If you have a website, please stop reading now. I say this because I’m going to plant some ideas in your head that will challenge everything you think you know about a website.
Unless you’re open to the idea of a rude awakening and want to read my thoughts, then don’t scroll below this picture by Big Fat Rat and, instead, click back to this morning’s guest post by Christopher Gabriel on the carousel of social media.
However, should your attention be aroused…
Without visiting your website, I have a funny feeling it sucks.
See, most websites I’ve seen are WEB SITES, comprising a mix of static information, pretty pictures, and “how to contact us” forms. This is partially stemmed from differing opinions on the definition of a website.
When I followed the Twitter trends and visited Skittles’ website this morning, my heart jumped! I didn’t see perfection, but I saw something much more engaging than marketing copy that your website probably knows too well; I saw innovation.
I’ll spare you all of the images–David Armano included the crux of the advertising campaign–but suffice to say, the website is gone. It’s no longer static. It’s beyond dynamic, even. The “website” is a context-rich set of links that floats over the top left of every page.
This screen shot is the website. It’s not reduced in size, either. Each word, each link, pushes you to a social networking site. Leave the land of corporate greed and leprauchauns behind, and taste the rainbow of the web.
The widget includes links for “friends,” which points to the Mars brand’s Facebook fan page. There is another link for “pictures” which is overlaid over user-generated Flickr.com pictures tagged with the candy. You want to read about products? Head over to Wikipedia. And so forth.
Modernista, the Boston-based ad agency that was first on the light-weight redirect filter scene, agrees Agency.com did a good job stealing their design.
I view it more as sharing. Modernista showed what was possible with their company online; and Agency took it to the next level with a brand. Along the way, Todd Levy portrayed, parody or not, how Britney Spears could be viewed through outsourcing marketing to the customer.
Maybe your website doesn’t suck. But if you call it a web site, it does. Social networking sites are not web sites, not really. We need a new term to differentiate Web 1.0 marketing copy to Web 2.0 social tool-embedded greatness.
See how this is exciting? For all I know, this may be a marketing stunt to raise awareness for Skittles and, tomorrow or next week, the vanilla boringness will return. I hope not.
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Ari Herzog is an online media strategist and Newburyport City Councilor-Elect.
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{ 13 comments }
I like to call it a digital presence. And I think it’s smart, even if it’s stolen. It at least is a strategy, an idea. Good or bad, you can debate the idea. It’s not a silly online brochure that has no point.
Matt´s last blog post..Stop doing websites
My biggest problem with this ’strategy’ is it that on its own it doesn’t give Skittles a platform for larger, ownable, brand experiences that you get with a dedicated .com presence (which can still do the mashup / webservices thing with your social media properties).
Example… http://fancyfeast.com/confessions/ … which is seemingly frivolous but part of a larger strategy and brand idea.
TL
> light-weight redirect filter
So this sort-of reminds me of Asynchronous JavaScript + XML. It’s accurate, but a bit of a mouthful.
I’ve been using the term “mashout” to describe this type of site. It’s like a mashup, but meaningfully different.
Either way, once again thanks for the linkage to Britnista!
TL
You got it, Todd. And thanks for posting that link on the comment of the AdRants page, I think it was; which led me to your very cool SearchQuilt engine.
Thanks for the kind words on SearchQuilt.
That was one of those weekend projects and I just kind of “set it and forget it.”
Wish I had more time to turn that thing into more of a long-tail monster but alas other more pressing things have been calling my name.
Will be sure to drop a line if I ever do an update.
TL
I’m fascinated by this new “website”. It’s all over Twitter and although I’m still a newbie to all this social networking, I think it’s kinda cool. Not really my cup of tea per se, but, as far as marketing, it’s pretty brilliant. Think of all the millions of people in the last 24 hrs even who’ve clicked on it and perhaps went to the store and bought Skittles. Props to whomever put it together and I hope their very successful. We need more innovators out there to keep us all on our toes. Thanks Ari for sharing this. Gives me lots to think about as I learn how quickly things change in the online universe.
Thanks!
What Skittles have done is, in my opinion, very clever yet very risky.
Clever because it has used Twitter in a (so far) unique, new and alternative way that has definitely increased brand awareness.
Risky as the nature of Twitter means that anyone can publish anything to the Skittles site. There’s even people creating Twitter accounts for this reason alone. I noticed @skittlesgirl which I am sure that Skittles would rather not be associated with.
The other risk is that people just don’t get it.
Guy Kawasaki tweeted:
“I don’t get what’s happening when you go to http://skittles.com/”
To which I tried to explain:
“I think it could be described as ‘viral twitter marketing’.”
I think Skittles have shown that such a ploy certainly raises awareness, if not sales.
Chris Marshall´s last blog post..links for 2009-02-10
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Why Your Website Sucks [link to post]
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I’d go with Chris Marshall’s view.
I’d also add that while it’s great to see Skittles take this approach, is it too much to too little an audience?
I think you mentioned before, Ari, that compared to Facebook’s 150 million + users and the web’s 3 billion (is it 3 billion?), then Twitter’s userbase is miniscule.
The average web user still isn’t on Twitter or doesn’t care about it (if they’ve even heard of it). Is it really such a great idea having one of your main website views your Twitter stream, then?
And just wait until the @f*ckskittles @skittleseatsh*t and other pseudonyms start appearing…
Danny Brown´s last blog post..Get Your Thundercats Groove On To Market Yourself
It’s a unique approach, to say the least. The little Skittles site followed me around Facebook when I left their fan page though. It’s a smart ad idea though – getting people to talk about Skittles long enough is sure to inspire someone to go out and get a bag. Now I need a snack…
~ Kristi
Kikolani | Blogging, Poetry, Photography´s last blog post..Prolonging a Productivity Drought
You are right… my website sucks. The Skittle’s website is genius in that it has managed to find a way to incorporate itself in the center of our cultural online experience. It is not a website as much as it is a portal to all things Skittle’s. Fascinating!
Ok, I give ya that it is different. It is engaging. However, personally I found it annoying. Visually, you have the widget then you have the background of text behind it. Takes you too many other places. My eyes, at least did not know where to click. Navigation was confusing as well. However, they get an A for clever and unique approach. I just don’t think this website sets the bar the statement in terms of other websites suck if they don’t “engage” this.
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