Sitting in a SXSW session entitled something like “Flash versus HTML5″ I sat unconvinced that HTML5 presented a viable alternative, or threat to Flash. Sure, Steve Jobs is posturing and Adobe’s rebuttal was weak, very weak.
Now, present day. Holy crap. HTML5 is legit. We’re building test cases, testing browsers, kicking the tires and getting excited about the ability to bring our brand of Flash micro-site to iPad users the world over (and other people with smart phones and mobile devices that don’t use an IE browser).
We really dig Flash microsites. However, Flash navigation confuses some. Unless we plant a back button on the site, you can easily lose a viewer that clicks the browser’s back button.
The VLG labs implemented a test project allowing users to click the back button in the browser and navigate as you would a boring, HTML website. This new feature comes online next week.
Our customers targeting a less-than-web-savvy audience will be able to deliver the intrigue and sophistication of Flash without losing folks married to a back button.
Why tell you all this? It’s another techie item you don’t have to worry about when running a Dialog Marketing program with VLG. We’re constantly evolving our products and services to meet marketing demands. We believe in this stuff and have the numbers to prove it.
Interactive marketing is awesome. It’s the convergence of media with benefits. You can quickly tweak, change and build whatever. It’s not like old-school media, because once you go to press, finish the photo shoot, cut the voice-over track, or drop it in the mail the deal is done. Mulligans are expensive.
Our goal is to keep your eyes on the site as long as possible. It’s not quite as simple as that, but interactive is simple in many ways. Blink if you must, but those that stay and play are more likely buyers. (Try this random staring contest with Jessica Alba.)
We talk to lots and lots of people that like personalized direct marketing. They get a boost in response, contact rates, revenue, etc. that they correlate directly to a shift toward personalized websites. What does that site look like? The dilemma marketing managers face is do I build a landing page, or send my target audience to a splash page. There is a difference.
Landing pages are quick way to turn a mail piece or HTML email into an online experience. As the name suggests, a landing page is where you end up. It’s the finale. Here’s a pretty standard landing page. You get a little personalization. “John, we have an offer for you.” You deliver a little content. You ask John to submit a form for more information, or to win a prize, or both. That’s where you and John go separate ways.
Splash pages offer something different. A splash page is the begining of the online experience. It’s the hook that engages the target audience and entices them to learn more, read more, and engage more with your brand. You get the same level of personalization as landing pages, but the dynamic and rich media content allows you to go one step further.
If you spend all that money on branding, position, list development, demographics, and market intelligence, the payoff shouldn’t be a static, boring HTML landing page. It should start with an engaging splash page.
