Serious decisions need to be made to avoid having the Internet turn into a hot potato. This article will raise policies for decision makers and suggest guidelines for a successful Internet master plan. Marketing wants it and so does the Information Technology group. My vote is for marketing. Because marketing knows the overall picture of the company, its products and its mission.
Marketing knows where the company is headed.
Technology departments that have put up Home Pages in the first phases of marketing have shown they don't understand how to write marketing copy that sizzles without being offensive, don't understand the fine points about tracking their return on investment, and have a propensity to add time consuming toys to the page even at the risk of burning relationships with prospects who have shown they don't want to waste time watching pictures draw slowly on their pages. However, marketing must work with technology to understand the new technology tools and toys along with their strengths and limitations. Too many companies go on the Web without a set of goals. This is a recipe for disaster, not only for the company, but for the marketing manager responsible. Without a clear purpose in mind, you can be assured that when management looks at the results in three or six months, they will be disappointed because they have no numbers to which to compare activity.