It’s the end of January and time to round up some of the most interesting social campaigns we’ve seen in the past 30 days or so.
This list also includes notable developments and interesting social media news stories from January.
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Friday, 30 January 2015
Eight of the best social campaigns from January 2015
It’s the end of January and time to round up some of the most interesting social campaigns we’ve seen in the past 30 days or so.
This list also includes notable developments and interesting social media news stories from January.
5 Key Facebook Marketing Trends For 2015
Facebook outlines 5 key Facebook marketing trends for 2015 in their 4Q2014 earnings call. Here are the charts and tips marketers need.
The post 5 Key Facebook Marketing Trends For 2015 appeared first on Heidi Cohen.
The best things on the internet this week: rude teapot edition
I just wanna make love to the ni-higghhhht!
Thursday, 29 January 2015
How can you tell if you have a Google penalty?
How can businesses find out that they have been penalised by Google?
I've been asking a number of search experts for the tell-tale signs to look out for...
Can retailers bring personalisation from clicks to bricks?
A personalised online shopping experience powered by simple data collection is rapidly becoming a must-have for retailers.
In the past year alone, there was a spike in customer expectations for personalisation across all shopping channels and it became critical for retailers to innovate in terms of customer experience in order to keep those shoppers engaged.
Recommended products and wish lists have become commonplace online, but can this model of personalisation transfer to bricks-and-mortar?
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
#055: Our Best Ever Experience at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
Subscribe on iTunes RSS Feed On this episode of the UnPodcast we talked about our recent travels both near and far, which ranged from a Rome vacation to a trip to Las Vegas, where we attended the Consumer Electronic Show (CES). At CES we experienced everything from drones, drones and more drones to lightbulbs with […]
Content Search VS Social Media
Content search vs social media lays out how you need to use search and social media to maximize your content marketing reach. Complete with charts and tips.
The post Content Search VS Social Media appeared first on Heidi Cohen.
Digital trends 2015: CX & personalisation still high priorities
As 2015 gets under way it’s clear that the opportunities for marketers have never been greater.
But what will be the major digital marketing trends for the next 12 months?
17 Questions On How To Build A Content Marketing Strategy [Q&A]
We had nearly 1,600 people sign up for our webinar last week on “How To Plan And Build An Effective Content Marketing Strategy. Click the link above to our blog post summary of the most important stats, quotes, slides, templates and also to download the presentation and the templates. We believe that content marketing is starting to have a dramatic impact inside marketing organizations for business both large and small. So we are doing everything we can to help marketers just like you to navigate the change. We know that the most effective content marketers have a documented content marketing strategy [...]
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Tuesday, 27 January 2015
15 deeply pleasing examples of mobile micro UX
Micro UX is one of our 17 crucial web design trends of 2015 and hopefully will only grow in importance as interactive web experiences continue to become more human and characterful.
11 good or bad things that may or may not happen in digital marketing in 2015
Every year in January we are faced with a litany of predictions for digital marketing.
Some are interesting, some are right, and some are wrong, and the vast majority are re-stating what’s already happening. Which isn’t courageous or interesting.
In this post, I’m going to bring out my inner soothsayer and make some bold, wild predictions on good or bad things that may or may not happen in 2015.
The fence I’m sitting on comes at no extra cost.
Monday, 26 January 2015
Do You Know What Your Audience Is Doing On Social Media?
Want to improve your social media marketing? Understand your audiences' social media behavior in 2015. 5 trends, charts and tips from Global Web Index.
The post Do You Know What Your Audience Is Doing On Social Media? appeared first on Heidi Cohen.
The Best Marketing Conferences Of 2015
In the last two weeks I’ve had about 10 people ask me “what are the best marketing conferences?” It must be that time of year when we start to plan out which marketing events we want to attend. Getting out of the office allows us to learn from some of the most innovative minds in our industry, and provides a great opportunity for learning and networking that can pay dividends for years to come. I have done this list for the past few years. I did a curated list of best marketing events in 2013 based on inputs from people I asked [...]
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Newspapers and subscription barriers: what works best?
Many major newspapers, in an attempt to improve digital revenues, have implemented paywalls of varying severity.
I've been looking at US and UK newspaper sites to see which approaches are likely to be most effective in converting visitors into subscribers...
Friday, 23 January 2015
12 engrossing stats from around the digital world
Stat’s just the way it is. Some things will never change.
Welcome to the weekly round-up of all the best internet statistics and data analysis from around the digital marketing and ecommerce world (and slightly beyond).
Although the stats may change, our determination to bring you the very best insight will remain forever undaunted.
What The Top 10 Bloggers Do Differently From You To Succeed?
Want to create a Top 10 Blog? Here's the inside scoop from Social Media Examiner's 10 Top Bloggers to get you on track to succeed. 10 blog tips.
The post What The Top 10 Bloggers Do Differently From You To Succeed? appeared first on Heidi Cohen.
Make 2015 the year of the customer
It’s that time of year again. Marketers are in reflective mood, looking back on the developments and trends of last year and future gazing into what’s going to be big in 2015.
I’m going to ignore the temptation to get too specific in my predictions for this year and instead focus on just one key trend that I hope to see in 2015.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Three insights on customer experience from our new Retailer’s Imperative report
Retailers are past the stage of debating the importance of customer experience management. Now they have to master it.
Mastering CX however throws up many challenges. There’s the overwhelming amount of data, the increasing complexity of the customer journey and the sheer volume of different technologies available to retailers.
How are luxury online retailers handling fulfilment?
It's a new year, so it's time for a new suit. Is it worth buying one online?
In this post, I'll look at my experience from a recent order from Mr Porter.
3 No-Brainer Reasons To Curate Content
Want to extend your content marketing budget? Here are 3 no-brainer reasons to curate content. includes 3 case studies & 6 actionable content curation tips.
The post 3 No-Brainer Reasons To Curate Content appeared first on Heidi Cohen.
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Four key findings from our State of Social Media in Thailand Report
Thailand still has a largely rural population (66%) so internet penetration remains quite low at 26%.
However mobile penetration stands at an improbably high 125% as the number of mobile subscribers is higher than the country’s population.
Where Is Content Headed?
Marketing (As We Know It) Is Doomed! This is the title of a new book by my good friend Daniel Newman and his co-author Hessie Jones. (It’s only $9.99, is chock full of brilliance, and ships in two weeks. So just go order it!) I was honored to contribute to this effort, and they are allowing me to provide this sneak peak of my contribution for free. So check it out and let us know what you think. And then let me know how you would answer the question: Where is content headed? The explosion of channels we all use to [...]
The post Where Is Content Headed? appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.
#054: That’s Not Funny: What Makes Humor Offensive
Subscribe on iTunes RSS Feed On this episode of the UnPodcast we started off by talking about the good and bad of the holiday season, how businesses should handle political correctness, and what makes a tweet bad. We also discussed how immigrants can use checking in on social media to prove residency, and why we […]
Three key insights from our new Reality of Multichannel Marketing report
The past decade has brought with it a massive increase in digital marketing platforms and technologies, giving marketers the ability to focus on multichannel like never before.
This has fundamentally altered the way brands plan and execute marketing strategies and given us new insight into how customers are using those channels.
Postcards from Korea: Samsung's endless shelf
With the seemingly endless choice available to shoppers online, the poor old physical store can sometimes pale in comparison.
Why go to a shop where you can flick through a rail of clothes, when online you can just keep going until you find the item that is right for you?
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
How Gap can improve its email marketing
Last July I wrote an article called how fashion retailers use email marketing, in which I investigated 16 brands including ASOS, Topshop, H&M and Gap to check the frequency, content, subject lines and ultimately effectiveness of their various email campaigns.
Now six months later I’ve decided to follow up the article by cautiously peering into the inbox of the email address I created specifically for the investigation to see what its current state is.
What can online grocery retailers learn from Singapore’s Redmart?
The UK’s major grocery retailers haven’t been having a great time of it recently.
Sales have either been stagnating or rapidly declining, and the old strategy of buying up as much commercial real estate as possible has proven to be a mistake in the face of shifting consumer preferences.
Monday, 19 January 2015
The 25 Best Slideshares, Videos, Vines (And More) Of The Past Year
As a student of marketing and social media, I am always looking for the best examples of content out there. Some of my own most popular posts include lists of my favorite slideshares, articles, videos, events and people. Here is a compilation of the best slideshares, videos, vines and more from the past year. Which are your favorite? And which ones did I miss? Best Slideshares Social, Digital & Mobile Around The World (January 2014) from We Are Social Singapore - 1 Million+ Views This Slideshare provides amazing stats on the state of the digital, social and mobile web from around the [...]
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Three best practice tips for fashion ecommerce editorial
In 2014 James Carson spent three months examining the key content marketing trends of fashion retailers.
The product of this is an Econsultancy best practice guide, Fashion Ecommerce and Content Marketing, which acts as an industry audit of fashion ecommerce, specifically the way fashion retailers have invested in online content.
How To Drive Measurable Social Media Results
Marketers seek to drive measurable social media results. This case study shows why awareness is NOT enough; 5 tactics for measurable social media results.
The post How To Drive Measurable Social Media Results appeared first on Heidi Cohen.
Magisterial content marketing and community management from Gibson guitars
As an occasional and quite dreadful guitar player I have a vague interest in what goes on over at Gibson and Fender.
The marketers at these two iconic brands could probably rest on their laurels to a certain extent but both do a great deal in the way of content marketing and community management.
Friday, 16 January 2015
12 swashbuckling distractions from the good ship internet
Sure pirate metaphors are very 2012 but I’m taking my inspiration from Rebel Rebel era Bowie, circa 1974.
So today I’ll largely be wandering around the office with an eye-patch, bumping into things due to a lack of depth perception and calling any colleague who comes near me a “hot tramp”.
Although I have already been told to remove the off-the-shoulder catsuit I half finished knitting last night.
Decreased Facebook Visibility: What Can You Do?
New changes mean decreased Facebook visibility. What can your small business do? Here are 30 low budget tactics to increase your reach.
The post Decreased Facebook Visibility: What Can You Do? appeared first on Heidi Cohen.
Start Me Up! A profile of social treating app Givvit
Givvit is a new mobile app that enables users to send their friends small gifts, an activity it describes as ‘social treating’.
Available on iPhone and Android, the treats include things like boxes of chocolates, flowers, restaurant vouchers, or a pint in your local pub.
Thursday, 15 January 2015
Mobile use for travel and holidays rapidly becoming the norm
One in four people use their mobiles to book (28%) or pay (24%) for their daily commute, a figure double that of 2013.
This is according to new research from BuzzCity revealing the habits of today’s connected traveller. Not yesterday’s though, that traveller just read a book or did a crossword.
How To Plan And Build A Successful Content Marketing Strategy
Did you know that every day on the internet: There are 4.75 Billion pieces of content shared There are 1.8 Billion photos uploaded There are 700 Million Snapchats There are 500 Million tweets Marketing, as we know it, is being transformed right in front of our eyes. More and more messages are being promoted every day, on more channels, and as a result, consumers are learning to simply tune out the noise. Because of this, brands must leverage content marketing to deliver the useful information necessary to educate and build trust with their audiences. But they often fail to document [...]
The post How To Plan And Build A Successful Content Marketing Strategy appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.
Ikea: the customer journey from search to checkout and beyond
In which we take a look at the experience of searching for a product, clicking-through to an ecommerce store and purchasing the item, all from a customer’s point of view.
Much like previous investigations on retailers Apple and John Lewis this explores the customer journey in a nutshell, looking at paid search visibility, ad relevancy and the speed and ease of the ecommerce user experience.
This week: Ikea.
Search
Ikea’s Billy bookcase range is the company's most popular product, it sells one every 10 seconds.
Let’s take a look at the search results for ‘bookcase’.
Ikea isn’t currently running a PPC campaign for this, possibly because it feels it doesn’t need to as they’re popular enough, or perhaps as it’s January this might not be the right time of year.
However as Ikea’s listing is below one from home furnishing rival Homebase, perhaps a paid search listing for ‘bookcase’ would position the brand higher within the ad area.
The Ikea listing’s blue link and rich snippet are already optimised well with an attractive and clear price point.
Interestingly Ikea uses Google Shopping (more information on how to use Google Shopping here) and this listing for its Finnby bookcase appears as the fifth ad in the row.
The listing manages to stand out purely because it’s a different coloured product from the rest, and carries a much cheaper price tag.
Let’s try some more popular items, starting with ‘picture frames’.
Although there is no paid search ad or Google shopping listing, Ikea does have the top result in the organic listings.
However with the sheer number of paid-for listings here, I wonder if its organic result is a little lost. Again it may be worth running a PPC ad just to mix things up a bit.
Here are the results for ‘sofa’.
A Klippan is as ubiquitous as a Malm in homes worldwide, yet here the Ikea listing for ‘sofa’ doesn’t appear until the seventh organic listing. More so than the other search terms, Ikea could certainly benefit from a paid search presence here.
Landing page
Let’s take the Google Shopping listing as our control product.
Upon clicking the link, the target is exactly what it should be, the relevant product page.
Although the main image doesn’t have options to show the product from other angles as other products here do, there is the ability to click and zoom into any area your mouse hovers over.
There are also colour options, further complementary products and a simple drop down menu that allows you to check availability in your local store for click and collect.
However, improvements could certainly be made below the fold.
The product information text is tiny and the section on the right suggesting alternative products contains images so minuscule they may as well not even be there.
On the plus side though, and most importantly for speed and clarity, the price is clear and the add-to-basket button bright and obvious.
It’s just a shame there’s no information regarding delivery options, charges or returns policy. In fact when you click on the Home Delivery Service link, it brings up a text box, which still doesn’t contain anything useful and the ‘x’ to close the box obscures some of the text.
Once adding the item to the cart, the pop-up box featuring a variety of font sizes and misaligned text doesn’t inspire the most amount of confidence.
Cart
Although there’s a good use of white space here and lack of distractions, the text and thumbnail images again feel inaccessibly small. It seems strange as the blue CTA seems conversely huge and obvious.
Unfortunately as it’s a non-responsive site, shrinking down the browser does nothing to affect it.
To be positive, any cart information you may require is all here, with options to update quantities, delete the item, continue shopping or move the item back to a shopping list.
Here is also where you can check the delivery costs. Unfortunately the thorny issue of having to put a space in your postcode is present, and as pointless as ever.
Once I’ve entered my postcode correctly, the total cost is updated with the delivery price.
Although there are no options for faster or nominated day delivery, and frankly the £39 delivery charge seems inordinately steep. If there was a threshold for free or cheaper delivery available then you might possibly buy more than just a bookcase.
Checkout
Thankfully there is an option for guest checkout once you’ve moved on from the cart, which should speed matters up.
Once a customer is ready to buy, they don’t want to have to fill out pages and pages of personal details and create an account before they can make a purchase.
About the best thing I can say about the first page (of four) in the checkout is it has remembered the postcode I entered earlier.
Unfortunately this is one of the starkest, clinical and fiddily web-forms I’ve seen for a while.
It also automatically opts you in for email marketing and if you want to opt out you have to click through to a different page where you have to enter your email address again.
This is a poor customer experience, which presents a number of barriers (including the tiny text boxes and lack of autofill) before even getting to delivery or payment.
The Delivery Information page is equally as cold and unhelpful at presenting information as the rest of the journey.
Although I can nominate a day for delivery (information not available before this point) it looks like I will have to stay in for 12 hours waiting for the delivery.
Finally when it comes to payment, there are no faster payment options.
Retargeting
One final positive note, two hours later after leaving the site, I received this email informing me of my abandoned cart.
The subject line itself informs me exactly what to expect from opening the email, it’s not too pushy but certainly has a sales focus.
Perhaps the first cart abandonment email sent soon after leaving a site should be more along the lines of asking if there were any technical difficulties, or if something went wrong with the purchase.
This would put the customer’s needs first and also help obtain useful feedback. Then later they can be sent a more explicit call-to-action.
The content itself is clear, with bright text, good use of space and obvious calls to action. The ‘view basket’ button is always necessary in these emails as it takes potential customers directly into the checkout process.
However on clicking the button, I’m taken to an empty basket.
Is this because I used the guest checkout? Perhaps it’s because I clicked through on the email the following day and there’s a time limit on keeping items in the cart?
Either way, if I’ve been sent a basket abandonment email, the items really should still be there, especially after only one day, otherwise it's a complete waste of everyone's time.
In conclusion...
In terms of search marketing, Ikea could certainly do with using a PPC campaign to boost its presence for a variety of terms, however there’s little point in doing this until it’s made significant changes to its ecommerce site.
Although Ikea has been making great strides in connecting its retail stores with digital innovation (the AR enabled catalogue for example), it feels like its checkout process is far from providing an ideal customer experience.
In fact it’s as if Ikea left the process of digital transformation at ‘building a website’ without any further thought for improving the UX through testing and feedback, otherwise it wouldn’t feel so outdated and unpleasant to use.
Last year Ikea came last in another usability test, so perhaps it’s time for the company to commit to a completely focused digital overhaul.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Everybody Writes — My Interview With Ann Handley
A few years ago I went to a MarketingProfs event and met someone who literally changed my life. It wasn’t Steve Jobs or Barack Obama or anyone my Mom ever heard of. It was Ann Handley who was speaking on a panel about this up and coming thing called “content marketing.” I fought my social anxiety, walked up to her, and introduced myself. I told her where I worked. And explained that I needed help and advice. I was struggling to help my organization to be more innovative – to agree to change from an outbound marketing approach to one that [...]
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What is material design? 10 pioneering examples
We published our 17 crucial web design trends for 2015 a couple of weeks ago, and this is the first in a series of posts looking at each trend in a more in depth manner.
This week, the meeting point between flat design and skeuomorphism: material design.
Material design
Material design is a visual language created by Google. The manifesto that has been set out is an ever-evolving and constantly iterated document, but the fundamentals are fairly clear once you get through the somewhat intimidatingly pretentious language.
Although the ‘synthesizing of classic principles of good design with the innovation and possibility of technology and science’ does have a certain optimistic charm to it.
The overriding goal is to develop one system that allows for a unified user experience across all devices, platforms and screen sizes.
The general rule is that mobile functionality (swiping, tapping) should be primary, but mouse, keyboard, touch and mouse must be as important.
Material as metaphor
To quote Google:
The material is grounded in tactile reality, inspired by the study of paper and ink, yet technologically advanced and open to imagination and magic.
So basically it’s not quite the wholesale junking of skeuomorphism like we might have expected, but it’s a significant step into a whole new visually representative language.
Skeuomorphism is quite simply the practise of making something artificial appear real and the most famous modern example of this can be found in the iPhone’s yellow papered, ring bound Notes app and the rickety-bookcase-aping Newsstand app.
Since the introduction of iOS7, this design trend has become more and more unpopular, and quite right too.
Most of us have been interacting with the digital world for half our lives now, we no longer need the patronising comfort of a button on a digital screen to look exactly like a button in the real world. The faster we consumers get used to this, the faster digital design can move forward.
However within flat design there is a tendency for buttons to disappear into the background, forming a seamless wall that can leave the user bewildered and frustrated that they can’t find functions that aren’t clearly defined, especially if they don’t have any previous experience with the interface.
This is where material design comes in. The surfaces and edges of elements in material design provide visual cues that are grounded in reality. Realistic lighting also helps to define objects and divide space.
The use of familiar tactile features also helps users quickly understand the relation between an object and its environment.
Bold intentional graphics
The principals of print based design are not only there to appear visually attractive but also to guide your experience using hierarchy, meaning and focus.
Bold solid colours, sharply defined edge-to-edge imagery, large-scale typography and intentional white space helps to create an immersive user experience.
Meaningful motion
User actions are the primary focus, the person interacting with the design controls the experience rather than the other way round.
Action should also take place in a single environment and interactive objects should be presented to the user without breaking continuity even as the experience changes.
There is vast amounts of information on the Google Design website going into greater technical detail with regards to environmental properties, 3D design, animation and responsive interaction, so if you’re interested do check it out.
Examples
In the meantime, I’ve rounded up some current examples of material design.
(Some of these examples are courtesy of Thomas Vanhoutte and Stanfy.)
Gmail Inbox
For more information check out our review, Gmail Inbox: does email need a reboot?
Calculator
Message sent
Newspaper
Player interface
Events listings
Flight information
Music player
Phone contacts
To do lists
Further reading
For more on web design from the blog, check out our crucial web design trends of 2015, also these 14 joyful examples of micro UX and 20 examples of beautifully persuasive ecommerce design.
15 Ways You Can Beat The Content Marketing Odds
Want your content read? Here are 15 ways you can beat the content marketing odds. Translation: get your content in front of and read by your prospects.
The post 15 Ways You Can Beat The Content Marketing Odds appeared first on Heidi Cohen.
21 examples of retro design that made a comeback online
There is nothing new under the sun. So spoketh Solomon and/or Shakespeare, depending on who you believe.
Either way, it’s unlikely they were referring to web design, but as we enter into an uncertain future, there’s no denying there’s a strange comfort in nostalgia - Hey, look at hipsters for starters.
Everywhere you turn online we’re confronted with roaring 20s typeface, swinging 60s splash pages and... erm... Bronze-age breadcrumbs.
These aren’t necessarily the newest, or even greatest examples of retro design, but each had a range of elements both subtle and strong that I felt showcased how design can influence story and branding.
With this in mind, here are some great examples that I hope will inspire your own online vintage makeovers. Click on the images to head to each site.
Burger and Lobster
Let’s start with this from the London (and now NYC) based purveyors of quality crustaceans.
A lovely ‘one-sheet’ site filled to bursting with drawings that may be meant to recall Scarfe, but to my mind summons up classic Disney. It’s an unusual and refreshing approach to navigation, so kudos for not disrupting the UX.
Dishoom
Dishoom’s website takes the restaurant’s ‘faded opulence’ vibe and runs with it, with plenty of retro filters and colour choices lending a 1960s feel that works well with the smooth transitions.
Bold & Noble
Retro design is certainly easier if you sell retro products, and this is a great example of web design reflecting the inventory, with lots of snazzy fonts aiding the handmade feel.
Moncada Brewery
I’m quite a fan of craft beer, so I spent a while searching through the sites of Siren, Beavertown, 5 Points and more before happening on Moncada’s home page, which blends Victorian styling with modern flourishes – not unlike the brewery’s home in Notting Hill.
Clutch
A tiny site, but some lovely elements in just the right places, with minimalist artwork designed to replicate wooden cutouts. The chicken is pretty tasty too.
Small Stone Records
Long-time supporters of the New Wave of American garage rock, Small Stone Record’s site positively drips low-slung 70s eight-track cool. Come for the design choices, stay for the amazing jukebox.
The New York Moon
An oldie but a... erm... ‘silvery’, unique publication NY Moon holds the spirit of Tesla close to its heart, with verbose copy half-ripped from ‘popular mechanics’ and some great cut 'n' paste electronic imagery.
People’s Park Tavern
Technically this is a Tumblr, but I’m throwing it in as it has some great pointers to help you create your own retro content (and happens to be around the corner from my house).
The pub revels in its hipster location, filling pages with filtered images of the in-house brewery and tilt-shifted images from the garden for always-on nostalgia.
Omni Magazine
Omni’s reboot site features an entirely different kind of retro – the future, or at least, the future we imagined in the past.
Gorgeous artwork aplenty, and a cast-chrome guarantee of at least one petulant robot per issue.
Tennessee Vacation
A travel site with a unique combination of down-home typography, and whisky-drenched imagery encouraging you to partake in country music, bourbon and rolling hills.
The Ginger Pig
A quality butcher that makes sure everything it does reflects heritage, from its pig breeds to its website. Swirly type, charming old paintings and lots and lots of storytelling support the excellent sausage rolls.
Camp Bestival
Britain’s cosiest festival makes up for what it may lack in rock 'n' roll excess in multi-coloured joy. A circus of images push its family-friendly theme to the fore.
La Bodega negra
A feast for the eyes as well as the belly, La Bodega Negra makes fine use of vintage photography to up its dangerous, drag racing, hell-raising heritage and encourage you to nip in for a mezcal cocktail or three.
J. Peterman
More a case of ‘stayed with us so long that it became retro’, J. Peterman’s predilection for effortlessly cool 1960s draughtsmanship to showcase its products manages to be timeless, even if you can’t shake the feeling that Elaine is writing the copy.
Glazed & Infused
I’ve so far (just) managed to avoid any cupcake sites in this round-up, so you’ll forgive me if I include donut-masters Glazed & Infused.
A nice combo of modern Pinterest-and-flat-design influence with a vintage touch.
Anthropologie
The more I look at Anthropologie’s site, the more relaxed I become. Honey-dipped photography, swirling, hand-written fonts and a liberal sprinkling of language that appears to be plucked from an Agatha Christie novel all add up to a luxurious ecommerce experience.
Bombardier
Channelling the spirit of Flashman, Bombardier has some great images, and a playful, over-the-top tone of voice that forces you to read it in a shouting sergeant-major voice. Bang on indeed.
Hawksmoor
While it may not be the most complex site on the list, Hawksmoor manages to cram in lots of little details that just work.
Some lovely fonts, informative video and a range of t-shirts that I can’t imagine anyone actually ever wearing combine to give off a handcrafted feel throughout, like a friend just drew the location map out for you.
Cirq
Another example of the crafted look and feel, with hand-stamps and individual signatures reminding you of how much love and attention must go into every bottle.
The California winemaker succeeds in combining subtle design with storytelling to deliver its message effectively.
Second Life Festival
Given that it’s a vintage festival, it’s no surprise to see the design choice made by Second Life Fest, but it’s still well-executed, with elements of collage, classic film clips and plenty of kitsch telling you exactly what to expect.
Everyman Cinemas
It’s surprising how many cinemas cast aside movie history in favour of selling you another mega-gulp and nacho combo, but fortunately Everyman remembers and loves its heritage, with the glamour of vintage Hollywood perfectly positioning the brand as the ‘film-lovers choice’.
BONUS! Scarfolk
Not technically a designed site, but brilliant and disturbing in equal measure.
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