Achieving Critical Mess

By:style='mso-tab-count:2'> William Ernest Waites

Who would have thought that a computer virus transmitted over the Internet

would have caused the global consternation that the recent ILOVEYOU worm

created? For most of us, the Internet has been something between a toy and a

distraction. But seemingly suddenly, the Internet has become so pervasive that

a single email launched somewhere in the Philippines brought tens of thousands

of computer systems to their knees and resulted in losses that are estimated in

the billions.

What's happening? What impact is

the Internet having on our lives as business owners and executives? Let's look

at some recent numbers:

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According to NUA, a company that researches the

Internet, 304.36 million people were online as of March 2000. 136.86 million of

those people are in North America. 83.35 million are in Europe.

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Editor &

Publisher Magazine reports that 148 of the nation's 150 top selling newspapers

are now online.

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The U.S. Association of National Advertisers estimates

that two-thirds of US companies advertise online. AMI-Partners, a New

York-based consultancy, estimates that some 600,000 small businesses are

selling products and services online, with transactions approximating $25

billion in 1999.

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Recent survey findings from the National Association of

Realtors indicate that 37 percent of people shopping for homes used the

Internet in their quest.

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iLogos Research's third annual normal'>Global 500 Web Site Recruiting Survey has determined that 92 percent

of major U.S. companies use the Internet to recruit employees, and all 500

companies have corporate websites.

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Locally, Research Data Services, Inc., which regularly

tracks the habits of Lee County tourists, determined that 50 percent of those

who visited in March claimed to use the Internet to acquire travel information,

and 22.63 percent claimed to have used the Internet to book some aspect of

their travel.

Given this spectacular growth and

the extensive use of the Internet for communications and commerce, all it took

was the mischief of an ingenious Philippine computer student to temporarily shut

down a large portion of the world's businesses and government departments.

What we have here is not just a

new medium of communication, but a new context for business. The Internet is an

increasingly abundant repository for information. Whether it is the pursuit of

product information, travel information or scholarly research, a resource the equal

of the Internet has never existed in our history. (I did much of the research

for this article via the Internet - without leaving home.)

This accumulation of knowledge and

information will continue to attract growing numbers of people. Increasingly

sophisticated websites will entice, entertain and enlighten the same people with

whom you want to do business.

Consider the stakes. For a

relatively modest investment on your part, you make it possible for more people

to visit your business in a single day -- with the click of a mouse -- than can

read your brochure, call your office or walk into your store in a year by a factor

of thousands. Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau's Lee Island Coast Web

Site averages 50,000 user sessions every month according to Director of Sales Pamela

Johnson. That's the equivalent of 600,000 brochures every year, and not one of

them ends up in the landfill.

While all this is very exciting

and represents a glittering new world of business opportunity, it is not

without its drawbacks and pitfalls. One of those is the virtual flood of websites

that greets the average search engine request. It is formidable.

Tropical Traveler, a local

Internet Service Provider specializing in tourism information, has invested

more than $200,000 in registering some 2000 domain names. It has discovered

that more and more people are avoiding this frustration by simply entering the

name of the subject in their browser -- preceded by www. and followed by .com.

These folks can't be bothered to look through all those listings with their

sketchy descriptions. They are willing to take their chances that style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>style='text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>www.something.com

will get them close enough to the information they want. According to Executive

Director Chuck Lunsford, Tropical Traveler has experienced 3,876,110 hits and

646,000 visitor sessions between January 1 and May 15, 2000.

This demonstrates the growing

importance of selecting a proprietary domain name (not an ISP's suffix) that is

as close as possible to the word(s) you feel your customer would use to

describe your product, service or company. It also points out the need to keep

your website registered with the search engines so that you show up near the

top of the list of responses to a search request. (Recently, some search engine

operators have been requiring payments, similar to slotting allowances for a supermarket

shelf, to maintain a high ranking.)

Another downside to the burgeoning

Internet, from a business point of view, is that all that information will

allow your customer to learn as much about your competitors as they can about

you. Without a strong "brand identity," extensive promotion via other

media, and a website that compels the customer to stay with you, price

comparison will become the competitive arena. Is there anyone out there who can

underprice you?

Of course, if your competition is

on the web and you are not, well, price won't even enter into the equation.

You'll lose the business before they even get to the price. This reflects that

the Internet is approaching what author Malcolm Gladwell calls "The

Tipping Point."

In his recently published book of the

same title, Gladwell maintains, "The Tipping Point is the moment of critical

mass, the threshold, the boiling point." He describes the result as "epidemic"

-- when a series of small changes become one big, sudden change.

It happened with cellular phones.

Suddenly, you were out of the loop if you didn't have a cell phone. How long before

using the Internet to acquire information, products and services will be as

commonplace as the cellular phone?

When that day comes, you can take

advantage of it by starting now to make your online presence more than a page

from your brochure. Even such a confirmed bastion of creative excellence, as

Bob Schmetterer, CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide, writes in normal'>One, a magazine published by the One club for art and copy,

"Interactivity, for the first time in history, makes possible the direct

connection between businesses, brands, ideas, and consumers. That means that

now, more than ever, we need ideas that capture people's imagination, and

redefine the power of creative communications as the center of

enterprise."

Here a few guidelines.

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Think of your website as your business, not just another

advertising medium.

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Give your website visitors a rich content experience,

not just a visual hors d'oeuvre.

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Use the ability of the Internet to involve your

customers on the basis of their personal needs and wishes.

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Recognize that the Web is growing and changing; start

now but be prepared to upgrade your website as new technology overtakes the

old.

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Adapt your website to appeal to your best customers.

According to Media Metrix there are six types of online shoppers: Simplifiers,

Surfers, Connectors, Bargainers, Routiners and Sportsters. Find out which group

represents your best prospects, and tailor your site accordingly.

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Hire a professional Web Site designer that can

translate your business's brand personality and brand image into this exciting

new environment.

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Spend some time surfing the Internet yourself, looking

at competitors' sites, scoping out the best techniques, involvement features

and design ideas for application to your site.

Even with the recent concerns

about viruses, privacy and porn, don't assume the Internet is a fad that will

fade in a few months. It's here to stay.

William Ernest Waites

is former Chairman and Co-Creative Director of Spiro & Waites. His experience

with computer-based communications goes back to before there was an Internet,

when a precursor called Videotex was in trial programs.