By Alton Jerome McFarland
Advanstar Communications (located at www.advanstar.com)
is a business information company that distributes information resources
and, as they put it, "integrated marketing solutions". This,
in effect, means that they provide business with the information necessary
to make important marketing decisions.
The Advanstar site is very professional and minimalist. There are
very few pictures or graphics. When such extras do appear they are
usually functional in nature. One example is a circular graphic containing
clickable links that, details the various market segments in which
Advanstar operates. The aim of Advanstar's website seems to be demonstration
of the numerous ways in which their company can assist with marketing.
The site contains several sections on the site that detail the various
products and services that they make available to clients, but little
else. I find it interesting that a site focused on marketing doesn't
do a better job of pushing its message through example. The layout
of the Advanstar site, while professional, wouldn't inspire any particular
notice from the casual surfer. It would seem more logical for a marketing
website to go all out to demonstrate, in its own medium, how effective
they are at their business in other mediums. All in all the Advanstar
site was okay, but I felt like they failed to utilize the full potential
of their website. In most cases, a website loaded with extras is just
annoying. When dealing with marketing, however, the site's look and
feel should reflect its purpose.