Feature: Digital marketing: Microsites

Brands can be two-faced when they go online. When they want to talk to their customers about their values, their corporate social responsibility or their share price, the website is sober, simple and straightforward. When they want to interact with customers in a way that will promote sales of their brands, they have to be fun and engaging.

“Flash-heavy microsites play a vital role in the marketing and promotion of product launches as they allow the client to present a rich, emotional customer experience, expanding on features and functionality that the main company/brand website would not be able to do,” explains Fadi Shuman, director and co-founder of creative digital agency Pod1. “This could be because a hyper-creative site would look out of place within it, or indeed the functionality required for the microsite may not be possible on what tends to be company websites that are at least a year old.

“With internet technology moving at an extremely fast pace, microsites are fantastic at taking advantage of the very latest techniques in web design to showcase the product they are created for.”

Unilever uses its corporate website to talk earnestly about its use of sustainable palm oil and its efforts to reduce salt in its soups and sauces, so when it linked its Persil brand for an on-pack promotion with the Mr Men characters last year, a separate microsite was the best solution to support the campaign. The site, created by Billington Cartmell, was playful and simple to navigate, using the iconic images of the Mr Men to create a bold appealing presence designed to entice users to find out more, says the agency’s head of digital communications, Craig Lawrie.

“Flash was used to highlight specific features such as Mr Strong lifting a box of biological tablets or Mr Tickle tickling colour tablets,” he explains. However, underneath the fun, there were brand messages too. “Not only did this use of Flash make the site more engaging but it also reflected product truths, such as the strength of Persil’s biological tablets and vibrant colours from using Persil.”

The key is not how much Flash is used, but how relevant or appropriate it is to the promotion, adds David Atkinson, managing partner at agency Space, which has won awards around the world for its interactive sites. “You need to consider the content, the ease of use, navigation and overall appearance of the site because first impressions count.”

Lawrie at Billington Cartmell notes that, with the growth in broadband speeds and computer processing power, users expect more interactive experiences online. “More often than not, these are Flash or video-based in content,” he says. “Relevant use of interactivity leads to stronger site dwell time, which in turn helps shift brand perception and consideration.”

But he adds: “Irrelevant use of interactivity delays download speeds and confuses the user. Use the interactive elements sparingly and with thought, and you have the makings of a great site.” But Lawrie agrees that successful promotional microsites are not simply related to how Flash-heavy they are. “It’s about creating a deep and tangible experience through a navigation and site architecture that are logical and simple to use and visually striking, using interactivity in place of reams of copy to build engagement and participation.”

He abides by one simple rule: “If the user can’t easily locate the information they require within two clicks, however fantastic the site looks on first sight, it has failed to deliver against expectations.”

With the proliferation of social networking sites, consumers’ expectations of promotional microsites is rising. Atkinson at Space points out that, with the popularity of MySpace and YouTube, brands must seriously consider using user-generated content and encourage consumers to be brand ambassadors on their microsite. But he warns: “To make this work, you have to play the role of the brand carefully and respectfully, reward significantly as a ‘thank you’ any consumer who shares their time with you, and create some sort of excitement and involvement in getting involved - make consumers want to share the site with their friends and family. Remember that not every brand has a social networking opportunity or user generated content role in consumer’s lives. If your brand doesn’t fit, don’t force it.”

A microsite is a powerful channel for a promotion and can enhance a campaign, but Atkinson warns that, if not integrated with other media, it could undermine the activity. “Always ensure that the creative on their microsite matches the creative used across any other media routes for the campaign, and just as importantly ensure it supports the overall objectives of the campaign,” he explains. “Above all, the creative should not cause any confusion among consumers.”