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Greene King

The Greene King site is a bit disappointing compared with some of the

other brewers’ sites on the Web.

The splash screen introduces the site as the virtual pub quiz, but, to

be frank, the quizzes aren’t up to much. This doesn’t mean I knew all

the answers, just that I didn’t find the questions very interesting.

There are prizes and links to other related sites but there isn’t any

real reason to spend much time on the site or return frequently. I

certainly hope that they update the questions regularly.

Encouraging people to register in one way or another can be an important

part of a Website, but this looks like it is trying to get data without

offering the user much motivation.

Client Adam Collett, marketing manager

Brief Create a presence for Greene King in an emerging medium

Created by Delaney Fletcher Bozell in association with CIA Interactive

Copywriter Judith Luder at CIA Interactive and Sally Morton, DFB

Designers Scott Garratt and Hugo Eyre-Varnier at DFB

Address www.greeneking.co.uk/beer/

Business Day Interactive

The Evening Standard business section has always prided itself on giving

you tomorrow’s Financial Times lead story today. With Business Day

Interactive you don’t even need to visit a newsagent.

The site incorporates a miniature version of the actual newspaper pages.

At first glance this doesn’t seem very interactive. However, by looking

at the page you can judge the length and relative importance of each

story. Then you simply click on the article you want to read and the

text appears, sometimes with accompanying images.

I admit that there could be a more sophisticated set-up, but given the

target market and the fact that in this instance ‘content is king’, this

is a good start.

Client Craig Orr, the managing editor, Business Day

Brief Make Business Day more accessible to the Internet audience

Created by Infosis, Nick Green and Mike Jones

Address www.standard.co.uk

Dogz Website

I would love to have a dog but I don’t have the space and my working

hours are erratic.

Now, man’s best friend is available on the Web. You can actually adopt

your own cyber puppy from the Web equivalent of the Battersea Dogs Home.

This is not just a simple picture of a forlorn puppy but a dog that

lives in your computer.

Every morning you will see its smiling face and wagging tail. You can

even teach the dog tricks - but you must also remember to feed him. When

you have time to spare you can play catch with a ball. Add to this the

fact that he’s house-trained and you have the perfect pet. I don’t know

if he can meet a mate through the server system and have puppies...

Co-ordinator P.F. Magic

Brief Get people to play with dogs and to create an online community of

dog lovers

Producer Brooke Boynton

Designers The Web Design Group

Address www.pfmagic.com

Pointcast

This is a fantastic service that comes as close to providing the ‘Daily

Me’ as I have seen. It’s a simple idea that works really well.

After you have selected areas of news and information that you are

interested in, Pointcast begins to gather information that suits your

requirements. The really clever bit is the way that it downloads the

information when you are connected to the Net and then presents it to

you during the day as a screen saver, pulling from the information it

has stored on your hard disk.

Part of the download includes animated ads that play as part of the

screen. It is ideal for tracking the progress of individual companies

and even offers weather reports, horoscopes and other everyday items.

The only real problem at the moment is that the information is entirely

American-based and so not always appropriate for the UK, but I’ve no

doubt that this will change soon. Definitely one to watch.

Created by Pointcast inc

Address www.pointcast.com

Gleneagles

Country pursuits in the Highlands are only a click away using the

Gleneagles site. Well almost. It’s fast and there’s plenty of

information, but the graphics are a bit limited.

The site tries to capture the glamour of an earlier era with 30s-style

posters and a healthy sprinkling of tartan. The poster idea adds charm

and is effective (even for the off-road driving course) but I wouldn’t

mind seeing a few photographs of the real thing as well.

To add interest for the casual browser there is a ‘whodunnit’, using a

Cluedo-style game, based on a fictional jewel heist, that guides you

through the various facilities as you check the alibi of each suspect.

All of this, and you also get the chance to win a stay at the famous

hotel.

Client Neil Woodcock, Gleneagles Hotel

Brief Communicate information about the hotel in an interactive format

and provide original and creative reasons for people to visit the site

Created by Star Interactive

Designers Jaz Kilmister and Adam Nealis

Address www.gleneagles com

Michael Crossman is the chairman of Bates Dorland Interactive