Monsanto, founded in 1901 by John Francis Queeny, has a long
history of innovation and controversy, starting from its sale of the first artificial
sweetener, saccharin. It was a major producer of polystyrene and synthetic
fibers, was the first company to mass-produce LEDs, and manufactured the highly
effective insecticide DDT, which nearly eradicated malaria. By 2002, Monsanto
had divested itself of most of its chemical businesses in order to focus on biotechnology.
Its genetically modified plants produce a larger yield per acre, require less
water and energy to grow, and are resistant to drought and pests. It also
produces strains of plants that thrive while Monsanto’s herbicide RoundUp kills
the weeds around them. The main About Us page (reached via the Who We Are tab)
is Monsanto at a
Glance.
OVERALL GRADE: C
minus
Our Commandment 4
of About Us pages is, “Don’t take your own name in vain.” If visitors are
likely to have seen unflattering references to your company, it makes sense to give
visitors outside sources to confirm the value of your products and services. Monsanto
has a serious corporate image problem. It is attacked today by
environmentalists for genetic engineering. Under the Monsanto name, it also once
produced such chemicals as DDT, Agent Orange, PCBs, and bovine growth hormone.
We were curious to see how the company’s About Us pages would deal with such issues.
The answer is: they don’t. In its first paragraph, the Company
History page rejects Monsanto’s corporate history: “While we share the name
and history of a company that was founded in 1901, the Monsanto of today is
focused on agriculture and supporting farmers around the world in their mission
to produce more while conserving more. We’re an agricultural company.” The
lengthy timeline on the same page, “Today’s Monsanto Company,” lists impressive
innovations and statistics but has only a half-dozen entries before 1975, all
related to agriculture.
Products/Services: C
The Company
History page includes an Interactive History Presentation, with pithy,
well-written articles on subjects such as fertilizers, Round Up, Animal AG, and
seeds, each with well-chosen photos. Unfortunately, we suspect that few people click
through to see this material. The bulleted list beside it doesn’t advertise the
content of the History Presentation. Instead it describes the media (8
interactive sections, an interactive timeline, over 20 videos, over 50 photos).
If you click through despite that, the Presentation’s navigation is confusing –
the best way to move is not by clicking on the timeline, but by clicking on the
row of photos across the top. The text is in small type in small boxes that
require scrolling. If you click the Back button rather than the small Close box
at the lower right, you go back to the main About Us page, not to the next
section of the Presentation. The material in this Presentation is so informative
that it deserves to be displayed in a way that will earn it more viewers.
Personality: D
The Company
Leadership page is the most abbreviated we’ve seen for a long time. The
bios are bulleted lists rather than a narrative. Too bad: the bios of top
management would be a great place to stress the new direction that Monsanto is
heading, by quotes or by links to speeches and interviews.
Accessibility: D
The Contact Us
page is bare bones: a USPS address, phone numbers, and an online form on which
you choose one of a dozen topics to help direct your message.
TAKEAWAY
Make sure your best material is easy to reach and described
in an enticing way. If your company has image problems, give visitors a way to
find your point of view.
Does your Web site’s “About Us” section
accurately convey your organization’s history and capabilities? Every two weeks
we evaluate one example, grading it in three areas that are key to potential
customers: Personality (Who are you?), Products/Services (What can you do for
us?), and Accessibility (How can we reach you?). To talk about your About Us
page, contact us!
Today’s example was chosen at random;
CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.
Posts
