It is as if Bank of America blocked its banks' entrances with large signs warning customers that it took no responsibility for their money once they pushed the sign aside and went inside. What is more remarkable than the welcome is that it has been in place, virtually unchanged, for almost two years. Yet the corporation expects to be a leading player on the international market in years to come. OM was not dramatically better when it first arrived online. Then came the rethink and the redesign.
Print media provide probably the best lessons in the how-to of branding on the Internet.
Playboy is one of the best-known brand names in publishing. On the Internet, it has lived up to that profile. Yet, it doesn't even follow the traditional model of Web publishing, which would be to give its prime content away for free and then sell advertising space. Then there is the Wall Street Journal. We're not talking leisure reading here but rather an organ that is regarded as essential intelligence in the business world.