When it comes to meshing form and function in audio and video, few compete with Bang & Olufsen. The company has a unique value proposition in the market, with a highly dedicated core audience.
A big factor in Bang & Olufsen's success is the way it develops a complete experience through industrial design. For a brand like this, which aspires to the highest levels of interaction and customization, desktop widgets offer a gateway without the constraints of the browser.
Like Bang & Olufsen's own electronics, desktop widgets can be completely custom designed. They can take on a shape and user experience all their own. They don't need to be square or rectangular.
In the case of Bang & Olufsen, creating a unique desktop widget for each of the company's products would enable more than differentiation. The differentiation could be brought straight to the design of the application itself, ostensibly enabling a potential customer to gain experience with the way the product looks and acts. Then, as people become comfortable with the product on their own anonymous terms, they're also building brand and product preference.
When it's time to make a decision, users would already be familiar with the branded desktop widget. Engaging in the purchase process would be a shortcut straight from the desktop.
Make your own shiny object
With every passing day, creating a direct link with customers that provides instant value and differentiation is growing in importance. While brands continue to struggle with low benchmarks in existing channels like display, the desktop offers the most coveted digital real estate to innovative marketers. Opportunities abound to captivate your audience in ways that highlight the reasons your brand is special.
In short, desktop widgets can help you lock in on immense loyalty, reach and frequency. Plus, they are a direct channel to your audience that you own, helping you build a compounding investment in your audience that no ad network can provide.
Where do you stand on the desktop? Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment below, clicking on the "contact the author" link, or reaching out anytime on Twitter @mleis.
Michael Leis is senior associate, strategy, at Trellist Marketing | Technology, where he directs emerging technology, social media and thought-leadership practices.