HistoryWords: Where Legacy and Language Meet

“About Us” Evaluation: Random House Gets a D minus

2012-03-05T07:15:00.001-05:00

Random House, headquartered in Manhattan, is one of the “Big Six” trade publishers. In 1925, Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer purchased the Modern Library; a few years later they published a few other books “at random,” and Random House was born. Its authors range from James Joyce to Roald Dahl, John Updike to Anne Rice, Julia Child to Dr. Seuss. The main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: D minus

Personality: D

Random House is a publisher and an international corporation: unfortunately, it’s the conglomerate aspect that dominates their website. The dense History page (tiny text, no subheads, no illustrations) is a list of publishers acquired by Random House, which has in turn been acquired by Bertelsmann. Yes, acquisitions are part of the company’s history, but merely listing them gives a casual visitor no sense of the quality or quantity of Random House’s publications.

Presumably for the same reasons that lead Random House to discourage visitors from attempting to make contact (see Accessibility, below), the site offers little information on who runs Random House or any of its divisions (see Publishers). There is no personality here.

Products/Services: D

The History page mentions that Random House’s authors “have won an unrivalled number of Nobel and Pulitzer prizes.” The company has published hundreds of New York Times bestsellers and dozens of winners of Booker prizes, Newbery medals, and other prestigious awards. And yet, the only author mentioned on the History page is James Joyce, whose Ulysses Random House defended against obscenity charges in 1933.

Of course, the Random House site allows visitors to search by author and to find current Random House bestsellers. But there’s no overview of the company’s most notable authors over the past 80-odd years: an inexcusable lacuna.

The History page has no link to the Awards page, which is only accessible from a link at the bottom of the home page (under Shopping!). The Awards page lists only the most recent awards – not the most impressive. Again, an overview is urgently needed.

Accessibility: E

We have seldom seen a website that so strongly discourages visitors from making contact. The Contact Us link is only available in the links buried at the foot of the page. The Contact Us page begins with a suggestion that we go to the FAQ page (always a good idea), and then whines, “We receive hundreds of e-mails a day … Keep in mind that each contact is a single person with a particular area of expertise and a lot of mail to answer … Due to the volume of mail that we receive, we are unable to answer the following types of inquiries ….”

We understand the reasons behind this repressive attitude. The Matterhorn-sized piles of unsolicited manuscripts at major publishers are legendary, and doubtless there are legions of readers who feel compelled to explain why Julia Child should have substituted canola oil for butter. However, combined with the impersonal tone of the rest of the site, the Contact Us page puts the final touch on the image of Random House as an impersonal corporate behemoth.

TAKEAWAY

No matter how famous your company is, your About Us page should not merely provide a history of corporate mergers and acquisitions. It should showcase who you are and what you do superlatively well.

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?). Contact us if you’d like to have your site evaluated—there’s no charge and no obligation.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Oreo, the 100-year-old cookie

2012-02-29T10:02:00.007-05:00

It's not a corporate or product anniversary, because that might sound too serious. It's a cookie having a birthday, and we're all invited to the party. Celebrate the kid inside: That's how Nabisco has positioned the 100th anniversary of Oreos. And why not? The birthday Web page features games and invitations to upload your Oreo-eating moments to Oreo's gallery and Facebook page. (Note to Nabisco and its parent company Kraft: Don't hold your breath waiting for my pix.) That's a good variation on the usual About Us page. My preferred activity is to actually eat an Oreo, ideally crumbled onto vanilla ice cream.

In a good piece in The New York Times about Oreo's corporate history, Stuart Elliott observes the following (italics added): "The campaign is indicative of two trends reshaping consumer marketing. One, referred to on Madison Avenue as authenticity, involves responding to a growing interest among consumers seeking value in the provenance of brands as they search for products whose quality has been tested over time. The other trend involves efforts to present those heritage brands in updated ways to reassure consumers they can still meet contemporary needs."

“About Us” Evaluation: Subway Gets a B

2012-02-20T07:39:00.002-05:00

Subway, founded by Fred DeLuca in 1965 and headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, has over 35,000 restaurants in 98 countries, making it the world’s largest single-brand restaurant chain. Privately owned and operated, it is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the world. Subway’s About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: B

Subway’s main About Us page is nicely laid out, with a quick summary of the company’s strengths: fresh ingredients, customer service, innovation. We love that instead of offering us the choice of history, social responsibility, FAQ, or current news stories via tiny words on a navigation menu, Subway gives each of these options its own section of the main page, with enticing headlines and graphics.

Accessibility: B+

Kudos to Subway for giving us multiple ways to reach them. At the lower right of the main About Us page are the mailing address, phone, and email. There’s also a Contact Us tab in the top navigation bar and a Contact Us link in the footer. Customer feedback clearly matters to Subway: they make it easy for us to do it. (Of course, we always wonder what the company actually does with it. We hope they reply with more than just a boilerplate email.)

One minor suggestion: On the Contact Us page, some of the fields could be arranged side by side to make the form look shorter. It currently runs to two full pages on a laptop screen and begins with the earnest but daunting request that we fill in as much information as we possibly can.

Personality: B

The history is brief but well told, with archival photos that make the story even more interesting. We’d like to have more information on the founder, Fred DeLuca, who’s apparently still in charge. What are his values and goals? How do they drive the company? This omission is particularly odd given that (according to the company timeline) Mr. DeLuca published a book, Start Small Finish Big, on how to run one’s own business.

We applaud the timeline for including fascinating tidbits such as we see all too seldom on company websites. Who knew that Subway was featured in The Simpsons, that they have a branch in Qatar, and that their float once won a trophy in the Tournament of Roses Parade?

Products/Services: B

Subway’s pages are often mouth-watering. We started to feel hunger pangs while reading about the introduction of various menu items in the timeline. It would be an improvement, though, to have images of these rather than verbal descriptions.

TAKEAWAY

Subway’s pages are well designed, but since they can’t convey the smell, taste, or texture of the products, they should include more photos of Subway’s food and of customers enjoying it.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Mad Men: It Never Goes Away

2012-02-14T10:07:00.002-05:00

Perusing the The New York Times Sunday Review for February 12, I was amused by two observations about "Mad Men." First, Jimmy Wales, the Wikipedia cofounder: "It's hilarious, you know, it's such a portrayal of a period in history which probably never was like that but matches our preconceptions." Then, three pages later, the suddenly ubiquitous Mimi Beardsley Alford, JFK's intern and self-proclaimed mistress: "God, I love 'Mad Men.' All of it is exactly what was going on."

Not that Ms. Alford ever actually worked in an ad agency, of course. Neither did Jimmy Wales, but I cast my "Mad Men" vote with him because all my old-time ad agency friends tell me that the Manhattan ad world in the 1960s was a whole lot more fun than "Mad Men" makes it out to be.

But if you want a credible workplace drama, get to the Mint Theater on West 43rd Street in Manhattan for "Rutherford and Son." Written almost 100 years ago, it's about a family business in industrial England. Particularly, it's about how the sons of the tycoon can't edge out from under his shadow. Meanwhile, the scion casts out his only daughter, who is smarter than them all. My corporate history work brings me in contact with many family businesses, and many of them (thankfully not all) still share these traits.

“About Us” Evaluation: Hilton Gets a B+

2012-02-06T09:14:00.001-05:00

Conrad Hilton bought his first hotel in 1919 and rapidly expanded acquisitions after World War II. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast hotel chain in the United States, the first to install televisions in guest rooms, the first to build an airport hotel, the first to offer multi-hotel reservations …. The list goes on. Today there are more than 530 Hilton-branded hotels in 78 countries, on six continents. Hilton’s About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: B+

Accessibility: A

The footer of every page has a link to a Customer Support page with separate contact information for comments on a recent stay, reservations, rewards program, travel agents, and so on. As always when faced with an online form for email, we wish the page included an option for sending a copy of this message ourselves, in case we need to follow up.

Products/Services: A+

Hilton’s About Us page offers one the best summary of a company that we’ve seen. The first paragraph states the size of the company and emphasizes the quality of its product. It ends with a great description that will appeal to almost everyone, at some point: “Hilton is where the world makes history, closes the deal, toasts special occasions and gets away from it all.”

The second paragraph, under the heading “The Industry Standard,” summarizes Hilton’s innovations: first hotel to install televisions in guest rooms, first airport hotel, etc. The next two paragraphs briefly cover Hilton staff and philanthropic activities.

The hierarchy and the amount of space devoted to each topic on this opening page are perfect. Even better, the information fits on a single screen. The only improvement we’d suggest is having links in the text to further information, such as news stories on inaugural balls held at the Hilton or specific philanthropic activities. This would give readers the option of learning more, and would also visually break up the dense block of text.

Personality: D

We like that the About Us page has a menu with links to each of the Hilton chains (Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, etc.), and that the page for each of those chains has its own distinctive look and a satisfying number photos.

On the down side, it’s a pity that Hilton’s many awards are buried in a Fact Sheet that’s only accessible via a link in the Quick Facts box at the right side of the About Us page. For a prize-winning company, a separate awards page would be reasonable. Likewise, a company that’s been around for nearly a century could appropriately have a separate page for the timeline that’s also now buried on the Fact Sheet.

But these points are minor compared to the single glaring omission on Hilton’s site. Only one time (on the Fact Sheet) does the Hilton site mention its founder, Conrad Hilton. Hilton was a pioneer in the hospitality industry and one of its dominant figures for decades. His autobiography, Be My Guest, is still recommended reading for people in the advertising and hospitality industries.

TAKEAWAY

Even when a company goes global and nears its centennial, it should remind clients of its roots—especially when the fame of its founder reaches far beyond the industry.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

History: Almost as Good as Sports

2012-01-31T10:51:00.003-05:00

The History Channel has moved from the top 20 to the top 5 of most-watched US cable channels. In fact, only ESPN draws more middle-aged male viewers. I cite this fact whenever I hear the opinion "no one's interested in history." Of course a lot of THC's programming involves "Pawn Stars" and its spinoffs, but objects have history, too. The success of the channel has facilitated H2--a spinoff with more traditional programming--and the financing of film documentaries. Pretty entertaining stuff.

“About Us” Evaluation: OpenChime Gets a B+

2012-01-23T07:08:00.002-05:00

Submit a request for a service--pet care, plumber, accountant, security guard--and OpenChime will gather quotes from local businesses and email them to you. The two million vendors in its database pay a commission of their choice (on the honor system!) if OpenChime matches them with a project. OpenChime, established in 2011 and based in Chicago, is the brainchild of two young MIT graduates. Its About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: B+

OpenChime had to tackle the question: What do you say on an About Us page if your company is new, your service is unique, and your leaders are young and unknown?

Products/Services: B

Not every company needs multiple About Us pages. As a new company based on a novel concept, OpenChime does. The About Us menu offers links to What Is OpenChime?, Team, Customer FAQ, Business FAQ, Press, Privacy, and Terms.

On the What Is OpenChime? page, OpenChime’s management is shown in a group caricature rather than a photo. This cleverly glosses over their age and makes them look like a team, without the expense of company T-shirts. On the Team page the caricatures are used separately as “portraits” of the leaders.

The Press page is attractively laid out: the links and logos for major media coverage (NBC, the Chicago Tribune, etc.) add authority to the headlines.

Even though the services OpenChime can help us find are listed as a menu across the top of the page, we suggest adding some of them in the text. People reading intently for information don’t always look at the graphics and menus of the web page.

Personality: B

The ebullience and energy of the OpenChime founders and staff are obvious from the text on the What Is OpenChime? and Team pages. In fact, the text on these pages verges on being a bit too clever. We don’t find out what the company does until three lines into the first paragraph of the What Is OpenChime? page.

Given this, it’s reassuring to find that they can be simple and straightforward. On the Terms page, the standard legal mumbo-jumbo is accompanied by a “Human Translation” that makes it easy to comprehend.

Accessibility: A

At the foot of every page is not a Contact Us link, but actual information: mailing address, email, phone number. Well done!

TAKEAWAY

Even a company with less than a year of a history can create an About Us page that helps entice and reassure customers.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

L.L. Bean Celebrates 100 Years

2012-01-18T10:33:00.004-05:00

No surprise that outdoor goods retailer L.L. Bean is a spry centenarian. The arrival of a catalog taglined "100 Years of Bringing the Outdoors Indoors" gave me pause--isn't being outdoors the essence of the Bean experience? But the Web site has rectified that. Kudos to Bean for sheer saturation: there are 100th anniversary events and tours planned for the whole year, along with centennial merchandise. What looks like an eight-foot Bean boot will tour the country, starting today in Times Square. You know, those yellow ones that are impervious to all kinds of weather. Oh, and a new history book by the original L.L.'s great-grandson is priced at, yes, $19.12.

Still, there are a few creaky knees. Though the creative team did a good job of fitting Bean's 100 years into a 1:48 video, why didn't they refer to founder Leon Leonwood Bean by name? Instead, he is "that man." And the interactive timeline is jumpier than a tick.

My anniversary wish for Bean is to offer more items made in the USA. That would be the best gift of all.

“About Us” Evaluation: Crest Gets a C

2012-01-09T07:03:00.004-05:00

Crest Toothpaste, first marketed by Procter & Gamble in 1955, was the first toothpaste in the United States to have fluoride. In 1962, after the American Dental Association confirmed that it effectively prevents tooth decay, Crest became America’s best-selling toothpaste. Its About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: C

Accessibility: A

The contact us link is at the foot of every page—fairly common—but the Contact Us page has tabs for emailing the company and for the FAQ page. That’s a great idea, because we often find it easier to email for any query that pops into our mind than to locate a company’s FAQ page.

Products/Services: B

The Crest Heritage page gives the historical context of the brand, with subheads for history, achievements, and research. The subheads help break up this dense page of text, but as always, we’d also like to see some illustrations--perhaps vintage ads or packaging. Since we tend to buy what looks familiar to us, the use of images here would also nudge us to buy the Crest next time we’re toothpaste-shopping.

The Heritage page has a footnote: so quaint! And so unwieldy and inappropriate to a web page!

Personality: D

Crest is part of Procter & Gamble, which has its own bevy of About Us pages. Even so, we’d like to see some indication on Crest’s About Us page of whose vision guides the brand. Alternatively, Crest might have included a quote from Dr. Joseph Muhler, who headed the research team that developed Crest, or statistics from the American Dental Association on the importance of Crest in improving dental health in the United States.

TAKEAWAY

Crest’s page offers basic information but it doesn’t get us excited about the brand.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Happy 175th, Emory U.

2012-01-03T13:12:00.004-05:00

Major kudos to Emory University in Atlanta for a literate, attractive, well-coordinated 175th anniversary campaign. Emory's full-page newspaper ads start with a headline few can debate ("We all yearn for institutions we can trust") and continue onto frank talk about the university's role in cases regarding civil rights, historical truth, and academic freedom. A dedicated Web history site and timeline, linked in the headline here, are models of clarity. A small quibble: the 175th logo on the main Emory page could stand to be brighter, with a clearer link to the goods within.

Universities are big businesses, and Emory's corporate history serves it well.

“About Us” Evaluation: Scalamandre Gets a D

2011-12-27T06:37:00.003-05:00

Scalamandre, Inc., founded in 1929 by Franco Scalamandre (1898-1988) and headquartered in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., produces high-end textiles, trims, wall coverings, and carpeting. Its niche market is reproduction of such items for the restoration of historic homes and antique furniture. Scalamandre fabrics have been used at the White House, the United States Capitol, and The Breakers and the Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island. The company’s about us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: D

Personality: E

The Who We Are page, which is featured at the top of the list of options on the home page, sends us to a box set against a huge white expanse, then takes a disproportionately long time to load scrolling text in an ugly font in a tiny box. We can’t easily skim the text or read it as a block. There are no illustrations with the text, although several historic renovations are mentioned.

Even worse than that is the fact that the only image on this page is a few inches of fabric at the edge of a bolt. For 80 years, Scalamandre has produced textiles stunning for their colors, patterns, and textures. What a wasted opportunity that blank white space is!

Products/Services: D

Examples of Scalamandre’s products are buried under the unrevealing menu heading House Tour, which turns out to include extensive descriptions of historic homes such as The Breakers. The Collection page offers more images, but reaching them requires multiple clicks, and the pictures (apparently from interior-design magazines) include many products that are not by Scalamandre.

Accessibility: C

The Contact Us page offers a mailing address, telephone, fax, and email, but the page is only available from Who We Are.

The tagline on the Contact page says, “America’s manufacturer and importer of the world’s most beautiful fabrics, trimmings, wall coverings and carpets.” This needs tweaking (why mention importing if the company’s main focus is manufacturing?), but some form of it should appear on the Who We Are page and elsewhere.

TAKEAWAY

Scalamandre, a company that produces works that are a delight to the eye, needs to incorporate far more visuals in its website.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Happy 275th, Bellevue Hospital

2011-12-23T11:59:00.008-05:00

If only NYC's Bellevue Hospital had done oral histories with patients since its founding in 1736! We'd have transcripts and tapes from Stephen Foster, O. Henry, Eugene O'Neill, and countless people whose voices are not often heard at all. Not to mention the doctors who set up and staffed the first maternity ward, emergency room, and ambulance service in the US.

Fortunately the country's oldest public hospital is catching up: "As part of the recognition events surrounding the 275th anniversary, Bellevue has been recording oral histories in conjunction with StoryCorps, an independent nonprofit organization that records, shares and preserves stories of American life. The interviews conducted at Bellevue will be archived at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress and selections will be played at listening stations at Bellevue beginning next year. Selections will also play on the Bellevue/HHC website, as well as the StoryCorps website," says a news release (link here).

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/html/pressroom/press-release-20111215-bellevue-275th-anniversary.shtml

No book, sadly. Bellevue is a city hospital with a perennially strapped budget, and doubtless that accounts for why they had to fit 275 years of storied history into a 24-page commemorative brochure. New York University's Langone Medical Center does publish an excellent literary journal, the Bellevue Literary Review (their Web site fudges about the connection to the hospital itself): http://blr.med.nyu.edu/ The hospital itself is raising money for an in-house museum; if you'd like to contribute, details are in the press release.

Last but not least, click on the title of this very blog post for The New York Times's coverage of the dodranstricentennial (OK, I learned that word from the article!).

“About Us” Evaluation: Groupon Gets a B+

2011-12-12T06:58:00.002-05:00

Groupon, established in November 2008, harnesses the power of social media to offer customers substantial discounts on food, entertainment, shopping, and services in 45 countries. The company employs over 10,000 people in its Chicago headquarters and has offices in an increasing number of locations around the world. Groupon’s About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: B+

Products/Services: A

The About Us page is buried at the foot of the home page, under the Company menu. That’s a pity, because it’s well written and intelligibly organized, moving from the service Groupon provides to its operating principles and then its origin.

Accessibility: A

If you’re asking customers to shell out money for a service to be provided by a third party, at an indefinite future time, you’d better be sure they trust your customer service. We like the fact that when Groupon mentions their dedication to customer satisfaction on the About Us page, their email address and a telephone number are right there in the text.

The Get Help section of the footer offers a Customer Support page with an online form, online support, an email address, and a telephone number with the hours that staff are available. One would expect a mailing address for corporate headquarters--but then, no one without a computer is ever going to use Groupon.

Personality: C

The final section of the About Us page, headed “Our People,” states, “Groupon’s people are our most valuable asset. Everything about Groupon is a reflection of the interests and ethics of its wonderful staff.”

And that’s all it says. Why make a statement so sweeping, and then not elaborate?

The photo under this heading--the only one on the About Us page--shows dozens of people in choir robes on a stage. The caption states that this is the Groupon staff singing at the Chicago Lyric Opera. We suspected this might be a joke, like the “Groupon Says” feature at the lower left of the home page. But there they are on YouTube, belting out Bach. (Don’t leave your day jobs, guys.)

At minimum, we’d like to see a link here to the team that founded and still runs the company. The link to them is buried under Company / Investor Relations / Corporate Governance / Management. These bios could use some tweaking, to make them more closely related to the current positions of the executives: see AirBNB’s site, for example.

TAKEAWAY

Groupon gets almost everything right, but more personality--a sense of who runs the company and what the employees’ attitude is--would improve the About Us page.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Kurt Vonnegut, Corporate Historian?!

2011-12-05T11:32:00.003-05:00

Kurt Vonnegut hated greed but liked business. Learning that factoid was one of the many pleasures of reading And So It Goes—Kurt Vonnegut: A Life, the excellent new biography by Charles J. Shields. The author of Slaughterhouse-Five was nothing if not a contradictory man.

Son of an architect, Vonnegut grew up in a family of prosperous Indianapolis merchants. It’s common knowledge that he was a public relations man for General Electric’s Schenectady Works for years. What’s less well known is that he was ready to quit until GE put him in charge of being the liaison to Columbia University’s then-new oral history program. As part of it, Columbia wanted to preserve the memories of GE engineers and scientists who had helped launch radio.

Like any good corporate history author, Vonnegut started by compiling interviewee biographies and timelines. Shields reports that Vonnegut “was awed … he genuinely liked these men … Their success was deserved. They didn’t grouse about the company; they were grateful.” Vonnegut went so far as to describe them as “extremely interesting, admirable Americans.” He still quit the PR job—he’d always felt like the company’s “captive screwball”—but he happily drew on his GE experiences for his science fiction writing.

Years later, he used his business savvy to dig up the lowdown on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In an article for Esquire magazine, later collected in his book Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons, he noted that the Maharishi spoke to the American people “like a General Electric engineer.” Vonnegut nailed him as a benign salesman who, as Shields paraphrases, “was just pumping the handle of free enterprise as vigorously as the system allowed.”

The biography also reveals that antiwar Vonnegut consciously owned stock in a company that made napalm for bombs, and that he was hardly liberated where women were concerned…but I’ll leave you to discover the whole story for yourself. Just a quick P.S., though: If you worked in publishing during Vonnegut's heyday--I was lucky enough to work for his then-publisher, Dell/Delacorte, and to write promo copy for his books--you'll enjoy the biography even more.

“About Us” Evaluation: L.A. Burdick Chocolate Gets an A

2011-11-28T06:54:00.006-05:00

L.A. Burdick Chocolate, based in Walpole, N.H., sells delicious handmade chocolates via direct mail, on the web, and through a restaurant and several cafes. The company was founded in 1987 by Larry Burdick and his wife, who still run the business. Its About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

L.A. Burdick’s About Us pages are as nicely concocted as their chocolates … and that’s high praise.

Products/Services: A-

The main About Us page is all about the chocolate, describing the ingredients and how it’s made. Photos show the chocolate and the busy, professional people in white coats who produce it.

One failing here: the list of the company’s activities (“direct mail and web business … French-inspired restaurant, as well as three cafés”) should have links to the relevant pages on the site--like the order links on the History of the Mouse page. Yes, the top menu has links, but between the moment we see “restaurant” and the time we find it in the top menu, our email program can ding, our phones can ring, or a colleague can offer a latte. Even if we choose to finish reading the page, the link serves as highlighted text to remind us what page to visit next.

Personality: A

About Our People is geared very well to Burdick, giving the impression of a small, tightly managed company where high standards and customer service are priorities. The page provides information on the founder and 3 top people, with photos of them at work and bios that focus on their qualifications for that work. No extra clicks, no irrelevant information: we appreciate that.

One suggestion re style: Fiction writers know that direct quotes are usually more effective at holding a reader’s attention than exposition. The same is true of bios on web pages. Instead of “Larry has within arm's reach all the qualities of life that he holds dear,” try “Larry says, ‘I’ve got within arm’s reach here all the qualities of life that I hold dear.’”

On this page, too, there should be links making it easy for readers to get back to the business of buying chocolate--for example, when Larry mentions a restaurant, or Michael Klug talks about chocolate.

Accessibility: A+

The company’s 800-number is at the upper right on every page and its mailing address is in every footer. The drop-down Shopping menu is extensive and clear. Well done.

TAKEAWAY

We repeat: Put links wherever they’re relevant: don’t rely on readers to scan your top or side menus.

CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company, although we have often enjoyed their chocolates. Also, we sometimes show their tiny history brochure to clients—it came tucked into a box we ordered years ago—as an example of how history can be used to marketing advantage even in the smallest places.

Would Abe Lincoln Have Tweeted?

2011-11-21T13:01:00.002-05:00

Seven score and eight years ago, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famed Gettysburg Address. It ran just 271 words, amazingly short now for a speech and even more so in 1863, when people had delightfully long attention spans. There’s a great story behind it.

Lincoln was second on the bill. The key speaker, Edward Everett, orated for more than two hours. The crowd of 15,000 loved Everett and wept as he waxed poetic about the bloody Battle of Gettysburg, which had taken place on the site less than five months earlier.

Then Lincoln spoke his 10 sentences:

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Speechwriters will note the ample use of triplets, the lyrical parallelism, the alternation of short and long sentences, and the chilling personification of the world (“it can never forget what they did here”).

Long-winded Everett later told Lincoln, "I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes."

I’d like to think that Lincoln would have considered Twitter too short a medium for serious thoughts, but who knows? It is something to think about next time you visit the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA.

“About Us” Evaluation: Schneider National Gets a C minus

2011-11-14T07:04:00.008-05:00

Schneider, founded in 1938 and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the third-largest trucking and logistics company in the United States, with annual revenue of $3.7 billion. Its trucks travel 5 million miles daily, providing services to more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies. We noticed Schneider because of a fascinating Forbes article on its use of technology to plan truck routes. The main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: C minus

Products/Services: C

Schneider’s About Us page opens with a well-written summary of the company’s services, scope, and size. But more than half of this page is devoted to the company’s commitment to sustainability. Surely a statement about Schneider’s commitment to providing reliable, innovative service deserves at least equal time. (Regarding that, we wonder why the great tag line “Driving the wheels of commerce” appears on the History page, but not on the main About Us page.)

At Corporate History.net we believe passionately in the value of corporate history and institutional memory, so we’re always happy to see a timeline of a company’s history included on the company’s website. But context matters. Most website visitors will be daunted by Schneider’s long timeline, which has no pictures or highlights. The company’s acquisitions in the 1930s could safely be relegated to a sub-page or to a company history.

Incidentally, according to the timeline 2010 was a record year for awards. The Awards page, however, lists nothing later than 2009. Our 10th Commandment of About Us pages is “Remember to keep holy the updates.” This sort of discrepancy suggests no one’s minding the store.

Personality: D

The History page and the Enterprise Overview both mention that the Schneider company is a family enterprise, but neither one quotes the founder to show what his vision was. The Mission and Core Values page, where one might expect such information, offers statements so vague that they could apply to any company, for example: “Safe, courteous, hustling associates creating solutions that excite our customers.”

Accessibility: C

The Contact page is a long online form. We hate online forms because they seldom allow us to track our communication with the company. We particularly hate them when they’re so long they overrun the opening screen, suggesting that it will take a long time to fill them in. At the upper left of Schneider’s page are options for sending an email or making a phone call: these should be much more prominently placed.

TAKEAWAY

Schneider’s About Us pages have some potentially excellent material, but the material is not organized in a way that shows off its strengths.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

How many CEOs can you name?

2011-11-08T12:27:00.003-05:00

Steve Jobs's recent death, and the outpouring of love it has engendered, set me thinking about the Great Man theory of history.

I confess I am not an iPerson. CorporateHistory.net runs on PCs and software from Microsoft and Adobe. My smartphone is a Droid. And what I read of Jobs's managerial style made me cringe. Yes, eulogies are supposed to look beyond such things. I'm not here to eulogize, just to think out loud.

To qualify as a Great Man, it seems to me, a person should also be a great man without the caps. How does Jobs score there? On the invention front, shouldn't we also pause to remember with gratitude Martin Cooper, the father of the cell phone? He led the Motorola team that invented the concept a generation ago. Even though the early models weighed a cool 4 pounds, without them we wouldn't have smartphones.

Yet who recalls Martin Cooper's name? Following that train of thought, how many contemporary CEOs can you name? Mark Zuckerberg is easy. So is Lloyd Blankfein, if you read the business news. But how about IBM's CEO--the current one, not the woman who is soon to take over? Or the CEOs of the 2011 Fortune Top 5: Wal-Mart Stores, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Fannie Mae? I'm in the business of business history, and I'd flunk the test. All in all, I have to wonder if the Great Man theory is in large part a cult of personality.

And as for whether SIRI stands for "Steve is really inside," I'd rather have LIRI, with the L standing for Louis Armstrong. Now there was a Great, great man.

“About Us” Evaluation: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Gets a D

2011-10-31T09:29:00.003-04:00

MGM, headquartered in Los Angeles, was formed in 1924 by the merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Productions. During the following three decades the studio with “more stars than are in the heavens” dominated the movie business. Today MGM controls a library of about 4,100 films (including 15 that have won the Oscar® for Best Picture) and over 10,000 hours of television programming.

OVERALL GRADE: D

One of the biggest issues with MGM’s About Us pages is finding them. They’re buried under the link MGM Inc. in the tiny type at the foot of the Movies page (the home page). The Movies page gives no sense of how long the company’s been in business or what a wealth of great movies have been produced under its aegis – just a long, long list of movies that can be sorted by title or by category, but not by date or awards won.

Products/Services: C

The historical overview starts with a video that shows clips and stills from many of the great MGM movies. Mysteriously, the captions identify some but not all of these.

The text below the video is a decent overview of the company’s creation … but it’s illustrated with one and only one photo, a black-and-white pic of the studio’s headquarters. Why not have a timeline with important movies and TV shows, each with the same links to trailers and purchase info that the main Movies page offers? The point is not only to tell us about MGM, but to persuade us to purchase their products.

We’d also like to see all that gray space on the left and right put to better use. Bensi’s filled it with pictures of food; why doesn’t MGM fill it with movie and TV stills, as on the header to the Movies page? That blank filmstrip graphic at the top is a waste of space.

We cannot let pass the fact that minor grammatical errors in the history page subtly undermine the impression of high quality production that MGM presumably wants to convey. Of Midnight Cowboy, the page notes that “It was changed to an R-rating in 1971,” when the rating (rather than the movie) was changed. In the next paragraph there’s a simple typo, “THese” rather than “These.” And so on. As we said in our 9th Commandment of About Us pages, this sort of error is a “broken window” – it suggests the company is careless about details.

Personality: C

The Corporate Information page offers links to bios (not “bio’s”!) of MGM’s executives, but the bios are standard cookie-cutter summaries that don’t focus on what values drive the executives, and therefore the company. Stressing the number of MGM productions and the number of Academy Awards they’ve received would convey the company’s personality much more effectively.

Accessibility: E

Hello? Hello? Is anybody there?

Having an email list, a Facebook link, a Twitter feed, and a YouTube channel is not a substitute for offering an email address, a phone number, or a mailing address – none of which appear on MGM’s site.

TAKEAWAY

MGM has access to a breathtaking amount of great material spanning nearly a century: what a pity it’s not used more effectively!

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

“About Us” Evaluation: Blu Homes Gets an A

2011-10-24T07:03:00.002-04:00

Blu Homes, a privately owned company founded in 2008, manufactures environmentally friendly steel-frame houses that are prefabricated in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and unfolded on the building site. The average time from design to completion of the home is 3 to 4 months. We became aware of Blu Homes through an article in Forbes. Blu Homes’ About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

The appearance of the site fits the product the company offers: uncluttered and efficient. We like the fact that the header of every page is a changing series of pictures of the company’s homes - a constant reminder of what the company is about.

Products/Services: A+

The main About Us page offers a summary of the company’s product and outlook. The video clip is below the text, hence clearly optional--we particularly appreciate that, since we have little patience for loading videos of unknown content and length. We would like to see some illustrations here that would clarify the technical talk: floor plans, a LEEDS certification logo, and/or a simple graphic of the house being unfolded.

At the top of the sub-menu on the About Us page is a link to the Fact Sheet, an excellent, laudably brief summary of the company: when it was founded, who owns it, its clients, residential uses, environmental concerns, locations, leadership team, board of directors, board of advisors. It would be helpful here to include links within the summary to individual members of the leadership team, the advisors, and house models.

The company’s FAQ page also offers much useful information. Although the current layout gives a clean look, we’d like an option to see all the questions and answers at once, rather than having to click on each one.

Personality: A

Under Leadership Team, we like the fact that each person’s page begins with work experience, then personalizes him or her with community activities, interests, a fun fact, and education. At the foot of each page is a video--again clearly optional--in which the person talks about his or her connection with the company and its products.

Accessibility: A

A contact link appears at the upper right of every page, and a more prominent contact button usually appears on the right sidebar. The Contact page is dominated by a form that gathers information from potential home buyers. For those with other queries, we’re happy to see an email link and a press contact.

TAKEAWAY

The About Us pages for Blu Homes provide all the basic information in easily navigable layouts whose look complements the company’s mission. Well done!

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Netflix Customers Make History

2011-10-18T11:07:00.004-04:00

It isn't often that customers have the opportunity to shape a company's direction as strongly as has happened at Netflix.

"It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs," said an email from Netflix to customers this week. "This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster."

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and Netflix stayed on course. It would have continued to hemorrhage customers otherwise. This episode will become a business history case study, right along with the withdrawal of Coca-Cola's "New Coke" and other pivotal points in corporate history.

I'm not convinced that the July price change was necessary, but I'm glad to hear "we are now done with price changes." If nothing else, the company is emerging as a stronger corporate communicator: the email also informed streaming-only customers like me that we now have hundreds of new movies and more than 3,500 TV episodes to choose from. I'll be happy with one new addition that's as good as "Doc Martin."

“About Us” Evaluation: Luxury Air Jets Gets a C-

2011-10-10T06:55:00.002-04:00

Luxury Air Jets, headquartered in Manhattan, provides private jet or executive jet charter services. The main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: C-

We have two minor objections to the site. The six clocks in the header cleverly give a sense that Luxury Air Jets can take you around the world -- but their presence makes the page load very slowly in some browsers. This is not a good first impression for a company providing fast transportation.

Also, when we print out pages, the text appears as an illegible pale gray. While not everyone will want to print pages, it’s wise to make minor adjustments for the sake of wealthy curmudgeons who do.

Products/Services: C

The About Us page has adequate information about the company’s services, but it would be more enticing if the second section (“Charter Jet Services”) appeared at the top, before the vague statements of the company’s ethics and donations to charity. This page would also be a perfect place to illustrate the interiors and exteriors of some of the jets the company supplies, with links to pages providing further details.

Personality: D

The About Us page is a pitch for the company’s services. We don’t object to that, but we do think that those who are purchasing such a high-end service might wonder how long the company has been in business, who runs it, and what its track record is in terms of distance traveled, safety, pilots’ qualifications, and so on.

The brusquely titled Letter from MGT repeats material from the main About Us page, with no clue who owns and operates the company. Who’s MGT? Apparently it’s an abbreviation for management. Silly. There’s plenty of space to spell out the word in the headline – or better yet, to have the letter come from a real, named person.

Accessibility: C

For those in a hurry (and what jet traveler is not?), the company’s phone number always appears at the upper right. A “Request a Quote” button appears on the sidebar of every page -- but it takes us to a long, online form that leaves us no record of what we’ve sent. The Contact Us page has a similar form, although at least there is an actual email address buried at the end of the page.

TAKEAWAY

Luxury Air Jets misses many opportunities to persuade visitors that the company provides luxurious, reliable, and safe transportation.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Wondrous Workplace Dramas

2011-10-03T11:02:00.003-04:00

Aaron "The West Wing" Sorkin, the perpetual poet laureate of the workplace drama, saves the day with his screenplay for "Moneyball" (co-scripted with Steven Zaillian). This baseball fan naturally laughed and cheered at the field scenes -- but also at the conference room confabs with the sour old Oakland A's scouts and at the inside looks at the locker room (hey, they're workplaces too).

Back in the early 1990s I was busy rooting for Robbie Alomar in Toronto, and thus knew little about Billy Beane and the Oakland A's. It's been fun to catch up on which parts of "Moneyball" are fictionalized, and which parts draw directly from Michael Lewis's book.

On Broadway, "Man and Boy" is the workplace drama of choice. The Terence Rattigan plot about a corrupt financier is surprisingly modern, though the father-son relationship is a bit creaky. Maybe I'm just seeing it through 21st-century US eyes. I never miss a chance to marvel at Frank Langella artfully chewing the scenery. He is the American Laurence Olivier.

“About Us” Evaluation: Peter Pan Gets an A

2011-09-26T07:18:00.004-04:00

Peter Pan is one of America’s largest privately owned intercity bus companies, carrying over 4 million passengers per year in the Northeast on Peter Pan, ShowBus, BoltBus and other lines. Founded in 1933 in Springfield, Massachusetts and still headquartered there, it has been run by the Picknelly family for four generations. The company's main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Our one criticism Peter Pan’s site is technical. When its pages print, the tabs turn into a vertical list of links. People who print the pages will sigh in exasperation at the extra sheets of paper this requires.

Personality: A

Peter Pan’s Company History page is not full of bells and whistles, but it’s well laid out: broken into paragraphs with headings and with well-chosen photos. More importantly, its content is fascinating. It presents the company history as the history of four generations of the Picknelly family, noting coups such as providing the bus service for Bill Clinton’s 1992 whistle-stop tour and introducing e-tickets for buses.

We were impressed by the novelty of having the mission statement at the end of the company history. In that context, we can see how the mission has ruled company policy: it’s not a pie-in-the-sky statement.

The management page doesn’t tell us anything about the people who run the company, but it does make it clear that Peter Pan is still a family-run business.

Products/Services: A

The reason for acquiring each major bus line is explained in the history. We applaud this as an excellent way to mention what each line specializes in. We also like the fact that Peter Pan’s best drivers, the ones who have driven over a million miles without an accident, are showcased in the Safety and Drivers page. For good measure, customer testimonials are scattered throughout the site as well as on the Testimonials page.

Accessibility: A+

The Contact Us page is always available via a link at the upper right. We were pleasantly surprised to see the Mission Statement filling most of the page, with the email form tucked in at the right side. Many people would not bother to click on a separate Mission Statement page, but including the statement here, when customers are about to contact the company, helps remind customers about reasonable expectations for bus travel. (The company motto since the 1930s has been, “On time if possible with safety … late if necessary for safety’s sake.”)

TAKEAWAY

A company’s mission statement tends to be a noble abstraction. It’s exciting to see it placed where it makes sense: at the end of the company history and on the contact page.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company, although company president Marian Calabro recently traveled from New York City to Amherst, Mass., on Peter Pan; she enjoyed the experience.

Netflix' Negative History

2011-09-20T09:17:00.001-04:00

I’m one of the millions of Netflix users who got this week’s infamous email from CEO Reed Hastings. I’m also one of the hundreds of thousands who cancelled part of their service (in my case, the DVD-by-mail part) because I didn’t think it was worth the extra money -- and because the company didn’t bother to alert me in advance to the increase. I had to read about it elsewhere.

Policy gaffes aside, what’s interesting about Hastings’s communication are his references to Netflix company history (the italics are mine): “For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn't make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming. Most companies that are great at something – like AOL dialup or Borders bookstores – do not become great at new things people want (streaming for us) …. It’s hard to write this after over 10 years of mailing DVDs with pride, but we think it is necessary: In a few weeks, we will rename our DVD by mail service to ‘Qwikster.’ …. A negative of the renaming and separation is that the Qwikster.com and Netflix.com websites will not be integrated.”

Qwikster is starting life with a huge disability. It’ll be interesting to see if Netflix learns anything from its history. In this case, dissatisfied customers are the history teachers.

“About Us” Evaluation: Bensi Restaurants Gets a B+

2011-09-12T06:54:00.004-04:00

The first Bensi (“Always Fresh, All Ways Italian”) opened in 1983 in Tenafly, NJ. Currently 24 Bensi Restaurants are open or in development in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

OVERALL GRADE: B+

Products/Services: B

The feature we love most about Bensi’s site is the borders that appear on every page. They include the company’s distinctive awning, a selection of delicious-looking dishes and ingredients, a few glasses of wine, and photos of groups of jolly eaters. All this is set against a map of Italy. The border puts the text into a frame of reasonable size, but more importantly provides a constant reminder of what Bensi Restaurants are all about. (Movado Group, please take note!)

That said, we’d like to see a bit more about the food on the page that tells the Bensi Story. And we’d like Bensi to fix a problem common to restaurant Web sites: they tend to bury their locations and hours. Most people log onto eatery sites primarily for that information (and for menus). Bensi’s Locations page offers a big map with locations keyed to where they think you are. In our case, they were about 50 miles off. Why not add a text list of locations that users can quickly scroll?

Worse, even when you drill down, there are no opening/closing hours for each restaurant. Instead Bensi offers a general set of hours, buried in an red-on-cranberry band; it’s so hard to read that we missed it the first two times around. It’s quite possible that this basic lack of data drives users away to general sites like MenuPages, where they’ll be regaled with ads from Bensi’s competitors.

Accessibility: A

The link for the Contact page is prominently placed at the right of the menu bar on every page, and offers mail and email options. We particularly like the fact that we can click a button to have a copy of our email sent to us. While we recognize the practicality of email forms for avoiding spam, we are often upset that using such forms means we don’t have a record of what we said to the company. (By the way, we used the form a few months ago to email Bensi about the hours issue. They answered promptly and cordially, suggesting that we phone the individual restaurants. Why, when the Web site could so easily provide this info? Bottom line, we’re not expecting site changes any time soon.)

Personality: B

The Home page has a few sentences on the company, followed by a button for “Read the Full Story.” The story of Bensi is short (it’s a relatively new company), but its creators have given it “roots” by linking it to the founders’ families in Italy. We also like the emphasis given to the fact that each Bensi is run by co-owners (the chef and the general manager), which means the restaurants have slightly different personalities and are managed onsite, not from a distant headquarters.

We were somewhat confused by the fact that clicking “Read the Full Story” didn’t always take us to this history page. Eventually we realized that the target of the button changes depending on which of 4 pictures is showing on the Home page. We suggest having all 4 options show at once on the Home page.

TAKEAWAY

The stand-out feature of Bensi’s site is the borders that constantly remind visitors of the chain’s products and services. It’s a brilliant use of space that’s very often wasted.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Tips for Better Pictures = Tips for Better Speechwriting

2011-09-06T17:32:00.006-04:00

During a major file fling last week (such a liberating feeling), I unearthed a 1998 folder from Eastman Kodak titled "Tips for Better Pictures." It struck me that the same principles apply to speechwriting:

Show one subject clearly / Get closer / Simplify the background / Place subject off-center / Experiment with lighting / Try a different viewpoint

Digital cameras and cell phone photography have eclipsed the 35mm film featured in the Kodak folder, but otherwise little has changed. To me, the medium isn't the message; content matters most. If Marshall McLuhan were still around, I'd happily debate him on this matter. (He's not; McLuhan would turn 100 this year.)

"About Us" Evaluation: : Freeport McMoRan Gets a C

2011-08-29T06:53:00.003-04:00

Freeport McMoRan (FCX) is the world’s largest publicly traded producer of copper, the world’s largest producer of molybdenum, and a significant producer of gold. Its largest asset is the Grasberg mine in Indonesia. Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, it has more than 29,700 employees. Its main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: C

Accessibility: B

Compared to Kemet’s Contact Us page, Freeport McMoRan’s is conventional and boring, but it does give the usual information in the usual order, and it’s easy to find.

Products/Services: B

Freeport McMoRan’s business is clear on the main About Us page and on all the sub-pages. The photos are excellent: they show not only that the company is in mining, but that it’s mining on a huge scale.

We’d suggest combining the Who We Are, Our Skills, and Strategies pages into one page, with subheads and plenty of photos. As a narrative, they’d make more sense and be more likely to be read.

Personality: D

The About Us pages give little sense of what drives the company. The Management page states that the company has a 12-member Board of Directors, and gives the names of the chairman of the board and the CEO. The History page was clearly cobbled together after Freeport McMoRan acquired Phelps Dodge in 2007. It starts with a timeline of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold from 1988 to 2007. Although the introductory paragraph states that the “Freeport” part of the company dates to the early 1900s, no history is given for Freeport, nor is any explanation given of why the other half of the company name is “McMoRan.”

At the end of the History page is a brief narrative account of Phelps Dodge, founded in 1834. This was clearly an afterthought, probably pasted in from the old Phelps Dodge site. Yes, there should be some information on Phelps Dodge, but the emphasis here is all wrong: the acquisition gets more attention to its history than the main company does.

TAKEAWAY

The best aspect of Freeport McMoRan’s site is the great use of high-quality photos that clearly convey the company’s products and scope.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Saving Scrapbooks for History

2011-08-22T09:53:00.004-04:00

If you want to see an archivist cringe (but who would?), hand her a scrapbook. Sure, scrapbooks are often full of artifacts, but items are likely to tear and crumble at the slightest touch.

In the archiving projects undertaken by CorporateHistory.net, we’ve helped rescue more than a few scrapbooks that illuminate company history. One yielded a telegram from Teddy Roosevelt to flag company executive Louis Annin Ames. It’s not a document that will change the course of American history, but we and the Annin company were excited to discover it. (Annin & Co., Inc., America’s oldest flag maker, is still going strong into the sixth generation.)

With this in mind, it was heartening to read that Woody Guthrie’s scrapbooks are being restored thanks to an $80,000 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. Apparently the great songwriter saved everything from letters to lyrics to utility bills. Better yet, you can even decipher his handwriting (he trained as a sign painter in his youth). Pages from the albums will illustrate an upcoming book about Guthrie by his daughter Nora, and the Guthrie Foundation and Archives hopes to mount a traveling display soon. Guthrie would have turned 100 in 2013.

“About Us” Evaluation: Movado Gets a D

2011-08-15T07:46:00.004-04:00

Movado is famed for the “Museum Watch,” whose face has a single gold dot at the 12:00 spot, and which was the first watch displayed at the Museum of Modern Art. The company’s roots go back to Switzerland in 1881, although the company’s headquarters are now in Paramus, NJ. The Movado Group designs, manufactures, and distributes luxury timepieces (Movado, Concord, Ebel, ESQ) and fashion watches (Coach, Hugo Boss, Juicy Couture, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger). Its About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: D

The main About Us page and all the sub-pages have black text in a center box with a scroll bar, set in a sea of white space. We are always inexpressibly annoyed at this sort of set-up. It makes it difficult to skim the page or to refer back to earlier material on it. And it wastes prime territory: why are there no photos of the watches on these pages? The LVMH Group did a spectacular job with a similar set-up.

Accessibility: C

The Contact Us page is adequate, offering the option to visit the pages of different brands, to contact a service center, or to write or call the company headquarters.

Personality: D

Movado’s About Us pages are stark black and white, without personality. The only exception is a reprint (in black and white, without illustrations) of a 2003 article from Watch Time on Movado Group founder Gerry Grinberg. Once we scrolled through page after page of tiny type, we learned that Grinberg played an important role in the history of luxury watch sales in the United States. Why not give this more attention? And why not feature newer material? Eight years is an eternity in Web time.

Products/Services: E

It is inexcusable not to have images of watches produced by Movado on the About Us pages, as well as on the separate pages for each brand. Would we click an extra link to look at an unfamiliar brand? Probably not. Would we click that link if we saw a photo of a gorgeous watch next to the link? Well, yes.

TAKEAWAY

By not including photos, Movado loses a great opportunity to entice viewers to look at its products.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

How Not to Engage an Audience

2011-08-08T09:44:00.001-04:00

“Stand up so we can embarrass you,” the keynote speaker said with a booming laugh as he approached a table of business owners. I shook my head and thought: “Did he really say that?” This took place at a networking breakfast sponsored by a large company with which CorporateHistory.net does business.

Obviously the speaker was trying hard to engage a fairly sleepy audience, something his wordy PowerPoint slides hadn’t done. He did get people to stand up and talk. I found him heavy-handed, but then I always prefer an appeal to the brain rather than an elbow in the ribs; give me Monty Python over Mel Brooks any day. Seeking a reality check, I turned to public speaking expert and speechwriting teacher Joan Detz. Here’s her reply:

“'Stand up so we can embarrass you!’ Well, Marian, if I had been there to hear it, I’d have slunk to the back door and disappeared! My guess is: Even though a few people stood up and participated, many more were sitting there uncomfortable –- feeling ‘relieved’ only when that portion of the presentation was over with.”

Thank you, Joan! P.S. A few days after the breakfast, a participant emailed the rest of us to voice his disappointment. He wished that the speaker’s time had been devoted to meeting other participants. In short, a subpar speaker dragged down an otherwise useful event.

About Us” Evaluation: Kemet Gets an A+

2011-08-01T07:08:00.005-04:00

Kemet became an independent company in 1990, after 71 years as a subsidiary of Union Carbide. Originally it produced a crucial part for vacuum tubes. After the invention of the transistor, its facilities were retooled to manufacture capacitors. Kemet, headquartered in South Carolina, has manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A+

Products/Services: A+
Kemet’s main About Us page is a top-notch history page: an essay with narrative flow that covers all major aspects of the company since 1919. There are passing references to the role of the company on the world scene (Kemet capacitors used in vacuum tubes during World War II, in the Apollo moon landing, etc.), but the focus is on the company’s products, growth, IPO, consolidation, and manufacturing facilities.
The page begins with an introduction that stresses Kemet’s passion for quality and customer service, and ends by noting that Kemet produces billions of capacitors per year. Every sentence of the page not only tells the company’s history, but helps sell the product. And despite the highly abstruse nature of the product, we are never overwhelmed with technical jargon.

The only suggestion we’d make (and we’ve make this one so often that we feel like an echo of an echo) is that the essay could benefit from some illustrations. A decade ago, we were grateful when companies didn’t assume we had a fast enough connection to download photos. But this is 2011, and now we’re bored when we don’t get at least a few graphics to break up large blocks of text. Surely a company nearly 100 years old has some archival photos that would make a fascinating accompaniment to its history.

Accessibility: A+
Rarely do we see Contact Us pages that are novel as well as effective: Kemet’s contact page is both. Rather than a list of names and addresses, it lets the reader choose one of several statements: “I need some literature on one of your products,” “I would like sample parts sent to me,” etc. Each statement is linked to an appropriate page. If you want product literature, for example, you’re sent to a page where you can check off items and submit a request. At the foot of the main Contact page (but still “above the fold” for most screens) are the addresses and phone numbers for corporate headquarters and subsidiary offices.

Personality: A
We like the Leadership Team page, which offers 4- to 5-line bios of Kemet’s top executives (name, title, experience, training) on a single page. For most purposes, that’s all we need to get a sense of who’s in charge. The “group” photo of all the executives standing in a row was clearly Photoshopped, but gives a nice impression that all of them work cheerfully together.

The only page on the Kemet site that we disliked was Guiding Principles, which appears as a flash presentation that can’t be paused or printed. Why not offer an option for a print version or one whose speed the viewer can control?

TAKEAWAY
The text of Kemet’s history page could be used as a model for many companies, both for its narrative flow and for the way it covers a wide range of points without ever becoming lost in technical detail. Kemet’s Contact Us page ranks as one of the best we’ve seen for deftly directing visitors to the information they want.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Gasp! Google Publishes a Book

2011-07-26T19:24:00.004-04:00

To cut through the clutter, Google has opted to publish its "Think Quarterly" b-to-b publication on paper and to bind it. Yes, the result in plain English is a hardcover book. And (are you sitting down?) Google will distribute it to marketing execs by postal mail.

Granted, Google's book has a few cool production values most books don't (not even CorporateHistory.net's corporate histories, though we may consider these ideas). Words on the front cover can be moved around, like magnets on a refrigerator. And when you touch the endpapers the colors will change, just like the mood rings you enjoyed in fourth grade.

No big surprise, really, if you recall what Sergey Brin, Google’s cofounder and president of technology, told The New York Times on January 5, 2009: “There is fantastic information in books. Often when I do a search, what is in a book is miles ahead of what I find on a Web site.”

I love to think of Brin sitting in his office with a volume of Shakespeare, getting caught up in Hamlet and discovering the origin of "hoist on his own petard."

http://nyti.ms/pTnjLf

“About Us” Evaluation: Chicago Manual of Style Gets an A

2011-07-18T07:37:00.005-04:00

The Chicago Manual of Style first appeared in 1906, as a handbook for typographers at the University of Chicago Press. Now in its sixteenth edition, it is one of the most widely used guides to grammar, usage, and document preparation for American English. The main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Personality: A
The only people mentioned on the Chicago Manual of Style site are the eminent figures on the Advisory Board. This is perfectly appropriate, since the Manual is portrayed as an impersonal authority on currently accepted usage--not as a group of writers with quirks of their own.

The image of an impersonal authority is buttressed by the substantial page devoted to the history of the Manual, which stresses its origins as the handbook for a university press with advisors in publishing and academia. We would like to see that large block of text broken up with some illustrations: covers of earlier editions are the obvious choice.

The layout--a sturdy, legible font in pink, green, and blue on a white background--matches the personality the Manual is projecting: classic with a modern edge. We were particularly struck by this in contrast to Berkshire Hathaway’s site, where the colors are similar but both the font and the colors seem to be computer defaults.

Products/Services: A+
Since the bulk of the Manual’s sales are probably current users buying updated editions, it’s a great touch to have pages listing what’s new in the 16th edition and significant rule changes. We love the offer of the first edition of the Manual as a free PDF. It reminds readers that the Manual has been in use for a hundred years, but also gives us a glimpse into how usage has changed, and presumably will keep on changing. All the more reason to buy the latest edition of the Manual.

Accessibility: B
Contact information is buried under “Help,” but the options are perfectly adequate to this particular site: contact customer service, report a problem with the site, or submit a question.

TAKEAWAY
This is a nearly perfect, laser-focused site for a single product that relies largely on repeat customers. It’s simple and elegant, with the on the authority of the product and the customer’s need for the latest version.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company, although CMS is our style guide of choice.

Low budget, high impact: Sierra Trading’s 25th anniversary

2011-07-12T12:18:00.004-04:00

Sierra Trading Post has peppered its summer catalogs with short blurbs celebrating “25 Years of Great Deals.” Nothing fancy, but that’s in keeping with a company that offers closeouts and seconds from brand-name retailers. Even this super-casual approach to corporate history relies on the usual good elements: timelines, memorabilia, photos.

But what’s especially effective are the tributes to the company's history from business partners like Columbia Sportswear and long-time customers. And Sierra Trading Post is celebrating by giving away more than $25,000 worth of goodies to entrants (in exchange for your email address) at www.stp.me/25th.

“About Us” Evaluation: Berkshire Hathaway Defies Grading

2011-07-05T06:08:00.005-04:00

Berkshire Hathaway, run by Warren Buffett and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, oversees and manages businesses ranging from railroads (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) and ice cream (Dairy Queen) to paint (Benjamin Moore), underwear (Fruit of the Loom), and newspapers (Buffalo News). Over the past 40-odd years the company’s average annual growth has been 20 percent, making Buffett one of the most successful investors of all time and Berkshire Hathaway the eighth largest public company in the world (market value $187 billion). At over $110,000 per share of Class A stock, Berkshire Hathaway is the most expensive stock on the New York Stock Exchange. Its home page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: D (for “Defies Grading”)
Of the 19 "About Us" and corporate history evaluations we've written, Berkshire Hathaway has been by far the most difficult--and not because of the complexity of the site, which consists of a couple pages of blue text on a white ground. If it were any more low-tech, the page would be in DOS. There is no About Us page, and very little of the information we usually grade on: personality, products, accessibility. Someone seeking to check facts about Berkshire Hathaway would come up empty-handed.

On the other hand, we had to ask: What’s the point of spending time and money on an About Us page when your business is that successful and your founder is lauded as “The Oracle of Omaha”? Do you really need a corporate history page when bookshelves are groaning with volumes about Warren Buffett?

In the case of Berkshire Hathaway, we think it comes down to this: Even for a company as stupendously successful as Berkshire Hathaway, having a decent website (including an About Us page) is like putting on a clean shirt and tie to go to the office: you do it partly from self-respect, partly from attention to the current conventions. “Decent” in this case doesn’t mean all the latest bells and whistles. It means offering the right content in the right order. With that in mind, we offer these comments.

Accessibility: F (or A)
Berkshire Hathaway is famous for keeping minimal staff at its headquarters. Its stockholders trust Warren Buffett’s judgment and don’t expect to be consulted about Berkshire Hathaway’s investments. Not surprisingly, the company positively discourages contact: “If you have any comments about our WEB page [caps theirs] you can either write us at the address shown above or e-mail us at berkshire@berkshirehathaway.com. However, due to the limited number of personnel in our corporate office, we are unable to provide a direct response.”

By our usual standards, Berkshire Hathaway ought to get an “F” for making it difficult to contact them. By their own standards, they get an “A” for eliminating distractions and getting on with their work.

Personality: F
The website conveys none of the personality of Warren Buffett or the exemplary record of Berkshire Hathaway stock. We can understand the choice not to promote themselves. However, we are exasperated by the order of the material that is included.

The most prominent place on the home page (top of the left column) has a link to a Message from Warren E. Buffett, which turns out to be an exhortation to buy from GEICO Insurance and Borsheim’s, two companies that Berkshire Hathaway owns.

Why are the annual and interim reports in the left-hand column, the letters to stockholders on the right? Why is the one and only link to a time-sensitive issue (Sokol’s trading in Lubrizol shares) halfway down the right-hand column, tucked between Charlie Munger’s letters to shareholders and annual meeting information? A few horizontal lines would do wonders to clarify the organization of this page.

One good point: most links on the home page say “Updated June 24, 2011” (or whatever the actual date was). We wish more sites did this.

Products/Services: D
The home page includes a link to a page of companies Berkshire Hathaway owns. If it’s worth having this list on the site, then it’s worth including the company logos and a one-line description of the products and services they offer. It would be an effective way of promoting all these companies as well as GEICO and Borsheim’s.

TAKEAWAY
A website, including an About Us page, is the public face of the 21st-century company. Even if the company is famous, the site should meet certain basic standards of good writing and presentation. There’s plain and then there’s too plain – and then there’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

100 Years in 13:15 minutes

2011-06-29T10:12:00.004-04:00

This unprecedented corporate history video by Erol Morris will make you think that IBM invented 99 percent of the things we started using in the last 100 years -- and you wouldn't be far wrong.

Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Morris isn't someone you'd normally associate with company histories, though he has created scads of high-concept TV ads. It's likely that IBM devoted a seven-figure budget to this production alone, with similarly healthy investments in its other 100th anniversary and corporate history efforts.

The genius lies in having 100 real people present IBM's business history achievements, each one from the year they were born.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39jtNJGgmd4
http://ibm.com/ibm100

“About Us” Evaluation: Algonquin Hotel Gets an A

2011-06-20T06:36:00.004-04:00

The Algonquin Hotel in midtown Manhattan, in business since 1902, is the oldest operating hotel in New York City. It prides itself on its traditions and its status as a cultural center. Perhaps its greatest claim to fame is as the home of the Algonquin Round Table, whose members (among them Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and Harpo Marx) changed the face of American comedy. The Algonquin’s main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Personality: A minus

The mention of famous guests that have stayed at the Algonquin or dined there over the past century is a great touch--it gives us a sense of the type of clients the hotel caters to. It would be even better to quote such celebrities. If Noel Coward, Dorothy Parker, Angela Lansbury, or Harry Connick, Jr. made a comment on about why they loved the Algonquin, why not showcase it?

The interviews with long-time staff members Gulfer “Chuck” Shah and Bob Wilson (under Staff Stories) give a personal face to the hotel: these are the people most guests would be interacting with.

The Interesting Facts page is full of charming tidbits. It would be much more attractive and readable, though, if the facts came with photos. Transforming this page into an illustrated timeline would be a great way to incorporate even more names and stress the longevity and cultural importance of the Algonquin.

Products/Services: A

We love the fact that the Algonquin stresses its uniqueness: its long history, its distinguished guests, its status as a cultural center, its hotel cat. Doubtless many high-end hotels track their guests’ preferences, but the Algonquin gets points for playing this up, on the Traditions of the Algonquin and the Staff Stories pages. Given their history, we’d like to see more photos that convey the ambience of the hotel.

The Algonquin was recently acquired by Marriott. We applaud the fact that the Algonquin’s website wasn’t overhauled to give it a homogenized, corporate feel.

Accessibility: A

The footer on every page has the hotel’s address and a contact link, which is adequate. We wonder why there’s no direct contact for media, even on the Newsroom page. People who can offer free publicity should always have their paths made easy.

TAKEAWAY

Sometimes a slick set of About Us pages is less effective than a series of pages that emphasize a company’s uniqueness. But it’s still important to cover the basics, including--if the organization is a century old, as the Algonquin is--the qualities and the attitude that have made the company last so long.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

10 Commandments of About Us Pages (continued)

2011-06-13T17:56:00.001-04:00

Commandment 10. Remember to keep holy the updates. Once your “About Us” pages are polished, keep them fresh. A copyright date from even one year ago suggests that no one’s minding the store.

Tenth in a series; for the entire series, click here.

“About Us” Evaluation: Sweet Revenge Gets a C

2011-06-06T06:43:00.005-04:00

Sweet Revenge, which opened in 2008 in New York’s West Village, serves wine and beer paired with “grown-up” cupcake flavors such as chorizo sausage and Manchego cheese. The restaurant’s unique concept was developed by Marlo Scott, who hated her corporate job and prides herself on having launched her own business (hence the restaurant’s name). Sweet Revenge was the cover story of Entrepreneur magazine in April 2011. Its About Us page (“The Story of”) is here. Unfortunately, Scott couldn’t land the Web address you’d expect – a plain dot-com. For the record, the company’s address is sweetrevengenyc.com.

OVERALL GRADE: C

We like the graphic design of this site: the calligraphic lettering and stained parchment are about as far from corporate as you can get. All by itself, this design makes a statement “About Us.”

Products/Services: D

Clicking on The Story Of takes visitors to a page called “Genesis” and starts loading a video. This is a problem: not all of us want or have the time to watch a video, particularly when we don’t know its length or the content. Another drawback: the video doesn’t open at all unless you have Apple’s Quicktime, which some PC loyalists are not interested in downloading.

“Genesis” is an animated account of how Scott left a mega-corporation to open Sweet Revenge. While the visuals are attractive and the story is told in a charmingly offbeat way, the video is more about Scott hating her previous job than about the delicious uniqueness of her restaurant. And for a restaurant’s website, the About Us page should never veer too far from evoking the mouth-watering food that a visitor to the restaurant will be able to see, smell, touch, taste.

Incidentally, on the Sweet Revenge home page we’d love to see some names attached to those yummy-looking photos that cycle at the upper right. It’s not obvious which one’s the chorizo and cheese and which one’s the Jamaican curry. Besides, a hasty visitor might not realize that this is anything more than another Magnolia Bakery wannabe. In this respect, the Entrepreneur article was more enticing than the company’s own site.

Personality: B

Clicking on Bio under “The Story Of” takes us to a short description of Scott’s career, which ends with a clever reference to “the sweetest revenge.” Unfortunately, this narrative is only a variation on the Genesis video.

Yes, it is fascinating that Scott ditched corporate life and is doing very well in a niche market that she created. But again, we’d like to see more focus on the positive (the food) rather than the negative (what Scott wanted to escape from). Which cupcakes were most popular among the friends who served as her guinea pigs? What were some of the bizarre flavors that didn’t make the cut? Scott’s personality comes through vividly, but About Us pages always need to be closely tied to the product or service being offered – and to how it solves a problem or meets a need for the potential customer, even if the need is as frivolous as what flavor of cupcake to try.

Accessibility: C

The address and phone number appear in the footer on every page, but there’s no email for contacting Sweet Revenge. There’s also no separate contact for media and no encouragement (or specific contact info for) those who wish to order sizable numbers of cupcakes in advance, though the “Extra! Extra!” page vaguely hints at it. (Cute page title, perhaps too cute.) We wouldn’t even know that mass orders are possible had we not read Entrepreneur’s cover story.

TAKEAWAY

Media coverage provides invaluable clues about the aspects of your product or service that interest outsiders. Be sure to include information about those aspects in your About Us pages. And when you’re in retail, sell your product at least as much as you sell your personal story.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

10 Commandments of About Us Pages (continued)

2011-05-31T06:18:00.002-04:00

Commandment 9. Worship clarity. Check your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other fine points. Errors here are “broken windows.” They suggest you’re careless with details--that you may be as indifferent to a misplaced decimal point as you are to a misplaced apostrophe.

Ninth in a series; for the series so far, click here. Commandment 10 will be posted in mid-June.

“About Us” Evaluation: Airbnb Gets an A plus

2011-05-23T07:10:00.003-04:00

Airbnb crosses old-fashioned bed-and-breakfast lodgings with social networking, putting travelers in direct contact with private individuals willing to rent anything from a single room to a whole castle. In the 3 years since its founding in 2008, Airbnb’s property-rental listings have increased from 40 to 40,000. Airbnb was featured in a story in Entrepreneur magazine in April 2011. Its main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A plus

We particularly love the intelligent use of photos on the About Us pages of this site. Airbnb is a service for travelers, and nothing makes one want to go on the road as much as a gorgeous picture of an exotic destination. But the well-thought-out use of photos goes beyond collages of exotic rentals. The Story page, for example, includes a photo of the Airbnb’s staff in their former office, with a huge map of the world on one wall. The image conveys that the company has a worldwide scope even though it’s a small operation.

We also like the graphics on the site, which are reminiscent of social networking sites such as Facebook: again, a perfect fit for the type of service Airbnb offers.

Products/Services: A plus

The About page is not about Airbnb’s founders or staff, but an explanation of the service Airbnb offers. This makes sense, given that Airbnb isn’t an intermediary in booking the rentals: guests contact hosts directly.

The only minor change we’d recommend on this page is putting the headings “Booking Made Easy” and “Host Like a Pro” side by side at the top, and demoting the “Vitals” section to a less prominent position, or even to the Press page. The statistics in “Vitals”--the company’s year of founding, current size, etc.--are not likely to persuade anyone to use the site.

Personality: A plus

The founders of the company only appear on the Team page, which is listed at the bottom of the About menu. We appreciate the fact that the founders’ bios are brief, and that each showcases a connection to Airbnb. For example, we learn that Brian Chesky, CEO and co-founder, gave up his apartment last year and has since been living in rentals offered on Airbnb. (Still, Brian, can’t you find a better photo of yourself--preferably one without red eyes?)

Since many of us would be anxious about allowing complete strangers into our homes, we also appreciate the fact that the Press page offers links to stories about Airbnb that have appeared in mainstream media. Directing visitors to outside sources who can testify to the integrity, credibility, and value of your company is always an excellent move. Having the logos of the media appear makes a good impression even on those who don’t click on the links.

Accessibility: A plus

It’s pleasantly easy to contact the host of any place listed or to list your own space for rental. The contact for Airbnb (which far fewer visitors would need on this sort of site) is in the footer.

TAKEAWAY

Airbnb’s About Us pages offer enticing visuals and emphasize the social networking aspect of the company, rather than the company’s employees: an intelligent choice given the type of service they offer. Appropriate About Us content is always determined by the products and services offered.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

10 Commandments of About Us Pages (continued)

2011-05-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

Commandment 8. Remember to make yourself and your organization easily accessible. Give visitors a variety of ways to contact you. Make the contact information easy to find from any page. Reminding visitors of why they want to contact you is a great way to end an About Us page.

Eighth in a series; for the series so far, click here. Commandment 9 will be posted in early June.

“About Us” Evaluation: Campbell's Soup Gets an F

2011-05-09T07:00:00.005-04:00

Campbell Soup is one of the world’s largest food companies, with a market value of over $10 billion. Founded in 1869 and headquartered in Camden, NJ, it sells products in 120 countries. The main About Us page (“Our Company”) is here.

OVERALL GRADE: F

The Campbell’s site has serious technical problems. Every time we visited over the past six weeks, the navigation menus have either overlapped each other or stretched clear across the page. Finding any page within the site is very difficult.

Accessibility: D

The best we can say about Campbell’s site is that every footer has a contact link and that the contact page offers a toll-free number, a mailing address, and an online form for email. Nowhere, however, are visitors encouraged to offer suggestions, praise, or complaints.

Products/Services: F

As far as we can tell, given the navigation problems, Campbell’s has no About Us page aimed at consumers. There’s no mention of the company’s founding in 1869. No mention that Campbell’s invented condensed soup. No mention of products that have been household names for decades: Cream of Mushroom Soup, V8, Goldfish Crackers. No mention of awards, including the medal from the Paris Exhibition of 1900 that still appears on the classic Campbell’s soup packaging. No explanation of the Campbell’s Kids. No mention of Andy Warhol’s pop-art renditions of Campbell’s soup cans or of Ronald Reagan’s ads for V8.

What is Campbell’s thinking? The “Mmm, Mmm, Good” people aren’t so good at telling us about themselves.

Personality: F

The About Us page seems to be aimed at investors and suppliers: the links are to the Executive Team, Labels for Education, Stamp Out Hunger, Around the World, Directions to World Headquarters, Supplier Requirements, and Supplier Diversity. Not a single one of these links works. Again as far as we can tell, there’s no statement of the company’s goals, no option to read an annual report, no mention of the company’s most successful products or its plans to maintain or increase sales.

TAKEAWAY

Even a $10 billion company that’s been a household name for generations should have an About Us page that reminds people how long it has been around and why it has survived and prospered. It saddens us to say that Campbell’s Soup, an American stalwart and one of New Jersey’s biggest corporate citizens, has the worst set of About Us pages that we’ve seen in this series of evaluations. In addition, technical problems abound. Wake up, folks!

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

10 Commandments of About Us Pages (continued)

2011-05-02T07:04:00.003-04:00

Commandment 7. Remember to keep navigation easy. Once you’ve got great content, attractively presented, make sure it’s easily accessible. Your navigation bars should look like navigation bars, and they should provide access to all pages. The text of the About Us page should include links to relevant subpages or to other pages on your site.

Seventh in a series; for the series so far, click here. Commandment 8 will be posted in mid May.

“About Us”: GlaxoSmithKline Gets an A Minus

2011-04-25T07:22:00.003-04:00

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has grown from a pharmacy established in London in 1715 to the world’s third largest pharmaceutical company. It produces an array of vaccines and treatments for asthma, cancer, viral infections, AIDS/HIV, and diabetes, as well over-the-counter medicines and other healthcare products. GSK’s main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A minus

Confused visitors quickly become exasperated visitors, and then non-visitors. Why are some of the links in the menu at the upper left of the About Us page repeated in the About Us menu directly below the first menu, and repeated yet again under Quick Links at the lower right? At the very least, one of these menus should be made more prominent, so we’re pushed in a particular direction.

We are also put off by the fact that the American site of GSK does not have its own About Us page; instead, the viewer is switched to the U.K. site. The U.S. site would benefit from having a U.S.-oriented history page.

Personality: A minus

The history on the GSK site is extensive, well illustrated, and easy to access: there’s a link to it on the main About Us page. It gives a summary of events, with the option to click on each event for details. The expanded view stays open until we close it. We greatly appreciate the fact that GSK offers us the option of a non-flash version. All these are excellent features that we wish we saw more often.

The main About Us page has links to Presentations by the company’s leaders over the last few years--a great way to put a face on the company.

Accessibility: A

The Contact Us page is extensive and well-organized, making it easy to find the appropriate contact for media, investors, job-seekers, and so on. Our only quibble is that the Contact Us link appears at the end of the menu at the upper left. Most sites have it at the upper right and/or in the footer, so it took us a couple seconds longer than usual to spot it.

Products/Services: B

The About Us statement on the main About Us page is: “to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.” This could apply equally well to any of GSK’s competitors, or to the company whose name follows it in the phone book. Such a statement is useless as what Rosser Reeves called a “Unique Selling Proposition.”

In GSK’s case, the fix is simple. Incorporate on the main About Us page a few facts from the Company page, which offers an excellent summary of the company’s global presence, its research on the World Health Organization’s top-priority diseases, and its production of vaccines and of medicines for life-threatening illnesses.

We applaud the Awards page, which lists awards in four different categories and states what each was given for. We’d like to see links to media coverage of these awards, so visitors to the site would be directed toward the most positive things the media has to say about GSK.

TAKEAWAY

Even an organization with global reach and a wide array of products should summarize itself on the main About Us page. GSK has an exceedingly good range of materials linked to the About Us page: it’s only the main page that needs tweaking.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

10 Commandments of About Us Pages (continued)

2011-04-18T07:07:00.003-04:00

Commandment 6: Honor thy visuals. A solid block of 9-point Verdana tempts visitors to click and move on. Break the text into paragraphs or themes or timelines. Use subheads. Add photos, both current and archival, and generously lace them with captions.

Sixth in a series; for the series so far, click here. Commandment 7 will be posted in early May.

“About Us” Evaluation: Poetry Foundation Gets an A

2011-04-11T07:02:00.003-04:00

The Poetry Foundation is an independent literary organization devoted to achieving a more prominent role for poetry in our culture. Its roots go back to Poetry magazine, founded in 1912, and to the Modern Poetry Association, founded in 1941, but its present incarnation is thanks to a lavish bequest from philanthropist Ruth Lilly.

OVERALL GRADE: A

This is a wonderful “About Us” page: it’s elegantly simple but packed with info. Shades of green and orange are used to set off main topics and subdivisions. We don’t even need to read headings to sort out the topics and their priority: the colors and sequence do it all. Edward Tufte would approve.

Products/Services: B plus

The left-hand column presents the history of the Foundation and its goals. We love the fact that a great deal of information is condensed into a small space, with an appropriate subheading and pictures of the two most important figures in the organization.

The order could be a bit more logical, though. After a brief statement of the Foundation’s nature (the first paragraph), why not tell us about Harriet Monroe and Poetry magazine near the top (where Monroe’s picture appears), then Ruth Lilly’s bequest, then the organization’s current endeavors?

One oddity: the organization’s tax-exempt status is mentioned twice, in the context of making donations, but there is no pep talk about why anyone might want to donate. Indeed, the first mention of donations is immediately followed by the information that Lilly’s bequest guarantees that Poetry magazine will exist in perpetuity--and so, presumably, has no need of further donations.

Personality: A

Just right of the introduction to the Poetry Foundation is a series of letters from the president of the Foundation (accompanied by a photo) that gives us a sense of who runs the organization and what his priorities are. Again, it’s simple but effective.

Accessibility: A plus

Without leaving this page, we can navigate to a list of the staff and board members (column 2), become a fan on Facebook or Twitter or (column 3), subscribe to a newsletter (column 3), and subscribe to RSS feeds or send an email to the Foundation (footer). We particularly like the fact that near the top of column 3 are up-to-the-minute ways for the tech-savvy to get more poetry into their lives: for example, a free iPhone app for poetry.

TAKEAWAY

This is one of the best single-page About Us pages we’ve seen. It’s dense, but hierarchically organized (as much by colors, graphics, and placement as by words), resulting in a page that’s informative, attractive, and easy to navigate.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

10 Commandments of About Us Pages (continued)

2011-04-04T07:00:00.003-04:00

Commandment 5: Honor thy readers and their attention spans. Hurried visitors will be more likely to finish your page if you ruthlessly cut anything that’s not crucial for that enticing overview. Can’t bear to part with a paragraph that’s unnecessary for the Big Picture? Move it to another page and add a link. At the same time, give good material its due. Some topics need explication, and some audiences (especially literary folks) enjoy longer copy.

Fifth in a series; for the series so far, click here. Commandment 6 will be posted in mid April.

“About Us”: Kikkoman Corporation Gets a C Minus

2011-03-28T06:34:00.004-04:00

Kikkoman Corporation, best known for soy sauce, is also the world’s leading wholesaler of Oriental food. The present company, founded in 1917, developed from a group of family-owned Japanese businesses that were producing soy sauce as early as 1603. The main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: C Minus

Products/Services: D

We like the illustration of early soy-sauce production, but the blank space on Kikkoman’s main About Us page could be used to entice us into other pages on the site. For example, the headings under Corporate Profile could be accompanied by a brief description and an image: “Message from the Chairman. Yuzaburo Mogi, Chairman and CEO, talks about his goals and his vision for the company’s future.”

We’d also like to see a statement of the company’s products, since most English-speaking readers associate Kikkoman’s only with soy sauce. The information that Kikkoman is the world’s leading wholesaler of Oriental food is buried halfway through the Global Vision page. Though heavy with corporate-speak, this page also reveals that Kikkoman has goals it plans to implement by 2020, its 50th year in the U.S. market. We applaud the use of the anniversary as a benchmark.

Personality: D

The History page is among the worst we’ve examined in this series of About Us evaluations. The first entry is 1925, even though the roots of the company stretch back to 1603. The 38 entries include such events as mergers, acquisitions, and the establishment of production facilities, without any explanation of their significance. No illustrations relieve the text. Kikkoman has a long, proud tradition of producing and distributing quality products: the History page completely fails to convey that.

Kikkoman also misses a great opportunity by not including the story of the Kikkoman logo as part of its History page. The Corporate Brand page describes the logo in detail, explaining the choice of color and font for the word “Kikkoman”--but it refers only in passing to the “traditional hexagon.” Only in the third paragraph of the Overview page (the fifth item on the main About Us table of contents, hence a page hasty viewers will never reach) is it explained--without an illustration!--that the “traditional hexagon” is in fact a representation of a the shell of a tortoise (long-lived) with the symbol for “10,000” superimposed on it, together suggesting the longevity of the company. The story is colorful; it deserves a more vivid presentation.

Accessibility: C

Finding the right contact information on Kikkoman’s site requires several steps. The Directory page (listed as a subhead under Corporate Profile) shows a map of the world that highlights the names of continents where Kikkoman’s has a presence. Click on one and you reach another full-screen map that shows locations on that particular continent. But the locations aren’t clickable: you have to scroll down to see a printed list of contact information. (Curiously, it’s only on these pages that we learn that Kikkoman makes soy sauce at two U.S. locations—in Wisconsin and California.)

The Contact Us link at the upper right of every page on the Kikkoman site links to an online form, which means the sender won’t have a record of when he contacted Kikkoman, or where the message went. We understand the usefulness of these forms in reducing spam, but we appreciate it when a company tells us they’ll send a copy of our message, or at least offers us the option of having a copy sent.

TAKEAWAY

For a company whose roots go back 400 years, the Kikkoman site is singularly lacking in history--which makes their corporate personality considerably less tasty than their soy sauce. More than most, a foreign company’s About Us page in English must be aimed at people who know little or nothing about the company’s products, traditions, and operating principles.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

10 Commandments of "About Us" Pages (continued)

2011-03-21T07:12:00.003-04:00

Commandment 4: Don’t take your own name in vain. Readers may find all kinds of things about you on a Web search. That’s why, on your About Us page, you should refer visitors to outside sources who can testify to the value of your products, your management, your expertise, and your good works. When objective third parties confirm what you’re saying, your credibility is increased.

Fourth in a series; for the series so far, click here. Commandment 5 will be posted in mid-April.

“About Us”: Knob Creek Gets an A

2011-03-14T07:32:00.003-04:00

Knob Creek is a small-batch, 100-proof bourbon. Although no one at CorporateHistory.net is a bourbon drinker, the company caught our attention with a striking full-page ad in Forbes. Their About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Personality and Products: A

The About Us page (cleverly called “Heritage”) presents Knob Creek as the brainchild of master distiller Booker Noe, who was enjoying a glass of bourbon and asking himself how he could produce a liquor that wasn’t “just another bourbon.” Then we read what’s unique about the way Knob Creek is produced, how it tastes and smells, and even how to drink it. We love the tie-in with Abraham Lincoln: although tenuous, it brings positive associations and a sense of history.

The “Did you know?” panel at the right of the Heritage page is another way of bringing a sense of history. It displays dozens of facts about bourbon whiskey, dating back to the late 1700s. The history panel makes Knob Creek part of a long tradition.

The only other About Us page for Knob Creek is on the Beam family. Again, the emphasis is on tradition. We’re told that the Beam family first produced whiskey in 1795, and that seven generations have continued the tradition. We’re shown a vintage photo of the family.

Nowhere on the Heritage and Beam Family pages is it mentioned that Knob Creek has been produced for only 20 years. Nor is it mentioned that it’s produced by Beam Global Spirits and Wine, which has annual sales of $2.5 billion and is owned by Fortune Brands, a Fortune 500 company. The target audience for Knob Creek is people willing to pay a premium for distinctive bourbon that’s not mass-produced. The Knob Creek site is narrowly focused to attract that clientele.

We like the fact that the layout of the whole Knob Creek site is rich reds and browns a black background. It sets a warm, cozy mood that’s appropriate for this product. The same text set using the color scheme of EMC’s About Us page (for example) would be far less effective.

Accessibility: A

In a clever, reverse-accessibility twist, the main page of the Knob Creek site states, “You must be of legal drinking age to enter this site.” If you leave the date at the default of 1/1/2011 and click “enter,” you’re sent instead to the website of The Century Council, a group of distillers fighting drunk driving and underage drinking. Of course, no one will know if you lie about your age--but then, you can’t reach into your computer monitor for a shot-glass of bourbon.

We give Knob Creek’s site an A for accessibility despite the fact that we can’t order the product from it or get a phone number for a sales person. The right kind of accessibility varies from one product to another. For this particular product, this level of accessibility is perfectly adequate.

TAKEAWAY

The information and tone of the Knob Creek pages match the product. Sometimes less really is more.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Kinda Chintzy, Starbucks

2011-03-10T10:52:00.003-05:00

A cake pop? A little cake pop given only to anyone who buys a drink from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. today, tomorrow, and Saturday? Couldn't Starbucks, whose tagline is "It's bigger than coffee," think of a more robust way to celebrate its 40th anniversary at the retail level? A free drink to every 40th customer? To every customer age 40 or 80? To 40 customers daily per store at random? Even a free cake pop offered beyond those three slow midafternoon hours?

Oh well--I'm strictly a tea drinker anyway. Have never drunk a full cup of coffee in my life. Now that's one of the world's smallest clubs, but I do know other members.

100 Years in 128 Pages

2011-03-08T10:10:00.006-05:00

Communication Design, Inc., came up with this beautiful coverage of the centennial anniversary book we worked on together last year for Virginia-based energy company Dominion. CDI's stellar Tim Priddy designed the book, shepherded the massive photo research, and oversaw the printing. The folks here at CorporateHistory.net wrote, edited, and project-managed; author Heidi T. King tackled the narrative thematically rather than chronologically--a huge risk--and made it look easy. Everyone on the client side pitched in and kept the project moving. I'm smiling at CDI's photos and waving back at Reddy Killowatt.

http://www.communicationdesign.com/postscripts/post52.html

10 Commandments of "About Us" Pages (Continued)

2011-03-07T09:42:00.010-05:00

Commandment 3: Reveal thy personality. Photos are good. Quick, solid info about the people in the company is better. Who was your founder, and what DNA did he or she impart? (From Walt Disney on down, I’ve yet to encounter a company that didn’t reflect its founder’s interests and quirks.) Where is your current CEO steering the company? Who’s on your management team? What are your employees’ aggregate strengths?

Third in a series; for the series so far, click here. Commandment 4 will be posted in late March.

“About Us”: EMC Corp. Gets an A

2011-02-28T07:06:00.004-05:00

EMC helps companies design, build, and manage information infrastructures: in other words, they provide hardware and software that help an organization keep its vital information safe and accessible. The company employs about 40,000 people and has 400 offices in over 50 countries. EMC’s main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Accessibility: A

The address of the company's headquarters appears on the main About Us page, along with a link to an elegantly simple page that gives contact information for EMC’s locations worldwide. The Contact Us link at the upper right on every page takes visitors to this same page.

Products/Services: A

We have seen About Us pages for major corporations that overwhelmed us with information. We like EMC’s because the main page gives us a broad overview, and once we dive into the sub-pages, we always have a side menu to tell us where we are in the hierarchy.

The Corporate Profile page is well organized, with a summary of the company’s services followed by sections about customers, leadership, and global reach. The use of subtitles to set off these sections is a simple technique that far too many website writers fail to use.

One minor suggestion for improvement: the Corporate Profile page offers a Pocket Guide to EMC in PDF form--a well-designed overview. It should be featured prominently on the main About Us page, under “About Us Highlights.”

We also like the Milestones page, which lists major steps forward by the company not annually but monthly, back to 2000. In a high-tech company, this conveys both longevity and progress: qualities that harassed executives seeking to preserve corporate information ought to appreciate. However, we wonder why the Milestones page goes back only to 2000. Also, we were frustrated by all the digging required to find the company’s founding date (1979).

Properly presented, history is a powerful selling tool. We are perplexed that the Milestones page isn’t listed under the “About Us Highlights” on the main About Us page: it only appears on the menus of the sub-pages.

Personality: A

Despite its size, EMC does not come across as a faceless mega-corporation. That’s largely due to the prominent presence on the site of Joe Tucci, chairman, president, and CEO. A quote from him appears on the main About Us page. The nicely designed annual letters to shareholders (accessible under “About Us Highlights”) are narratives that explain, from Tucci’s point of view, where the company has been and where it is heading. Like the Milestones page, the annual letters stretching back to 1997 portray EMC as stable yet progressive.

The Awards and Recognition page (also under “About Us Highlights”) is another great way to put a face on a giant corporation. At a glance, it tells us what others think EMC does superlatively well. EMC’s awards page is particularly well designed. Each award has the logo of the organization that presented it, a one-line description of the award, and a link to the media story about the award. Thus the awards page is visually interesting enough to hold our attention, and also sends us to positive media mentions of EMC.

A similar technique is used on the Executive Team page. Each executive has a picture and a title, and his or her name is a link that leads to a bio. We particularly like Joe Tucci’s bio. Rather than being a list of his present and previous positions, it incorporates EMC’s goals and Tucci’s role in guiding the company toward them.

TAKEAWAY

For visitors in a hurry, EMC’s main About Us page is efficiently laid out to give an overview of the company. The Milestones, Awards, and Executive Team pages all help give a personality to the corporation, while still keeping the visitor focused on EMC’s products and services.

10 Commandments of "About Us" Pages (Continued)

2011-02-21T10:13:00.007-05:00

Commandment 2: Thou shalt not generalize. Noble abstractions (“achieve the highest standards,” “provide timely and efficient service”) may read well in mission statements--but to hold the attention of fickle web-surfers, you need specifics. How many products or services do you offer? How long have you been doing it? What awards have you won? What do clients say?

Second in a series; for the series so far, click here.

Brava Judi Dench

2011-02-17T16:56:00.005-05:00

“What is the percentage of people doing the job they absolutely love in this world?” she asked. “Two percent? Three? Surely not more...."

No doubt this great quote from a New York Times interview with the spendidly candid actress Judi Dench will make its way into a workplace-related speech or two. It's certainly going into the speechwriting quotables file at CorporateHistory.net. Apropros, yesterday at a client's industrial plant I met people who do absolutely love their work. It's not a glamorous work site, certainly not a stage or movie set. Yet these folks -- who handle quality control in a complex technical process -- exhibited the kind of pride that can't be faked. Bravo and brava to them too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/books/15dench.html

“About Us”: Tim Hortons Gets an A Minus

2011-02-14T07:04:00.006-05:00

Tim Hortons, founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, is the largest fast-food restaurant chain in Canada. Its 3,000 locations (now including 500 in the United States) specialize in coffee, baked goods, and homestyle lunches. The company’s main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A minus

Products/Services: A

The main page, The Story of Tim Hortons, is brilliant because it not only tells the story of Tim Hortons, but does it in a mouth-watering way: history as food rather than finance. The rotating images of food in the left-hand column and the vintage photo of the original Tim Hortons are perfect complements to the text.

“Monumental Moments” on the lower half of the same page is the best presentation of a company history that we’ve seen in our About Us evaluations. If we want an overview, we can glance at the one-line listing of years and events. If we want more, we can click on any event for details and a photo. The detail view stays open until we close it, so we don’t have to exercise our memory (short-term at best when we’re browsing the web) to remember events that have flashed out of existence. Contrast the Universal Health Services timeline, which is elegantly laid out, but only permits visitors to view one event at a time.

Personality: A

The founders and leaders of Tim Hortons are presented on a page with four pictures. We’d like to see the titles as well as the names here, so we could more easily decide who to click on.

The page on Tim Horton is a model of a biographical About Us page that also explains the whole company’s creation and purpose. Here we learn about Horton’s character and his 24-year career as a hockey player, and how those relate to his decision to go into the restaurant business.

Incidentally, we applaud the fact that the bio page mentions only briefly that Horton died in a car accident in 1974. The autopsy showed alcohol and drugs in Horton’s system--but that was nearly 40 years ago, and has nothing to do with the taste of Tim Hortons coffee and donuts. The company website wisely ignores the old scandal.

We have pointed out before (in our discussion of Cablevision) that a company’s About Us page should mention any thorny issues that are currently in the news, and should direct visitors to positive media coverage. However, that doesn’t mean that every piece of dirty laundry needs to be aired on an About Us page--or left there to air forever. One of the great advantages of the web is that websites can be so easily adapted to the current situation. And one of the great advantages of hindsight is that mistakes can be presented in the context of lessons learned.

Accessibility: B

The Tim Hortons restaurant locator is at the upper right of all the web pages. We’d also like to see it featured on the main About Us page, with an invitation to come visit one of over 3,000 locations in the United States and Canada. Right after that mouth-watering history would be especially appropriate.

TAKEAWAY

The Tim Hortons site has several features worth emulating. The first is the company history, which does a superb job of selling the company’s products while telling its story. The second is a well-designed timeline that offers a quick overview for visitors in a hurry, and details with photos for those who have more time. The third is a well-edited bio of the company’s founder that gives a charming personality to what could easily be seen as just another fast-food chain.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

10 Commandments of About Us Pages

2011-02-07T11:44:00.004-05:00

Commandment 1: Know thy audience. Who’s most likely to look you up? Friends, advocates, opponents, information-seekers? Figure it out and talk to them. Design separate pages for specialized users if needed. No dry resumes or warmed-over Annual Report summaries, please. DO let your org’s personality show. But DON’T imitate the Web site designer who blogs on her home page about an anxiety disorder that keeps her from working for days at a time. (Great way to win new clients, huh?) Think elevator speech. Wrap facts in an enticing overview.

First in a series; for the series so far, click here.

“About Us” Evaluation: Universal Health Services, Inc.

2011-02-01T06:38:00.008-05:00

Founded in 1978, Universal Health Services (UHS) is a one of the largest healthcare management companies in the United States, owning and operating over 30 hospitals and 100 behavioral health centers. The company was profiled in Forbes on 11/22/2010. UHS’s About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: C

Because we are often in a hurry when we browse the web, we have two Big-Picture criticisms of UHS’s About Us pages. First, we visited the site several times before we discovered that the About Us section included more than the pages that appear at the left of the main page (Prestige Awards, UHS Timeline, UHS Facilities). Several more options appear in a pop-up menu on the top navigation bar, but until we happened to hover our mouse over the About Us tab, we never realized they were there. Navigation here, or anywhere else on the site, should always be easy and obvious.

Second, we’d like to see the mission statement, corporate strategy, and capital strengths combined (with subheads) to give us a quick overview on the main About Us page. Within that page, give us links to pages that provide further details, if we have the time and interest to pursue them. Mission statements in particular often ooze with self-speak that holds little interest for outsiders.

Products/Services: C

Two pages of the About Us section are outstanding. The Awards page is impressive by sheer length. We like the summaries that appear when we click on a particular award. The only improvement would be to include links to articles in the media about these awards. That would send us to the best stories that the media has been publishing about UHS. Too many companies miss their chance to use their website to direct visitors to positive media coverage about their companies.

We also applaud the UHS Timeline. It’s elegantly laid out and nicely illustrated. We do wish that there were an option for seeing the whole timeline at once (perhaps as a PDF?), so we didn’t have to click on year after year to get the full story.

Accessibility: B

The Corporate Information and Contact Us pages could both benefit from the minor change of having a direct link to the web page with the email form.

Personality: D

In its About Us pages, UHS unfortunately comes across as a faceless corporation. This is surprising given that its founder, Alan B. Miller, is still chairman and CEO. Miller is a frequent guest on TV and a published author. He’s won countless awards. But although he is listed on the pages for the Officers and the Board of Directors, we’re given no quotes from him, no sense of what drives him. Since he set the direction of the company and has kept it moving, information about Miller is information about UHS. We’d like to see a short, punchy bio of him--the sort of information given in the article in Forbes of 11/22/2010.

TAKEAWAY

Always assume that readers of your About Us page are interested in your company and your products, but are pressed for time. To that end: If you have more than one About Us page, make sure the most important information appears on the main page. Make sure that the other pages are easy to find, by links and by the navigation structure. And allow visitors to opt out of long flash presentations or PowerPoint style presentations with a one-page version or a downloadable PDF.

More Bucks Spent on Books

2011-01-27T10:14:00.002-05:00

“…Yet, for all the fear of reading’s demise, books have survived similar challenges before. Over the last 50 years, books have had to contend with television, then cable, VCRs, DVDs, PCs, laptops, iPods, iPhones and iPads. [I'd add radio, sports, family obligations....--MC.] Despite all these diversions, Americans spend a larger share of their budgets on books today than they did in 1960….”

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/opinion/26wed4.html

Unreasonable Leadership

2011-01-24T14:45:00.006-05:00

I just read a very good executive memoir called Unreasonable Leadership. That phrase comes from George Bernard Shaw’s observation “All progress comes from unreasonable people." (You know I’m a theater lover and thus a sucker for Shavian wisdom.) The author is Gary Chartrand, executive chairman and former CEO of Acosta, Inc. If you’ve ever shopped in a grocery or big-box store (smile), you’ve encountered Acosta without realizing it. They’re the sales and marketing agency that represents firms like The Clorox Company to position their products on the shelves.

It’s through Clorox (a client of CorporateHistory.net) that I encountered this self-published book. The two companies have been partners since 1933, instrumental in each other’s growth.

Three reasons that Unreasonable Leadership is a good example of the genre:
1. It’s full of detail. For example, it relates the whole Clorox-Acosta story in depth, bumps and all. In other areas, Chartrand spills the beans about finances, missteps, and other nitty-gritty matters.
2. Coauthor Chuck Day made Chartrand sound like Chartrand. Readers can tell when ghostwriter has or hasn’t captured the subject’s voice. I’ve only spoken with the man once, but the written voice seemed authentic to me, a fact confirmed by the folks at Clorox who know him well.
3. Chartrand is open about some of the forces that drive him (sports, Christianity) without pushing them in the reader’s face. The best proselytizers are the quiet ones.

One cavil: Like any good nonfiction book, this one needs an index.

More info: www.unreasonableleaders.com

“About Us” Evaluation: Development Capital Partners

2011-01-17T06:45:00.008-05:00

Development Capital Partners offers financial and political advice to companies who wish to invest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company was profiled in Forbes magazine on 11/22/2010. DCP’s Background page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A minus

Personality and Accessibility: A minus

Of the 7 pages on DCP’s site, 6 are some form of “About Us” page. That makes sense, because the company deals only in multi-million-dollar projects in a specific geographical region. DCP’s goal is to persuade us of their competence, and then tell us whom to contact about our own project.

That’s why we like DCP’s Team page, which gives the relevant experience for each of the directors. One minor tweak: we would like to see the email addresses for the directors on this page. Then if we spot a director who’s a perfect fit for us, we can contact him immediately. Why make us go to the Contact page?

DCP’s site has so little text that we particularly noticed a few errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, near the end of the Advisory page is the phrase, “requirements of the sponsors’ of the project.” Such gaffes, while small, are “broken windows.” They suggest you don’t sweat the small stuff. Potential clients want to know that the company handling its multi-million-dollar project will be vigilant about every detail, from the apostrophes to the decimal points.

Products/Services: A minus

We like the brevity of the Background page, which serves as DCP’s home page as well as its About Us page. The Track Record page is also good, with its list of 8 multi-million-dollar projects in 4 Sub-Saharan countries.

We would like to see more such details throughout the site. On the Track Record page, saying DCP has arranged financing for “a number of transactions” is less impressive than saying it has arranged financing for “dozens of transactions” or “more than 20 transactions in 5 years” (or whatever the numbers are).

Likewise, on the Team page, “Our team members have accumulated many years of diversified expertise” is not as compelling as “Our team members have over 40 years of expertise in corporate finance, investment syndication, and political negotiation.” Concretes are persuasive, because they can be verified.

TAKEAWAYS

Be as specific as possible. Noble abstractions are good for mission statements, but for potential clients, details about the expertise of your management team and the scope of your previous projects are much more persuasive.

Beware “broken windows.” If grammar, syntax, and spelling aren’t your strong points, hire someone to check them for you.

Chevy turquoise runs deep

2011-01-10T14:42:00.003-05:00

The "Chevy runs deep" campaign does a superb visual job of linking past to future. Plenty of baby boomer newborns really did come home from the hospital in the family Chevy. Now will nostalgia alone convince my generation (or anyone) to test-drive a new Chevy Volt with a sticker price above $40K? Time will tell. In the meantime, Chevy neatly drives home its corporate history through home movie footage of Eisenhower-era Bel-Airs in that evocative shade of Chevy turquoise blue.
www.youtube.com/chevrolet

“About Us”: Domtar Gets a B

2011-01-03T06:56:00.007-05:00

Established in 1848 and headquartered in Montreal, Domtar Corporation is the largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America. It employs some 10,000 people. Domtar’s corporate About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: B

Personality: B

Domtar gets high marks for its History page, which briefly sets out when the company was founded and why, how it achieved its present status, and what principles drive it. The page is laid out well, with 6 subheads, short paragraphs, and easily legible text.

The one problem with this page--and it’s a big problem--is that it’s difficult to find. You’ll only see it if you happen to go to the Corporate tab on the top navigation bar, click About Us, and look on the left-hand navigation bar. We’d love to see it given a more prominent place.

On the other hand, the Management Committee page is easy to find, but not very informative. If this page is intended to help us contact the right person at Domtar, a simple table of names, titles and emails would be more efficient. If it’s meant to put a face on Domtar and impress us with the caliber of their management team, why not give us a few lines on the education and experience that qualify each person for his or her position?

A minor point: We like the fact that there’s a separate tab for Governance Documents and for the Code of Business and Ethics. Making such documents available is unusual, and it impresses us that Domtar considers these documents important enough to be put up on the website. That said, we also like the fact that they’re easy to avoid, if we’re not interested.

Accessibility: B

All contact information is relegated to the Contact Us link, available at the upper right on all pages. This is functional, although for the sake of marketing, it’s always better to end the page with a suggestion for potential action: “To learn more about X, email John Smith or click here.”

Products/Services: B

Domtar’s main About Us page focuses on the company’s divisions, rather than its products. Since the usual goal of a company’s About Us page is to persuade visitors to do business, it would make more sense to focus on what Domtar produces and why. This would be a perfect opportunity to mention details that are currently buried on the History page: for example, that Domtar was the first North American paper company to win Forest Stewardship Council certification and that it is certified for Sustainable Forestry Initiative Fiber Sourcing. For visitors who are environmentally aware, this sort of information is a major selling point.

Mentioning specific products would also give Domtar a chance to enliven the text with current or archival photos. Many companies with gorgeously illustrated websites seem to forget all about the importance of images when they create the About Us page.

TAKEAWAY

Two points this time. First, if you have great content such as Domtar’s history page, make sure it’s easily accessible. Second, remember that the goal of an About Us page is not to give an academic description of who you are and what you do: it’s to connect with potential clients and customers. Bearing that goal in mind, make the page as interesting and attractive as possible, in terms of visuals and text.

Celebrating 4orty Years of Fluevog

2010-12-28T12:06:00.004-05:00

The ad in Utne Reader stopped me short. “Celebrating 4orty Years of Fluevog,” said the little crosshead. (Cute, how more and more folks use numbers as letters.) The shoe photo was like the screaming siren that pulled me over, though—a yellow alligator flat, maybe quasi-alligator, with a silver buckle and a toe that could rival a Swedish steel razor. “Feet that turn heads,” said the tagline. Indeed.

Fluevog, a shoemaker with stores in major US and Canadian cities, tells quite a story on the Web. Oddly, despite the print ad, the sprawling site has no link to the company’s anniversary, not even in the Flueseum—though if you drill down far enough, you’ll find a line of 40th anniversary reissued styles. And there’s a subtle little “40 Years” logo as sharp as the shoe’s toe. I guess they didn’t run with their anniversary because most of these shoes and boots, cool as they are, are better for walking. www.fluevog.com

“About Us”: Pumpkin, Inc.

2010-12-20T07:34:00.007-05:00

For ten years Pumpkin, Inc., based in San Francisco, has been producing the CubeSat, a kit for building a two-pound “nanosatellite" ready to launch into Earth orbit. The company was profiled in a 2-page article in Forbes in November 2010. Their “About Us” page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: C-minus

The first problem with this “About Us” page is that it’s quite difficult to find. It doesn’t appear on the top or left menus, only at the foot of the page, as “Company.”

Products/Services: D

This About Us page desperately needs--right at the beginning--a brief description in layman’s terms of the CubeSat, with a link for easy access to technical details.

In cutting-edge technology, company history provides some assurance of reliability. Hence this page should mention, for example, how long the company has been in business and how many CubeSats have been launched or are booked to launch. Testimonials about the product and a mention of some clients would also help. Since the Forbes article mentions several Cubesat customers, that information is no longer confidential.

Given the nature of the product, we’d also like to see more photos. Why not emphasize the scale and the do-it-yourself nature of the kit with photos of the kit and the finished product, and perhaps a household object such as a soda can to give a sense of scale?

Personality: D

Pumpkin’s “About Us” page is high on techno-speak, low on information “About Us.” We’d like to see some of the background from the Forbes article, particularly the education and career of the founder, Andrew Kalman, and his connection with Professor Robert Twiggs of Stanford, an innovator in nanosatellites. This information does appear elsewhere on the site--but given that visitors to websites have limited time and attention spans, we suggest a summary on this page, with a link to other pages on the site for those who want more information.

Accessibility: B

The “Contact Us” link at the foot of the page is helpful, but even better would be a final paragraph telling potential customers the next step: “To begin your CubeSat mission, email us (link), call xxxx, or fax xxxx.” Since the company has been covered in a national publication that may rouse further media interest, we’d add, “For media inquiries call xxxx.”

TAKEAWAY

Most of the information that’s lacking on this page is presented elsewhere on the CubeSat site. But “About Us” is the page where a company can give potential customers the Big Picture: tell us what inspired the product, who developed it, how customers use it, what they say about it. On the “About Us” page, it’s not only acceptable to repeat fascinating information buried elsewhere on the site--it’s highly advisable.

3 Minutes, 3 Cards, 3 Fewer Things to Worry About

2010-12-14T11:16:00.004-05:00

In public speaking, a little preparation goes such a long way. I'm looking forward to three holiday get-togethers where guests may be asked to "say a few words." I've prepared by spending three minutes with Joan Detz's invaluable book entitled (what else) Can You Say a Few Words? Now I have three sets of notes ready, each on the back of a business card. Sure, I'll improvise, but the notes will keep me on track. Short and sweet is how I like my speeches, whether I'm the speaker or the audience.

Almost everything I know about speechwriting, in short or long form, I learned from Joan. Her seminars in Philadelphia are well worth attending. They've helped me not just with writing and speaking but with presenting and listening. Joan's 2011 schedule is at http://www.joandetz.com/.

About Us: LVMH Gets an A+

2010-12-06T07:15:00.004-05:00

You’d expect a high level of quality on the website of the LVMH Group (LVMH Moet-Hennessy - Louis Vuitton): it’s the world’s largest luxury-goods conglomerate, with over 60 brands ranging from fashion and jewelry to perfume, cosmetics, and wine. Among them are Fendi, Donna Karan, Givenchy, TAG Heuer, and Dom Perignon. Created in 1987, LVMH employs more than 70,000 and has an international retail network of some 2,400 stores. The primary “About Us” page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A+

Products/Services: A+

The brands owned by LVMH are famous for their quality. Under “LVMH Companies and Brands,” each is given a page to itself that includes a history emphasizing its distinctive character. The text is laid out well: an easily legible size, a manageable line length, with paragraphs and highlights that prevent the text from becoming a dauntingly solid block.

Given that we have to scroll to read the whole text of most of these descriptions, we love the “print” option directly below the description. Clicking it opens a new window in which the full text displays.

The visuals are perfectly chosen to convey the luxury and quality of each brand. Equally important for this type of product, the images are sized large enough to be seen and enjoyed--in fact, they’re given equal emphasis with the text.

Considering the number of brands within LVMH, we appreciate the fact that the navigation menu appears on the right side of every page, and that it even includes headings for LVMH’s philanthropic and environmental endeavors. Everything we might want to know is constantly available: no hitting the “back” button to get back to a page that offers all the options.

Personality: A+

The stars on LVMH’s site are not the management or employees, but the separate brands. As noted, the brands are well represented in text and in images. But we also like the fact that the contents of each brand’s page are set within a frame that bears the LVMH logo--an understated, visual way of reminding us what group this brand is part of. What could be less obtrusive than classic black serif letters on pale gray? On that note, one tiny cavil: The light gray body text could stand to be a little darker, maybe even classic black.

Accessibility: A+

The page for each brand includes, at the top, full name, mailing address, email, and website, all set off from the descriptive text by a simple graphic. When you click the “print” button, you automatically get all the contact information as well as the company description. No clicking on an extra link to reach a “Contact Us” page: what a relief!

TAKEAWAY

It’s wonderful to see a site where every element of text and graphics conveys the company’s products and personality--not just competently but brilliantly.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Dark Anniversary

2010-12-02T10:19:00.006-05:00

Nine years ago today, Enron declared bankruptcy. Coming as it did on the heels of the 9/11 attacks, the event deepened the country's despair. How had Enron deceived so many for so long? Fortune® magazine had ranked it "America's Most Innovative Company" for six years running and dubbed it one of the "100 Best Companies to Work for in America."

I always remember the words of a subsidiary head I interviewed for a book, a few months before Enron’s dirty dealings came to light. Let's call him X. “Enough of the widows-and-orphans stock mentality at this company. We’ve got to be more like Enron!” X declared. My recorder jumped as he pounded his desk for emphasis. I believe that "more like Enron” was simply his shorthand for “more innovative”—but X can only hope his transcript remains buried in his company's archives because his words could surely be used against him.

Funny, but after Enron self-destructed, X's company made its own financial stability and scandal-free history a subtle theme in its year-long centennial campaign. Suddenly it was a good thing (again) to be a widows-and-orphans stock with an unbroken record of paying dividends.

Happy 60th, Elektra Records

2010-11-22T10:26:00.005-05:00

Big thanks to WNYC-FM’s John Schaefer for interviewing Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra and Nonesuch Records, about Elektra’s 60th anniversary. As John noted, “Elektra's parent company, Warner Music Group, is mining a treasure trove of photographs, memorabilia, and documents in a vast archive.” Elektra’s artists created the soundtrack of many lives, not least mine: Bread, The Doors, Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan (“Planet Waves,” his first #1 album), the three Toms – Paxton, Rush, Waits — Carly Simon, Hank Williams Jr., and on and on.

Riveting interview—I caught it on the car radio. Sat in my driveway to hear the end of it; didn’t want to miss 10 seconds. Check out Elektra’s site, too, which contains a one-hour video of Jac and Lenny Kaye (guitarist and label historian) chatting onstage at the 92nd Street Y.
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/2010/nov/15/
http://www.elektra60.com/

“Mad Men” Memoir Meta Musings

2010-11-15T12:58:00.004-05:00

It’s a meta, meta, meta, meta world. Roger Sterling, the character played by the wonderful John Slattery, was composing his memoirs on last season’s “Mad Men.” Like any good 1960s male boss, he even spoke them into a Dictaphone. This week the book debuts as Sterling’s Gold: Wit & Wisdom of an Ad Man. The supposed gold dishes up program snippets rather than “real” memoirs. Clever, yet is it a missed opportunity?

Two real mad men come to mind, game changers both. Robert C. Townsend, the Avis CEO, created a brilliant book in 1970 that’s still in print, Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits. Short chapters hammered home pithy advice to fellow execs: “Call yourself up,” he urged. “Pretend you’re a customer. You’ll run into some real horror shows.” Townsend died 12 years ago. It’s only gotten worse, Bob. David Ogilvy’s trilogy, launched in 1963 by Confessions of an Advertising Man, was another touchstone. Ogilvy founded the agency that gave us the Man in the Hathaway Shirt (with his eye patch) and Schweppervescence. He was pompous, precise, prescient.

Too bad it took pioneering ad woman Mary Wells Lawrence until 2003 to publish her memoirs. By then the ad agency world had lost its fizz. But in its heyday the industry was fun, fun, fun—or so agency veterans say—and I wish “Mad Men” radiated even one-tenth of that spirit. The theme song is gloomier than a dirge, and is that figure plummeting downward in free fall a metaphor for the industry itself?

"About Us" Evaluation: Million Dollar Round Table

2010-11-08T07:36:00.014-05:00

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

Million Dollar Round Table, founded in 1927, is an international network of leading insurance and investment professionals and advisors. It currently has over 31,500 members. Its “About Us” page is at http://www.mdrt.org/about/index.asp.

OVERALL GRADE: C

Accessibility: B

On the Million Dollar Round Table’s “About Us” page, the lower menu has a contact link for general information and a list of executives and titles. Since MDRT is a membership organization that doesn’t deal directly with the general public, this is adequate.

However, we’d like to see links for specific contacts after we read about them. For example: after the paragraph on the MDRT Foundation, give us the name and an email link for the person in charge.

Products/Services: C

We like the information in the first paragraph about the number of members and the worldwide scope of the association. The mission statement is rather vague: “To be a valued, member-driven, international network of leading insurance and investment financial services professionals/advisors who serve their clients by exemplary performance and the highest standards of ethics, knowledge, service and productivity.” If this page is meant to inform insurance customers and potential MDRT members (and it should be), then providing more details about what the MDRT does is essential. If the meetings and networking are the primary benefits of membership, why not organize them into a bulleted list, with a preliminary statement about the purpose of the meetings?

We are puzzled by the mention of a 9-point strategic plan. The link for it is only open to members; why even mention it here? Only the most important information should appear on any “About Us” page.

Personality: D

The opening paragraph of the page stresses how exclusive membership in the organization is. Why not tell us briefly how one becomes a member? Is the requirement still $1 million in sales, as it was in 1927 when the organization was founded? Is membership by application or by invitation? Here’s an opportunity to impress the general public with the quality of the membership.

Insurance salespeople, especially top producers, are usually superb communicators. Yet in the whole of this dense page, nothing “sells” us on MDRT. And we can’t find one specific person or organization to latch onto. We’d like to be impressed by the names and professional affiliations of some of the members -- the obvious ones would be those who have been leaders of MDRT. Also good would be a statement from a prominent member about how MDRT membership has benefited himself and others.

TAKEAWAY

MDRT’s “About Us” page has 760 words of text, but it doesn’t give us a clear idea of exactly what the organization does and exactly who’s involved in it. Mere quantity can’t replace thinking about who your audience is and how best to convey your personality and products/services to them.

"About Us" Evaluation: Cablevision

2010-11-08T07:12:00.009-05:00

Today’s example was chosen because Cablevision was in the spotlight throughout its highly publicized two-week dispute with News Corp. this fall. CorporateHistory.net uses Cablevision’s Optimum Voice and Optonline email services but otherwise has no ties to this company.

Cablevision (established in 1973), one of the nation’s largest providers of cable television and Internet, serves business and residential customers in the Metro New York area.

OVERALL GRADE: B-minus

On Cablevision’s site, the page headed “Corporate Information / About Cablevision” is one of three pages: the second shows company leadership, the third recent press releases. We’re looking primarily at the “About Cablevision” page, http://www.cablevision.com/about/index.jsp

Products/Services: B

The “About Us” page prominently lists the many services that Cablevision provides: Optimum Voice, Optimum Online, Optimum Wi-Fi, and so on. We’d like to see a brief mention of what makes Cablevision’s services unique or superior. Better equipment? A wider range of services? Better prices? The “About Us” page should offer an overview of the compelling benefits that might entice a potential subscriber, providing an incentive to sign up immediately.

Accessibility: B

Cablevision’s Contact link is in small print at the foot of the page, and there are links in the sidebar for residential or commercial customers -- but we often focus so intently on the text that we ignore sidebars and footers. Within the text of the page, we’d like to see some encouragement to sign up immediately, and a link for finding out if Cablevision’s service is available in one’s area.

Personality: C-minus

The corporate “About Us” page mentions the company’s humble beginnings in Long Island, but overall it’s rather impersonal. The page could be dramatically improved by giving a couple more sentences about the history of the company. Cablevision’s founder is still the CEO. What does he say about the company’s mission and achievements? What led to the company’s tremendous growth? Why does it remain an industry leader? Has it won awards?

TAKEAWAY

Given Cablevision’s high news profile, we’d also like to see a link to a page of news stories presenting the company’s perspective. Odds are that Googling the company will give us a very mixed view at best, particularly with a class action suit by subscribers now in progress. Instead, Cablevision’s current news release page has no postings at all past Sept. 15. During a time of crisis communications, “About Us” pages should provide frequent updates or at least a link to such information.

One more point: The “About Us” page currently ends on a low note, with a paragraph noting that Cablevision no longer owns Madison Square Garden. An invitation for potential residential or corporate customers to get more information would be a much more upbeat ending.

"Fuel to Perform"

2010-11-01T13:37:00.013-04:00

Gatorade's Evolution TV spot gets A++ for history. Whodathunkit? This ad snapped my head up during the World Series playoffs. Within two seconds it grabbed me with:

the upbeat song ("If You Want a Revolution")
the historical images (kudos for including women athletes)
and the short onscreen titles (starting with "They balled on peach baskets" and moving on to pithy phrases like "Fuel to perform" and "Protein to recover").

Then comes the main message. "In 2010 we're changing the game again," with G Series foil packs rather than wasteful and oversized plastic bottles. On my next hot-weather bike ride, which granted won't happen until 2011, I'll be more likely to consider buying this stuff at the lunch break. Oh, and kudos to Gatorade's agency for fearlessly creating a 60-second ad. Some of us still have long attention spans, especially when the ad is as entertaining as this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWAjioAfDW0

“About Us” Evaluation: Center Rock

2010-10-26T19:32:00.002-04:00

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?). Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company. Contact us if you’d like to have your site evaluated—there’s no charge and no obligation.

Center Rock is a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of air drilling tools and products, in business for 12 years. They were in the news recently for providing the drill bit that helped rescue the miners in Chile. Their About Us page appears below, or you can visit it at http://www.centerrock.com/content/about-us.

OVERALL GRADE: A-minus

Personality: A

We love the bios of Center Rock’s leadership team: they give names and faces to the company. The direct quotes and the description of their careers tell us what drives them, and gives us confidence in the company.

A minor point about the layout: putting the names and positions of the leadership team as headings, rather than part of the narrative, would make the page appear less dense -- hence more readable.

Accessibility: A

Full contact info is at the foot of the page. If we read the whole page and decide to pursue doing business with Center Rock, they’ve made it easy to do so.

Products/Services: B

The page opens with a summary of the company’s products: a good way to begin. We particularly like the fact that Center Rock lists the continents their equipment has been used on. It tells us their worldwide scope without the vagueness of “worldwide.”

We’d like to see a brief comment on what’s unique or innovative about the company, the sort of one- or two-sentence summary that an intelligent nonspecialist (such as a reader of the Wall Street Journal) would understand. Information of this sort appears elsewhere on the site, but it’s important enough to be on the “About Us” page. This would also be a great place to mention awards or testimonials.

TAKEAWAY

Center Rock’s contribution to the rescue of the miners in Chile should be prominently mentioned on the About Us page, with a link to the Wall Street Journal story and to Center Rock’s own press releases. Any other major projects Center Rock has contributed to should be mentioned briefly here, with links to further information.

When writing the “About Us” page, it’s important to remember that visitors may not have time to browse the whole site. Give us the most important information and make it easy for us to find out more, if we need to.