNETWORKEDSelf-ExpressionEgo-GratificationPortabilityCommunityMeaningful
ChangeNetworked Experience ScoreO.P.E.N. EXPERIENCE
SCOREEXCELLENTGOODPOORVERY GOODFAIRNONEXISTENT* For further
explanation on the scoring used in the O.P.E.N. Assessment, email
Resource Interactive at [email protected]
Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 8. Fueled by the
RI:LABThe RI:Lab is the R&D arm of Resource Interactive. The
Lab offers an innovationmindset to make the future relevant to the
here and now for our clients and theirteams. It isolates the trends
swings and technological shifts that matter, and finds attheir
intersection new, bold opportunities for consumer engagement and
competitiveadvantage, while providing consumer insights driven by
research and experience.About Resource InteractiveResource
Interactive is one of the nations preeminent digital marketing
agencies,helping Fortune 500 companies thrive in the evolving
internet economy withaward-winning digital strategy, creative and
technology solutions. Known forits revolutionizing consumer
insights, leading edge interactive design andtechnological
innovation, Resource Interactive is ranked among the top
tenindependent interactive agencies in the nation. Unique in the
industry as female-founded, owned and operated, ResourceInteractive
has grown over its 28-year history from its first marketing
relationshipwith Apple to ongoing partnerships with clients such as
Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, The Coca-Cola Company,
Victorias Secret, Sherwin-Williams and L.L.Bean, among others. For
more information, visit www.resource.com. 343 North Front Street,
Columbus, Ohio 43215 ph 614 621 2888 ph 800 550 5815 fx 614 621
2873 www.resource.com FOR MORE INFORMATION,
EMAIL:[email protected] www.resource.com 2009 Resource
Interactive. All rights reserved.