CREATION: Dotcoms learn the hard way that you can still lose big on the Internet

<p>Dotcoms which fail to live up to their advertising now face being </p><p>shunned by consumers, a trend demonstrating the fact that online has </p><p>caught up with offline. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Speakers at the MarCom Asia 2000 Conference in Hong Kong said that five </p><p>years ago when the Internet was just taking off, consumers were very </p><p>forgiving because they treated anything cyber as a novelty which offered </p><p>an exciting vision of the future. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Today, however, there is no shortage of bad 'Net experiences. The </p><p>scams. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Dissatisfaction with the product or service. Late delivery. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In addition, people have become used to using the 'Net for communication </p><p>and information-gathering so their outlook on the new medium is more </p><p>mature. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yahoo! Asia's vice-president and managing director Savio Chow said, "In </p><p>the mid to late 1990s, people were forgiving because everything was so </p><p>new. But their mindset has changed. They are definitely much more </p><p>demanding and sophisticated. When they make a purchase, there is little </p><p>or no differentiation in their minds over whether it was on or </p><p>offline." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Garry Titterton, president and CEO of D'Arcy Asia-Pacific said </p><p>advertisers and marketers operating in both the virtual and bricks and </p><p>mortar store are given almost no margin of error by consumers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The consumer will no longer tolerate seeing glossy TV commercials and </p><p>then going to a store to have a less than satisfying experience. Or </p><p>having entered a Web site and ordered a product feel sold short by its </p><p>quality. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The customer experience must be of seamless excellence to underpin the </p><p>brand promise. Disparity between an expensive promise and clumsy </p><p>delivery will never create a great brand," he said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Because 'Net consumers are more sophisticated and demanding, dotcoms </p><p>have to be as interactive as they claim. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ogilvy AsiaNet general manager Sean Rach said, "Brands once acted as a </p><p>shorthand for speech - a message to the masses as it were. That message </p><p>is now two-way - and if you ignore their voices, they'll rebel. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"You need a clear dialogue process. Not only answering questions but </p><p>adding to customer equity." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But Mr Rach stressed that core truths about branding remained the same </p><p>on and offline. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Strong brand equity is earned over time, not bought overnight. Branding </p><p>is not about the naming. It is about the totality of the experience," he </p><p>said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Yahoo!'s Mr Chow said that Internet marketers are now also talking about </p><p>cost per experience (CPE) and return on attention (ROA), in addition to </p><p>clickthrough rates, numbers of unique visitors and return on </p><p>investment. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, he acknowledged that the method to measure CPE and ROA was </p><p>still in the planning stage. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>MarCom Asia 2000 was organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development </p><p>Council; co-organised by MEDIA and sponsored by AXN. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>