e-ditorials - Issue #10: Effectively using Multimedia on your web site and in your business

Using Flash Technology to Add Spark to Your Business

Thinking about adding spark to your web site and online advertising? Using Flash as your multimedia tool has many advantages but make sure you think about why you are using the technology before you begin your leap forward.

As of December 2002, Macromedia claims that 98% of all web users can view Flash content. Macromedia is also campaigning to include the Flash player in all Internet-connected devices. This makes Flash an attractive option for web sites and online ads. If the player isn't installed, a default static or animated graphic can enable the viewer to still get the intended message.

Flashy Web Sites and Applications

Because of TV, people are used to absorbing information that is a combination of moving images and sound. Companies with web sites would like to offer that level of engagement to their site visitors. Flash makes this possible and also offers user interactivity. Flash-designed pages and applications may help businesses educate potential customers by providing a more immersive and memorable experience. A site that allows a user to simulate holding a product, as if they were in the store, runs a much better chance at selling that product than just providing a textual description of products.

Here are some ideas for applications you may want to adopt for your web site:

• Interactive Reservations: Bluegreen Vacation Rentals has a "rates and reservations" button that is clickable from any hotel that allows a user to view an interactive calendar that immediately displays room availability and rate information. Based on the users response, the screen shows the total cost of their stay based on their selections. They can also place the order directly on this screen without multiple pages to click through. Using Macromedia Flash, the multi-step reservation process that normally would have required many clicks is presented as one easy-to-use interface. By better presenting this information, Bluegreen Vacation Rentals reported a "20% increase in number of reservations, a 50% increase in revenue booked, and a 66% increase in room nights." (Source IDC)

• Interactive Tour: The American Museum of Natural History's interactive map allows a user to take a mini-tour of the museum without ever leaving their computer. This comes in handy if you only have a few hours to spend and you need to prudently plan your trip so you can see all the parts of the museum that are important to you. This application is a hybrid of Flash and HTML content.

• Learning Tools: The WashingtonPost.com web site has a neat little application that shows the rebuilding of the Pentagon. Despite the failure of this application to indicate that a user has to click "enter" to view the content, the content itself is engaging and educational.

• Intelligent Web Site Navigation: Blue Skies at War is a unique example of navigation that adapts itself to the user's behavior. The navigation follows the users mouse and is always ready to provide choices regardless of where the mouse is on the page. This alleviates the need for a web site to use frames or to put navigation at the top or the bottom of every page.

• Dynamic Product Previews: The Yankee Candle Company sells custom candles through its web site. By creating a Flash application that allows a user to configure their candle selection and dynamically display a picture of the candle, the customer was better able to envision what their purchase would look like. When the Flash component was launched, the company saw a 25% increase in both product revenue and average order size and a 70% drop off in calls to its custom candle product support line. (Source IDC)

These are just a few examples. Be creative and make sure your application helps you reach your intended goals.

Flashy Ads

Flash ads deliver a creative and emotional ad experience that not only increases brand awareness but also acts as a mini-application that engages the user. More businesses are adopting this form of rich media advertising. Rich media online ad impressions rose from 1.5% of all online ad impressions in January 2002 to 7.5% in October 2002 and this number continues to rise. (Source: AdRelevance -- a division of Nielsen/NetRatings) Ads that create a dynamic, interactive user experience also enable the advertiser to monitor the success of their campaign. Each time a user interacts with a Flash ad, a log can be generated to detail what interested that user.

DoubleClick recently examined the effectiveness of ad technologies and found that Flash increased branding metrics by 71% whereas there was only a 14% increase for audio, 9% increase for video, and 4% increase for GIF ads.

Effective examples of Flash advertising can be seen on national web sites such as the NY Times and CNN. They can also be seen on local area web sites such as Princeton Online and the Greater Mercer County Chamber of Commerce.

Want more? Let us know your opinions and be sure to read the Do's and Don'ts of using Flash and Multimedia in your marketing campaigns.

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