Crain’s is an American publishing conglomerate headquartered
in Detroit, with 14 locations worldwide. It publishes trade magazines (Advertising Age, Autoweek, Plastics News, and many others) as well as papers such as
Crain’s New York Business and Crain’s Chicago Business. Founded in
1916 in Louisville, KY, by G. D. Crain, the company – still privately held –
has been run in succession by Crain’s widow and sons. The main About Us page is
here.
OVERALL GRADE: C
The main
About Us page is well laid out, giving teasers and links to separate pages on
Our History, Our Philosophy, and Our Leadership.
Products/Services: C
Our main complaint about Crain’s About Us pages is that they
have the feel of a collection that has been growing over time (good!) but has not
been revised for consistency (bad!). The number of employees is variously listed
as 825 or more than 1,000; the age of the company as over 80 or over 90. (In
fact, Crain’s will celebrate its 100th business anniversary in 2016.) The
company’s long-standing motto, “Readers first!,” is mentioned in the teaser to the Our Philosophy
page (and emphasized on the Careers
page), but not mentioned on the Our Philosophy page. Our Commandment 9
of About Us pages is, “Worship clarity,” which includes checking grammar,
punctuation, and yes, facts.
Also: logos or mastheads of the many Crain publications
would liven up the small, dense blocks of text on most pages.
Personality: B
Our
History emphasizes that Crain’s is a family-run business, with only three
chairmen and presidents since its founding—a potential theme for corporate
storytelling that this company doesn’t quite exploit. Continuing that
tradition, five members of the Crain family are listed on the Leadership page. The bio of Rance Crain, which
focuses on his experience in publishing and his role in the company, is very
good. The bio of Keith
Crain, on the other hand, sounds as if it was written for a third-party
site where the philanthropic activities are more important than work at
Crain’s. A bio of a company leader on an About Us page isn’t just a bio: it’s a
chance to show where and how a leader is leading.
Accessibility: D
The Contact Us page lists Crain offices worldwide, with
mailing addresses and phone numbers, but no emails or names. This is
substandard.
TAKEAWAY
Few things make you look as unreliable as conflicting
information on your website. It’s particularly egregious for a company in the
publishing industry, where fact-checking should be the norm. Review the
business history of your site regularly for consistency.
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.
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