Bob Chernet’s MARKETING INSIGHTS: A Successful Web Address Example
by Bob Chernet
Not that long ago I wrote an article titled Using Web Addresses to Support the Brand to help marketers understand the importance of making a web site’s URL work hard on not only marketing & communications materials, but on product packaging as well.
I’m happy to report that I received a lot of feedback on that topic; it must be on a lot of people’s minds. However, the comments ranged the gamut, from “We think it’s better to drive our traffic to our home page and expose them to all of our product offerings” (or messaging… or specials, or whatever) to how difficult it was getting buy-in from other stakeholders, such as the brand manager, design director, adding (in their minds) “clutter” to their packaging. There always seemed to be some sort of excuse why they couldn’t accomplish it, in this age of why can’t we?
Well, let’s hear it for Heinz Ketchup! The message I talked about seemed to resonate with the “57 Varieties” folks (although I cannot claim that they actually read my words and acted specifically because of them). If you look on the back of their retail squeeze bottles you’ll see that they reserved a significant portion of packaging real estate to publicizing their web site, and creating enough interest to drive users to it.
As you can see they created a specific “active voice” domain name (HeinzItUp.com) that conveys a sense of interest, action and fun. Notice the three specific reasons to visit the site; all benefit-oriented.
Why would they do this, particularly when site users are already Heinz customers? Simple: they’re solidifying a brand relationship they already have, adding user value and providing the potential to upsell their customers to more uses for the product (”use ketchup in your meatloaf recipe…” etc.) Imagine customers who actually want to learn more about the product! These “make-me-interested loyals” may actually increase their likelihood-of-purchase by investigating additional ways to use the product , or being cross-sold to other Heinz brands. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda accomplished this famously years ago by telling users of a “new use” by putting an open box of Arm & Hammer in the refrigerator to kill odors.
Heinz can find great use in the site statistics in order to segregate visits from their other sites, such as Heinz.com and offer an opt-in mechanism to continue the dialog via invited eMail messages. This simple tactic goes a long way towards justifying to management and budget stakeholders not only the value of the unique domain, but efficiency of the packaging message and the new channel for communication to customers who not only use the product but are open to new ideas and uses.
Take a look at your web site; your product packaging, the way you sell your domain to others. Are you simply saying “visit our website at www.oursite.com” or are you giving them a unique way to connect with you, and a demonstrable value exchange?
Hooray for Heinz! Have you seen other good examples? Let me know!
Agree? Disagree? Have a success story? Have a question? Share it with me at: bob_chernet@viewmark.com
View a complete list of Bob’s Marketing Insights articles.
© 2008 Bob Chernet
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