David Bowen commentaries
In his regular columns for the Financial Times and ft.com, senior consultant David Bowen has pursued themes ranged from customer relationship management and career marketing to ‘ethical’ retailing and royal family sites. His collected Financial Times and ft.com columns from January 2001 onward are indexed by theme and available for viewing on this site.
You can access articles directly by selecting a link below.
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How yesterday plays today
It began with a piece of best practice from the grocery trade and has racked up 500 more since. But while BC Tips has had a long shelf-life, how far has the internet moved on since 2003?
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When comms people gather
The first Web Effectiveness Conference for online communicators scored highly with delegates and contributors. A round up of highlights, by David Bowen.
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When less may be more
One of the world’s biggest companies has a minimalist website that has barely changed in 10 years. Which might not be such a bad thing, says David Bowen.
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Why it’s worth exploring NASA
There’s no need to follow NASA to distant planets to share its discoveries in how to give website visitors a rewarding landing, says David Bowen.
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Where priorities divide
Few corporate websites strike a happy balance between structure and content. Regional biases play a big part in which side of the scale they come down on, says David Bowen.
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Where have all the social media gone?
Most of the largest corporate websites inhabit a place that social media have passed by. And the experimenters are still stumbling toward the light, says David Bowen.
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What sound advice
Top 10 do’s and don’ts for audio on corporate websites.
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Why the BRICs are in the place they are
Companies from the world’s coming generation of powerhouse economies – the so-called BRICs – propped up this year’s FT Bowen Craggs Index. But they have much to build on, says David Bowen.
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What if it’s raining?
With bad news clouds racing one another across the financial sector sky there are few signs of those in the eye of the storm using the web to throw light on their situation, says David Bowen.
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How to get on with the neighbours
Companies with contentious plants or facilities are learning to use the web as a place where they can keep local communities informed about the impact of their operations, says David Bowen.
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Why it’s still a bear market for investors
Against all the trends one industrial giant has made over its home page to appeal to stock analysts. The share price hasn’t looked back, but it’s not an investment to follow, says David Bowen.
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How Anglicans fail to spread the word
For all that it has no trouble making headlines, the Anglican Church has a way of managing news itself that reveals just how deeply its house is divided. By David Bowen.
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How the web subverts propaganda
The internet can be a trying environment for countries looking to win friends and influence people of other nations. By David Bowen
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How your dictionary defines your company
Large enterprises strike up communication with their global audiences in English. But many are careless of the tell-tale signals they are sending out about their place in the international community.
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Who needs a spell checker?
Enterprises seem more tolerant of spelling errors on their websites than in print. But such mistakes point to a wider ‘quality gap’ in the management of the web, says David Bowen.
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How to get smart about ‘web 2.0’
Technologists’ hype has done much to float the buzz concept that is web 2.0. But beneath the pseudo-software wrapping, what does it mean for anyone running a website?
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How the web cultivates the farming community
Fresh outbreaks of livestock diseases are an unwelcome dose of déjà vu all over again for the UK’s farmers, but their online lifelines have moved on since the last time.
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Why China could be next decade’s Europe
The Chinese giants joining the ranks of the world’s biggest companies do not have websites to match their new status. But the same was once true of Europe’s continental élite – and now they set the benchmark.
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What use governments can make of blogs
Where politicians have seized on blogs and video as a way to engage voters, governments have been slow to follow. But some pioneering examples show promise, says David Bowen.
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How US carmakers relate to the world
As global brands go you can’t get any more universal than America’s big auto companies. But their corporate websites have difficulty treating with the world at large.