Increasingly, businesses are engaging corporate customers and end consumers in more innovative means using digital media. Since mid 1990s, digital media has continued to change business overall strategies as businesses develop more sophisticated platform for B2B and B2C communications. Mainly, businesses – local and multinational – are investing more extensively in digital media platforms not only to reach out for more clients but also to enhance digital presence and, more significantly, to reformulate integrated marketing communication campaigns and strategies. Further, an increasing number of enterprises are launching digital-platform-only business units which operate primarily online or cloud-based. Interestingly, social media functionalities – initially perceived as unserious business features –are now being employed more extensively across different business functions and platforms. For current purposes, a corporate portal of one business is explored for two employed digital media features. More specifically, adopted design and content strategies by Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) – a multi-capability, cross-border management and strategic innovation consultancy – is investigated. This paper aims, hence, to explore employed digital media strategies BAH employs as effective practice and implications for future enterprises.
BAH (n.d.) is, as noted, a mutli-capability consultancy. This is manifest in her range of competencies and expertise. Yet, presenting and marketing BAH's complex operations and competency areas requires an innovative investment in digital strategy for more optimum visibility and enhanced digital presence. Two features, in fact, are notable in BAH's portal namely, layout design and content deployment.
In order to present her broad range of services for multiple customers and stakeholders, BAH adopts a user-friendly design which enables users to browse content in a very organized and manageable fashion. For example, BAH's home page features most recent updates in a very visual format. Instead of conventional tapping across pages – executed by listing taps for different content categories ("Home," "Products," "Investors," "Contact," etc) – BAH's adopted design for home page features large photos accompanied by highly readable font type which does not – like conventional AAAA functionality – require an enlargement action which, in fact, momentarily, distracts from browsing and reading activity. Further, BAH's core content is neatly organized under "MENU ≡". By organizing content away from home page, BAH is effectively directing users into more focused channels which do not only present BAH's multiple message more effectively – disposing of conventional clutter which is always associated with hybrid content on home page – but is also rebranding her core competencies in a more succinct and user-friendly format. As well, BAH's home suits smaller screens for browsability. That is, given BAH's home in which big photos dominate screen, side buttons are offered in order to switch between different features shown on home. Further, a scroll down functionality is embedded further down each section for more about each feature. Overall, BAH's adopted design comes in line with a growing pattern in marketing communication in which how digital media is presented impact customers' response to services and brands (Mulhern, 2009) as well as a continuous investment in customer engagement platforms (Berthon, Pitt, Plangger & Shapiro, 2012).
The second feature of concern in BAH's portal is content deployment. Indeed, integral to BAH's layout design is how content is deployed across portal's different sections. One notable example is, as mentioned, content organization under "MENU ≡". By organizing content under one banner, users are channeled to more focused content sections which, upon selection of each, fades into more sub-sections displaying content of interest. Interestingly, featured updates on home are included in a different display option under "OUR STORIES". Textuality is, moreover, one content format BAH employs. However, for sections in which conventional lists of locations or offices might be awkward – particularly for a company whose presence is global such as BAH – visual content formats are adopted. For example, "OFFICES" under "ABOUT US" are shown in clickable map which is currently a very widespread and user-friendly feature.
Overall, BAH's digital media use holds deeper implications for future enterprises. Indeed, given how Internet adoption – and later, more specifically, digital media – has contributed to unprecedented growth rates in financial and service sectors (Forman, 2005), a more user-friendly and customer-oriented digital media usage is more likely to continue to define how businesses present corporate information in more innovative ways which crowdsource data instead of relying on more conventional means of corporate-driven market research, data-gathering strategies.
In conclusion, as businesses rely increasingly on digital media for corporate information presentation, investments in digital platforms increase accordingly. More businesses are shifting marketing communication strategies online. Two digital media features are explored for BAH portal, mainly layout design and content deployment. BAH layout design is user friendly and enables smooth browsability across sections. BAH content deployment is optimized for visual and non-visual component and hence enhances BAH's messages. BAH practice is apt to hold wider implications for service industry in general by further simplifying user experience and crowdsource data. If anything, by adopting more user-friendly functionalities and features, businesses are better able to enhance B2B and B2C interactions and hence drive more data insights into marketing communication efforts.
References
Berthon, R. P., Pitt, F. L., Plangger, K., & Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy. Business Horizons, 55(3), 261-271. ScienceDirect. doi: 10.1016/j.bushor.2012.01.007
Booz Allen Hamilton. (n.d.) Booz Allen Hamilton. Retrieved from http://www.boozallen.com/
Forman, C. (2005). The Corporate Digital Divide: Determinants of Internet Adoption. Management Science, 51(4), 641-654. Informs. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.1040.0343
Mulhern, F. (2009). Integrated marketing communications: From media channels to digital connectivity. Journal of Marketing Communications, 15(2-3), 85-101. Taylor & Francis Online. doi: 10.1080/13527260902757506
