No matter what they are promoting, Janet Hetherington looks into how companies are keeping their websites animated to prompt customers to come back for more.
The word "animate" comes from the Latin word animatus, which the Oxford Dictionary defines as either "make lively" or "produce (a film, etc.) by animation." Companies are doing both to keep their websites clicking. Whether they are promoting insurance, stock filmed footage, gourmet burgers, online communities, TV shows or more, websites provide crucial promotional support and, increasingly, product delivery.
"As an auto insurance company that's primarily interested selling online, the Web is very important to us," says Kristin Brewe, director of brand and pr for Esurance, which has an online service motto of "Quote. Buy. Print."
"The website we designed is a cutting-edge tool that makes it very simple for people to find and request the stock footage they need," says Jay Blomquist, cto of MediaRecall Digital Services Llc., and architect of the recently launched WGBH Stock Sales website.
"Having a website allows our guests to connect with Red Robin outside the restaurant," comments Jerrod Janakus, vp of creative branding for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. "The site also helps our guests find the closest Red Robin restaurant to them, and learn about our latest promotions and contests."
"Teens are drawn to Habbo for a variety of reasons," says Teemu Huuhtanen, president, North America, Sulake Corp., which operates habbo.com and other Habbo sites worldwide. "Not only does it give them the opportunity to connect with friends and keep up on the latest news and trends, but it is a huge outlet for self expression, creativity and games."
"Having a website is particularly important in Avatar's case, because since the launch of the show, we've witnessed a booming online community of fans spring up around the show, encompassing numerous robust fan sites and buzzing dedicated message boards on animation-centric sites," says Jason Root, vp of Nick.com.
Agent of the Web
While the products being promoted may be of different stripes, companies agree that today's consumers want appealing, easy-to-use, Web-based information.
A younger demographic plays a key role in this demand. "More of our customers are under 40 than are insured by our competitors," says Esurance's Brewe.
To reach these Web-savvy customers, online insurance company Esurance uses a sexy, animated spokes-agent named Erin, who appears in a number of episodic television spots created to drive clients to the Esurance website Brewe developed the concept for the spots, and she still writes the scripts for them.
"We decided to diversify our media strategy back in early summer 2004, adding local TV to the mix," Brewe recalls. "Prior to that, we did all of our advertising online, and a lot of the information from our online advertising performance helped drive the creation of the campaign."
"You could see what was happening in the culture... videogames and animated films most notably," comments Brewe. "Lots of really super cool female protagonists. Lots of visuals that appealed to online audiences -- as evidenced in fan sites for games, movies and graphic novels/comicbooks."
Brewe says that after she came up with the concept for Erin, San Francisco's Wild Brain designed the character. "Wild Brain came up with the original designs, and one looked like some of the online creative that had been working really well," Brewe notes. "Then, our San Francisco associates voted on her hair color; 99% voted for her current hot pink!"
Brewe says that Esurance plans more TV spots with Erin. "There are many more exciting installments planned," she says. "Right now, many viewers want to know more about 'the mysterious stranger' and Erin's connection to him, so we'll be covering that more."
The pink-haired heroine is prominently featured on the Esurance website -- a tie-in that, in this case, is more than mere promotional support. "With an increasing number of consumers handling their business online, it's vital for any insurance company to have a website," Brewe says. "For us, as a niche player targeting online consumers, it's our livelihood."
The existing TV and radio spots featuring Erin are offered for viewing on the website -- and original content is also planned. "Going forward, there will be some aspects to the episodes that will air only online," Brewe says. "You'll see something on TV that will make fans come back and see how it all turns out on our website. We've always had information or 'secret' things (a.k.a. Easter eggs) available on Erin's World for web audiences. And our internal design team just upgraded Erin's World to Flash, allowing viewers to 'snoop' around. There will be several more enhancements to that in the coming weeks."
Taking Stock in Flash
Using Flash was also a decision taken by MediaRecall's Blomquist when designing the WGBH Stock Sales website, on behalf of the clip licensing arm of Boston PBS station WGBH. Blomquist says that the site, which launched on January 17, 2007, allows quick and easy access to the WGBH collection of footage from award-winning, primetime public television series, including Nova, Nova ScienceNow, Frontline and American Experience, among others.
"While in some people's minds Flash may not be fully a standard, this is a fully Flash-based site to allow for ease of use -- everything ties together," Blomquist comments.
Through Flash, the website offers improved navigation and access to select WGBH programming. Features of the site include a category function that allows researchers to easily browse such topics as: adventure/exploration, animals, culture/society, health/medicine, history/recreations, industry/business, locations, nature, science/technology and animation.
"The animation being offered would be from different programs, presenting, for example, a look at the human body or a depiction of DNA -- the double helix," Blomquist says. As for other footage, Blomquist explains that in addition to material that has already been broadcast, and that the WGBH Stock Sales website may offer "B-roll," or material that has not previously been used.
"The target audience for this site is people in the production environment -- those who are working on documentaries, on TV shows and movies, and who may need stock footage," Blomquist says. He notes that the site was designed knowing that these professionals would have access to cutting-edge equipment with high-speed connection.
Once they enter the site, users can create project clip folders to manage clips for any number of projects. "Users are able 'drag and drop' clips into folders or cart directly from the search results pages," Blomquist says. Or, they may choose to download watermarked clips for rough-cuts.
Blomquist notes that, currently, the site does not offer high-resolution digital downloads, but that may change in the future. "WGBH Stock Sales is beta-testing our DONE system, which will allow WGBH to easily take digital clips, log them and make high-res footage available for download," he says. Blomquist explains that MediaRecall's DONE (Digital Online Network Environment) is a complete online suite of video ingest and logging management tools.
In addition, Blomquist says that MediaRecall is in the process of creating a MegaPortal, which will make thousands of stock clips available for download.
As for the WGBH Stock Sales website, Blomquist reports that initial reaction indicates that clients are pleased with the ease of the use of the site. He says that the site is a "collaborative effort and that they are constantly adding new features and monitoring results."
A Taste of the Web
For Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, its recently revamped website provides the ultimate outreach. "We consider our website to be a brand awareness medium that allows us another way to effectively engage our guests," Red Robin's Janakus says. "If we continually engage our guests in new, exciting and fun ways, we believe it will ultimately lead to an increase in restaurant visits."
Janakus says that the upgraded website has been constructed with consumer-friendly navigational elements, and incorporates the "Honest to Goodness" brand look and feel that Red Robin introduced in 2006. Some of the new features include streaming media and animations; Unbridled Acts of Kindness (or UBAs); a restaurant locator; a My RR applet; and restaurant-specific menus.
To make the site more entertaining, and engaging, Red Robin incorporated several videos and animations throughout. For example, when visitors first log on, they experience an animated video highlighting the current food promotion or contest. Other sections, such as the "About Us" section, also have animated features.
"When developing the new website, we wanted to encourage our guests to experience our family-friendly atmosphere online," Janakus says. "Utilizing Flash on the site helped make it more entertaining and engaging for our guests who already associate Red Robin with one of our four core values, 'Having Fun!'"
One of the fun features is a coloring section for kids, which features a Flash coloring engine called Scribble, from Creation Chamber Inc. "Red Robin selected Scribble as a partner for the redeveloped website because it is a fun application for our younger guests," Janakus says. He notes that the Red Robin mascot, simply named "Red," is featured in the various coloring sheets online.
While the Red Robin site offers new elements, it also incorporated popular features from its previous incarnation -- including "The Customizer," which allows guests to build gourmet burgers that fit their individual tastes. In addition, it also features career, investor and media information, as well as an area to sign up for the Red Robin eClub.
Janakus says that the Red Robin eClub provides guests with an opportunity to connect interactively, outside the restaurant. "Last year, our eClub membership reached more than 500,000 guests," he advises. "Guests opt in to the eClub by signing up in their local Red Robin, or online by clicking on the 'join the Red Robin eClub' button on the homepage."
"Each guest who signs up for the eClub receives up to four emails a month from Red Robin," Janakus continues. "These emails provide our guests with updates on the latest promotions, contests and events, and often include a 'bounce back' coupon to bring in to their local Red Robin. When guests first sign up for the eClub, they receive a coupon via e-mail for $3 off their next burger or entrée at any Red Robin restaurant. We also thank our Red Robin eClub members by sending them a free burger coupon via email for their birthday."
The site offers a variety of other online features and promotions too. "Right now, the site is featuring our Valentine's Day promotion," Janakus says. In this annual contest, Red Robin is inviting couples to submit a 100-word essay from Jan. 23, to Feb. 14, 2007, describing their "amazing love stories," with entries being submitted online. This year, Red Robin will award the winning couple a romantic cruise for two.
Habbos Enfranchised
A promotional competition of a different type is running on the teen-oriented Habbo U.S. website. Lions Gate Ent. has partnered with Habbo for the second time to tap into its teen online community, to allow members to decide which animated short, based on the Habbo world, deserves to become a longer feature produced by Lions Gate.
Unlike other websites that support existing products or media, Habbo was created to be a virtual community and game environment. Users join by creating a fully-customized online character called a Habbo. Sulake's Huuhtanen notes, "Habbo runs on Adobe's Shockwave Client, so our users have to download and install that in order to log in."
Once they are logged in, members can explore public hangouts, play games, connect with friends, decorate their own rooms and have fun through creativity. "The games are a very popular part of Habbo, but Habbo members also love decorating their own private virtual rooms and taking part in online visits from their favorite celebrities," says Huuhtanen. "Recently, we've had Ali Lohan, Blue October and even teen stars from Days of Our Lives and Desperate Housewives."
Since its launch in 2000 by Sulake Corp., which is headquartered in Finland with offices in 17 countries, Habbo websites have been introduced in 18 countries on five continents -- with more than 53 million Habbo characters created, and more than seven million unique users each month. The highly-trafficked U.S. site is visited by over 1.7 million unique users per month, who spend on average more than three hours a week on the site.
Lions Gate first partnered with Habbo in July 2006, when habbo.com hosted a virtual red-carpet premiere event for Ultimate Avengers 2, the direct-to-DVD Marvel animated feature. According to Habbo, tens of thousands of Habbos attended the screening, which was the first time the online community was able to view 10 full minutes of a never-before-seen film prior to its release.
For the current promotion, which began on Jan. 15, 2007, Habbo members are able to view 10 different animated shorts based on the Habbo world -- posted on habbo.com as well as local Habbo sites around the world -- and voted on by the millions of registered users of the sites.
The animated shorts were created in a variety of styles (from CG to Flash to 2D animation) by 10 international animation houses. Habbos have the option to vote on whether or not Lions Gate should produce and distribute a longer feature film for the DVD and online marketplace.
Sulake's Huuhtanen reports that the shorts each run 10 minutes, and were created by Bardel (Bring da Bling), Sulake (Under Dove's Wing), Telemagination (Down In The Dumps), Funbag Animation (Habbo), World Leaders Ent. (Migration Nation), DQ Ent. (The Gift of Music), Elliot Animations (The Pick Up Artist), Copernicus Studios (Like a Sturgeon), Animaatiokopla (Mummy's Little Teddy Bear) and Filmiteollisuus (Test Yourself: Are You Normal?).
The 10 "Habbo-sodes" were scheduled to be available for 14 days; registered users can screen the shorts and vote "Habbo movie or not!" Members can only vote once. Based on the resulting vote, Lions Gate and Habbo will determine whether to greenlight a full-length film -- even using the input to determine the genre and animation style of the movie. The resulting film would be released both on DVD and online, distributed by Lions Gate.
While Habbo members are becoming enfranchised, Habbo itself is becoming franchised. "Habbo is already on mobile phones with several games, including The Usual Suspects ringtones and wallpapers," says Sulake's Huuhtanen. "We're currently piloting Habbo's mobile client which will connect Habbos to the online Habbo world with messaging and other features. We've already launched real-life furniture and clothing, and have Habbo books out as well."
"The products have been mainly been focused on our own characters and brand," Huuhtanen says, "but, in the future, we will concentrate more and more on on-demand products, where our users can customize the real-life products with their own characters, so that the redline of self expression and creativity in the online product is seamless in the real world products as well."
The Lions Gate collaboration is not the only promotions offered by the Habbo sites. "As far as advertising and promotion, Habbo offers unlimited opportunities and amazingly creative ways for advertisers to reach the teen audience," advises Huuhtanen. "We have featured everything from brand billboards within the virtual rooms and hang outs to branded scavenger hunts, as well as in-game placement and product placement within the Habbo community. Major companies are recognizing these new and unique ways to promote their products -- including such names as Wal-Mart, Sprite and L'Oreal."
And, in addition to virtual rooms, Habbo users are also getting personal space. "We just introduced Habbo Home pages, which will give all of our users their own personal home page under Habbo," explains Huuhtanen. "Our users can customize the layout and then add their own innovative touches to their pages with different widgets such as a guest book and My Friends. It will give community members another opportunity for integrating personal expression with creativity. In addition, celebrities, recording artists and select brands will also be invited to have official Habbo Home pages, which teens can visit for the latest updates and special promotions."
The Great Escape
Nickelodeon also recognizes a golden opportunity to tap into the ever-growing online community -- in one case in particular, to promote its animated comedy/adventure series, Avatar: The Last Airbender.
"Our goal with sites like avatarescape.com and with the main Nick site is to extend the user experience in two primary ways -- first, by offering brand new, exclusive content (such as the animated comic written by the Avatar creators on the 'Escape' site), and second, by making sure that we're the destination for expert, encyclopedic Avatar info on the Web," says Nick.com's Root.
Beginning on Feb. 3, 2007, Nickelodeon will be offering fans a multi-platform Avatar: Escape from the Spirit World game experience with brand-new content and back stories from the show, including an animated online comicbook from Avatar creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, at www.avatarescape.com.
Players can participate in the Avatar: Escape from the Spirit World game by logging onto the website, where they will travel with Aang as he treks through the spirit world to reconnect with past Avatars. Upon entering "the spirit world," players will be required to complete four missions in the form of puzzles and online games; each level represents one of the four elements featured in Avatar. Successful completion of each level unlocks a new chapter in the four-part Avatar animated online comicbook. When the fourth level is completed, players will "pass through" to the spirit world where they will find a bonus game and the conclusion of the Avatar online comicbook. Fans can also download the animated comic to their video MP3 players.
"The inspiration for the comic was threefold, really," Root explains. "First, we wanted to offer fans in the U.S. a thematic bridge between seasons two and three that extended the epic story of Aang's journey as the Avatar into the Spirit World."
The Escape from the Spirit World event is scheduled to take place in several territories including the U.S., the U.K., Netherlands, Germany and France. The game will also be supported with an on-air promotional sweepstakes (in the U.S. only), featuring new winners each weekend over the four weeks of the event period, producing a total of 50 winners. Partners supporting the sweepstakes include Mattel, Paramount, Simon & Schuster, Tokyopop, THQ, Upper Deck and Lego.
Nickelodeon plans to air promotional spots throughout February to support the sweepstakes. Cross-channel promotion for the gaming event will also take place on Nicktoons Network and its website.
Visitors to the game website are also being promised a "new, Super Deformed Short from Avatar creators," that can be unlocked and viewed online by using a special cheat code to be announced on-air on Nickelodeon during the final week of the event on Feb. 24, 2007. Root says that the short builds on a tradition in anime entertainment.
"Artists in the genre will often offer fans a brand new visual take on familiar characters -- by, for example, portraying them in caricature or referencing another style of animation," Root says. "In the case of the Avatar Super Deformed Shorts, Aang and the gang are portrayed in miniature form in a number of humorous shorts."
"We feel like original content is hugely important for a site like this," comments Root, "because the Avatar fan base is so deeply invested in the show, and therefore always clamoring for new storylines, characters or twists on the Avatar legend."
Gauging Results
Companies need to be able to gauge the success of any promotion, including web promotion. Nick.com's Root says that its Avatar online promotion will be closely monitored.
"Some of what we'll look for is sheer volume -- of posts and discussion and debate on the aforementioned message boards," Root says. "We're already seeing that wave of excitement building within the Avatar fan community, and we expect it'll continue throughout the event. Of course, we'll also be tracking the hard numbers in terms of usage and traffic flow on the site."
"We have doubled or tripled our turnover each year and are very proud of our achievements," says Sulake's Huuhtanen of its Habbo sites. "A majority of the revenue comes from the sales of Habbo 'coins' that members purchase and use as currency within the community. The coins buy everything from custom virtual furniture and décor for their online rooms to virtual pets that can be kept in the rooms. We believe this proves our business model and also demonstrates the high level of interest teens have in Habbo."
Red Robin's Janakus has also been keeping careful watch on how the revamped website is faring. "We can say there has been a significant increase in website traffic this year, estimated at 34%," he says. "We attribute this successful increase to multiple initiatives that we have developed or enhanced in the past year including Web contests, in-restaurant initiatives to drive Web traffic and frequency and the overall redesigning of the website."
"Measuring success takes place in a lot of ways," comments Esurance's Brewe. "But because our primary distribution channel is online, we can tell fairly quickly whether certain campaigns work or not."
"Since all action is routed to the website, it's easier to measure than for other companies," she notes. "Tens of thousands of people get quotes from us each and every day, hundreds and hundreds of people watch our ads or listen to our ads in our Erin's World section, and hundreds and hundreds of other people access some of our safety/insurance content located in the Esurance Insights section."
"But the statistic that best reflects our success is that we one of the fastest-growing auto insurance companies in America based on year-over-year premium growth," Brewe says. "So our results really show the effectiveness of the campaign in getting people to our award-winning website."
Janet Hetherington is a freelance writer and cartoonist who shares a studio in Ottawa, Canada, with artist Ronn Sutton and a ginger cat, Heidi.
