Musings on mulishness

Waiting for Web sites to be managed and used effectively in the strategic promotion of brands is like beating one`s head against a brick wall.

This weekend was the anniversary of one of those special occasions one is always asked to document when registering on consumer Web sites - presumably so that they can impress you with the efficiency of their customer relationship management, and surprise you with evidence of their personalised touch.

In any event, of the myriad local and international Web sites I`ve registered with in the past year, only two remembered to send me a congratulatory message. Kudos to icanonline, and Streetcar.com.

Of course, I may be being harsh. I mean, there could well be a reason why someone would want to be informed of your special occasions even if they`re not ready to use the information to an obvious purpose. If you know why, please, fill me in.

The point of CRM is to use what you have to further awareness of the company and the product in one`s target market. So far, precious few seem to be getting it right.

I`ve been doing some research lately on a company whose brand is a household name and whose Web site 'sucks mule`. When will companies learn that it`s not good enough just to have a Web presence without acknowledging the brick and mortar component of the business?

When will companies learn that it`s not good enough just to have a Web presence without acknowledging the brick and mortar component of the business?

Basheera Khan, journalist, ITWeb

This site has loads of information on politically correct issues such as black economic empowerment and environmental concerns, as well as some press releases cunningly concealed in the ambiguous 'What`s New` section.

Does it have any relevant contact details? No. Does it have any official way of making and maintaining contact with the press? Not a chance. The only direct numbers and names given are for specific sales purposes. Has it occurred to them that people may need to contact the company for other purposes? Apparently not.

A Web site has got to be of value to be worth the money invested in it - and one of the easiest ways to get mileage is to shamelessly promote oneself to /all/ those industry sectors that the strategic directive can conceive of exploiting. It`s an opportunistic world out there, and a company`s Web site is possibly the best way to make the most of those prospects.