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In Focus

4 reasons websites are becoming irrelevant

Adam Broitman
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Websites Posted on August 10, 2009

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Sign 3

The need for speed

I imagine that you have heard the phrase "timing is everything." Well, in our increasingly fast-paced world, where instant gratification is the rule, not the exception, it is important for certain types of brands to be able to deliver information immediately. This is especially true for quick-service restaurants.

A few months ago, Subway began an initiative to make ordering food easier. Like Dunkin' Donuts, it created tools to aid in the process. But the Subway initiative is unique in the fact that it allows Subway fans to create "favorites." Then, through a simple text message, customers can order those favorites and receive a return text when their delicious sandwiches are ready to be picked up. (Hungry yet?)

If you can think back 10 years (don't strain yourself), you may remember that many brands were struggling with whether or not they should have a website at all. Over time, brands had little choice whether or not to have a home on the web. Still, many brands struggled to find meaning for that home. Today, new meaning is being breathed into the digital strategies of brands that have websites that are no more than brochure-ware.

Danielle Wolfson, senior associate manager of interactive marketing for Taco Bell, recently delivered the morning keynote at the IAB Marketplace-Mobile event. As I listened to her speech, I counted the number of reasons why one would need to go to a Taco Bell website; I did not get very far. That is not to say I do not love a good burrito -- I just never find myself tempted to read about them. While I am sure the Taco Bell website gets plenty of traffic, I imagine that there are others that feel as I do.

Being very in touch with the media and technology usage of their core demographic, Taco Bell has launched a couple of iPhone applications, with Blackberry apps soon to follow.

The below app reminds me of my college days, when Taco Bell was one of the few foods I could afford (and still have beer money left over). On many occasions, I would pull together all the change I could in order to maximize my soon-to-be-stomachache. (I do, of course, use the term stomachache in the nicest possible way.)

Two of the apps Taco Bell created are the "Your Budget" and "Shaker" apps. While each of these could work on the web (from a functional standpoint), the at-home context would render these apps much less useful than the in-store context. These apps were designed with time and place in mind. They function in a way that makes sense for the cost-conscious buyer waiting in line, deciding what to order.

With the ability to interact with Taco Bell from your mobile device via an application, there is very little reason to ever visit the website. I would venture to guess that, since the launch of these apps, site traffic has gone down -- and no one at Taco Bell is complaining about it.

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Adam Broitman August 30, 2009 at 6:51 PM

Bruce

Great question. I think the answer requires a post unto itself.

(my next one perhaps?).

What are your thoughts?

Adam Broitman August 30, 2009 at 6:50 PM

Walter

Thanks for the comment!

I do not think that it is about brand surrender at all. I believe that brands are designed internally, dispatched and fully formed through the ongoing interactions between the brand and it's consumers.

Some say that brands have lost control. I think that is nonsense. Brands will only lose control if they surrender it--that said, a brand is always going to be defined, in part, by the conversation that surrounds it.

Walter Adamson August 30, 2009 at 2:47 AM

I thought that I kind of knew this, but your examples and article made it very very concrete for me. I have to now go do some things you've set off in my mind.

Also, your "our brand is what people say it is" - that's "brand is brand behavior" right? But doesn't mean that companies "surrender" their brand to the masses - it means they understand how it participates and contributes and "behaves" - am I on the right track here?

Thanks, Walter Adamson @g2m

bruce kuehnle August 25, 2009 at 4:36 PM

What is the future of Mobi websites ?

Adam Broitman August 19, 2009 at 9:41 PM

Mark

Thanks for the comment and the validation. It is so great to get comments that are a reminder that, I am not alone in my thinking and that others are out there fighting the same fight.

Cheers

Mark Peesel August 19, 2009 at 1:23 PM

This is very good info. I've been in internet marketing for more than 13 years and I really don't build websites anymore. Most people have websites and if they call me to say they want a new one, my first question is "why?". Usually they say because they're not getting the traffic, orders, leads, exposure they think they need. 9 times out of 10, the problem isn't the website. It's how it's being used, marketed, promoted, updated, and it's standing or influence within the community, etc.

As an example, you may have a really great product with a really cool phone number, but if no one knows about your phone number, no one will call.

I agree with about everything you say in that it's the experience and conversation that counts. I think you are right on with the term "social influence" and how DD uses it and that it's so important to have that strong social influence to make a difference.

Thanks for the great article.

Mark
"it's all about the conversation"

Adam Broitman August 11, 2009 at 6:45 PM

Thanks Barrett--with all the noise out there, sometimes you need provocative to cut through so people hear signal--I am glad you enjoyed the signal!

Barrett Rossie August 11, 2009 at 6:31 PM

Adam, just a thank you for a GREAT point of view. I love the BooneOakley, Skittles and Modernista sites. What web sites are supposed to be, to do, to represent changes constantly. Provocative title aside, this is a great read.

Rick L'Amie August 10, 2009 at 3:40 PM

Adam,

These are inspiring ideas. We don't have to chase the latest shiny object that seems to change every 20 minutes or we'll lose our focus and forget what we are supposed to be doing as marketers in the first place. But we do need to be innovative and these are incredibly innovative examples. Thanks for sharing them.

David Schultz August 10, 2009 at 2:51 PM

Seems like kind of sensationalist title for your article, considering a few paragraphs in you soften your stance "I am not saying that brands no longer need websites".

Adam Broitman August 10, 2009 at 1:19 PM

Scott

Good point. Text based information certainly has it's place--but in terms of providing a branded experience--it's place is changing. That is really what I was driving at with that statement.

Scott Kolber August 10, 2009 at 1:16 PM

Please don't be so dismissive of "text-based information," as you seem to do in the last paragraph of this otherwise interesting article (text-based, by the way). Simple, concise text on a website is an extremely efficient way to provide good customer service and support a brand. Ever try to find useful information on an ad agency's website? They're generally useless showcases of self indulgent design that provide no information and are impossible to navigate. Useful information is a good thing when communicated through well written text.

Adam Broitman August 10, 2009 at 12:39 PM

Memo

Great account people are what is all comes down to--without them, it is often times hard to sell these things through.

A

Guillermo Corea August 10, 2009 at 12:30 PM

Thanks for all the samples you gave throughout your article. From my perspective though, one big bump is getting clients to understand these new realities. The sample that you gave of Tacobell is perfect. Like you, I don't have a reason for visiting the Tacobell website. However, an app that lets me order something that I can then pick up at the nearest restaurant to my current GPS location is something I would use.

Adam Broitman August 10, 2009 at 9:55 AM

Good point Kevin C. But applications are slowly invading the TV screen and screens of various sizes.

Again, I am not saying the website is dead (especially not for ecommerce) but as a branded experience, the nature of the website is changing.

Thanks for challenging me--that is why I write these things.

Kevin Conway August 10, 2009 at 9:48 AM

Your premise is based on a very narrow brand application. Maybe for location finder and ordering food, i.e. Dunkin DOnuts. But, a web site that depends on images for selling products like Art Galleries, Collectibles, photgraphy,e tc, etc a mobile 2x3" screen just doesn't cut it.

Adam Broitman August 10, 2009 at 9:22 AM

Kevin

I certainly agree. We battled about the title of this article, and at the end of the day--you know, if it bleeds it leads :)

In all seriousness, I wanted to be provocative with the title, but I certainly feel that brand websites will never go away, they will just change their role.

Anyhow, glad you enjoyed the article, excited to be on the breakthrough board with you and--if you like Augmented Reality, my agency launched an AR app today for A&E; have a look:

http://www.aetv.com/5-lives-of-criss-angel/5-lives-augmented-reality/

a video of it is here as well--

http://circ.us/clients/ae-television-networks/

Kevin Doohan August 10, 2009 at 9:17 AM

Totally agree with marketers needing to keep an eye on the future and the areas called out for focus here are good ones in my opinion. The Dunkin example is well done and I'm particularly enthralled these days with that augmented reality TAT video.

I think though, today, that the brand website is not diminishing in value. It is simply being complemented by all this other stuff. The brand website still needs to be awesome. Losing even a little focus on your brand website while building something super-cool with far less reach could be a mistake.