Best And Worst Of Brand Building Web Sites, 2008

How good is the overall experience offered by leading brands' Web sites in 2008? To find out, we graded the sites of 20 top brands using Forrester's updated Web Site Brand Review methodology. Our tests measure how well top sites cater to user needs (Brand Action) and how well they infuse their Brand Image into the Web experience. Just one site managed to differentiate itself in both these dimensions: Chevron.com. Common Brand Action problems included poor text legibility, confusing category names, and missing or buried content. On the Brand Image side, sites were guilty of layouts, imagery, and production values that failed to support brand positioning. To improve the online brand experience, top firms should document their users' goals, clearly define their brand attributes, and map relevant attributes to the right target users.