Reviewed by Nigel Sheldon
Zanussi
Who would think a site from a washing machine manufacturer would work so
well?
Most of us only think about washing machines about once every seven
years, when we need a new one. But Zanussi has overcome this by making
the site interesting in other ways. The result is a gem.
Yes, there is useful product information - who can remember the size of
that space in the kitchen when standing in the shop? - and a postcode
search for the nearest dealer.
But the central piece is the ‘Design and Innovation Gallery’, where
‘exhibitors’ offer a game of pinball, a look at animation and music from
REM. You can award ratings to each exhibitor and, at the end of the
year, the highest-rated receives pounds 1,000.
The striking design reinforces the sense that this site is not just
about product.
Client Nik Halsey, manager of advertising and promotions, Zanussi
Brief Enhance brand positioning through excellence and design innovation
Created and designed by DNA Communications
Address www.zanussi.com
Capital FM
This is excellent. It is rich in content, invites interaction and is
constantly refreshed.
Everything from the radio station is here: news updates, hot tracks,
sport, flat shares and a live ‘on air’ feed.
The sound may be like listening to a car radio from the pavement, but at
least you can have it on in the background as you browse.
The friendly, chatty approach of Capital’s DJs is reflected in the
showbiz gossip and tips about London. It even lets you search for other
sites while keeping you within its enveloping frame. You can contribute
via a chat line, classifieds and competitions..
Client Douglas McCallum, head of new media at Capital
Brief Extend Capital’s core values into the future’s fastest growing
medium
Created and designed by In-house team at Capital in co-operation with
Nethead
Address www.CapitalFM.co.uk
Midland Bank
Tim Henman is making British tennis more interesting, but he’s not doing
the same for the Midland Bank’s ‘Who’s on the sofa?’ area of this site.
While it emphasises Midland’s sponsorship involvement, it contains
little that’s new. Disappointingly, there is no mention of Tim’s recent
exploits in the Czech Open.
But the clean design of this relaunched site ties in neatly with
Midland’s other media communications and makes good use of frames. The
content is extensive but text-laden.
Few financial sites offer customers what they really want. Most are more
like branch brochures than online banking. If this one could do more for
me (the Service Selector facility only goes part of the way), I might
want to use it again.
Client Belinda Furneaux-Harris, head of advertising, Midland
Brief Accessible site for those who want information about the bank
Created and designed by James Sawyer, corporate design manager
Address www.midlandbank.com
Reader’s Digest
The Reader’s Digest holds a unique place in publishing and the online
version successfully reflects this.
Features and favourites such as ‘It pays you to enrich your word power’
are here, along with the usual diet of competitions and prizes.
Navigation is simple and the home page features a moving ticker tape of
jokes.
Everything on this site is in keeping with the Reader’s Digest ethos. If
you want to order a copy of the Cook’s Scrapbook or a Neil Diamond
album, you can do it here and be invoiced for the goods some time
later.
I’m not sure how many people browsing out there are Neil Diamond fans
and this site may not be terribly exciting, but, like the publication
itself, I’m sure it will have loyal users.
Client Chris Bradley, MIS manager, Reader’s Digest
Brief Provide an added-value service to existing Reader’s Digest buyers
and attract new readers
Created and designed by Webmedia
Address www.readersdigest.co.uk
Hamley’s
If there is one site that should be a treasure trove of fun, it’s this
one. Promisingly, the home page is bright and attractive.
My four-year-old son (a veteran of the colouring-in page on the
Kellogg’s site) liked the revolving figure for going forwards or
backwards through the site.
But faced with a lot of text and very little interactivity, he was soon
bored.
Even older children who could handle the text more easily would probably
find this site rather unexciting and static.
It’s not clear who this site is aimed at Hamley’s may be trying to
engage kids, but with lines such as ‘a range of collector perambulators
to complement your collector dolls’, I’m not so sure.
While Hamley’s makes it clear this site is just a beginning, now is the
time to get it right, with Christmas only weeks away.
Client Eva Saltman, marketing director
Brief Test market to see if people would be keen to buy toys online
Created and designed by Andres Varela, Darren Peters at Associated
Electronics Communications
Address www.hamleys.co.uk
Nigel Sheldon is head of Thompson Interactive
