Don’t copy, just be inspired
Nielsen’s warnings should not stop you learning from what other companies are doing online. The Chicago large format printer Benchmark Imaging and Display has a simple page on its site called The Idea Gallery (http://www.benchmarkimaging.com/Gallery/index.php?option=com_joomgallery&func=viewcategory&catid=1&Itemid=61 ) which does pretty much what the name suggests. The work is simply presented, the notes accompanying each idea/application are succinct and relevant, and the cumulative effect is pretty impressive.
The US-based print group QuadGraphics has always been innovative – it is one of the few printing businesses to be held up as a model by management guru Tom Peters (who mentioned the company in his classic book In Search Of Excellence) – and there is something beautifully simple and innovative about its YouTube-style video promoting its large-format skills (http://www.qg.com/markets/in-store-marketing/default.asp ). The home page for the whole group is almost as impressive for the breezy, confident – but not too corny – way it promotes the virtues of print. This is surely one lesson British companies should heed.
