As I mentioned in the first column in this series, a micronarrative is a self-contained story. It contrasts with the macronarrative, which represents the through-line of your entire site. This week, we will look at examples of micronarratives and discuss…
Welcome to part two of “Your Web Site As a Narrative Device.” The basic theory behind this series can be read in my first column on the subject. Today’s discussion is on the call to action on your Web pages.…
Needs-based search was the subject of my last column. The natural evolution of a discussion about needs-based design is to talk about the browsing experience. A lot of people have talked about variants of this idea, but given the number…
The Internet hosts two basic types of users: browsers and searchers. Personalization projects tend to focus on browsers, not searchers. The problem is 80 to 90 percent of people who go online to buy products are searchers. This week, we…
Seeing the new Steven Spielberg flick “Minority Report” got me thinking about the difference between mass marketing and personalized marketing. I attended a matinee on Sunday because several people have told me about its futuristic visions of brand, interactive, and…
Can a Web site be personalized for someone you don’t know anything about? Companies ask people like me to help them strategize personalization and email initiatives, but very few ask what kind of CRM they can do for the bulk…
On the surface, I love Virgin Atlantic Airways. It succeeded in setting itself apart from every other boring airline. It’s cool. It’s daring. It’s sexy. It understands a customer-centric experience. Or is it just a faÇade? Under the covers, does…
Can personalization exist in a world without money or resources? That’s the question I posed and began to answer last time, in the first partof this article. It’s a question I’m sure many marketers are asking in these budget-strapped times,…
Welcome Back, Mr. Lesbian! In 1999, I created the personalization practice at barnesandnoble.com. About two weeks into the job, I got an email directly from the CEO… and I was being yelled at. A customer had bought a book for…
So many sites have “my” areas, whether they are as robust as a “My Yahoo!” or as simple as a “my account.” Regardless of its features, each of these areas has a similar purpose: to allow users to manage their…