Thursday, May 03, 2007
Not everyone likes the light
Any sort of make over, especially when it happens at a reasonably large company, gets people chatting. It also brings out the arm chair critics. Business Objects launch of both style and substance this week is no exception. At the same time they announced a number of new products, they also gave themselves a makeover. See it here. Regardless of whether you can see the light, the good people at Valley Wag have already offered an opinion. Your vote?
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5 comments:
Wow gentlemen, this is quite diplomatic. C'mon Pat what do you really think of this launch? You're holding back on us!
Dave -
Thanks for starting the discussion, even if you did not share your thoughts - or did your own self edit. On the plus side, I like the update on the logo and I also think the insight behind the creative approach is correct. The core mission around unlocking the power of information and its power to change and enlighten is good. It both makes sense and is consistent with who Business Objects is and where they have come from.
However, I am not impressed with the execution and expression of the idea. First, white on black in any forum, much less a webpage is hard to read. However this is only the home page, then you drill down into the same old pages with a black header. Does not make sense on either count.
Second, the first banner on the homepage Tuesday was something on the order of, "Light is Vision, read about our mission". Sounds like Dr. Seuss. One fish, two fish, red fish, BusinessObjects Crystal Reports XI R2 fish.
Finally, I can't decide if this trends toward 1,000 points of light or something more religious. Either way, I don't think they paid off the core insight as well as they could have.
That's my take. Now yours?
Somebody turn the lights on! Although I’m not a big fan of dark websites, the branding revamp last week is certainly the direction Business Objects should be moving as an industry and thought leader. Sure there are a number of cheesy clichés that you open yourself up to when you try to package something as vast as BI into a simple catch phrase, is there a simple way of articulating what BI solutions do? There’s certainly a number of ways to play the hand, but kudos to bobj for stepping up and trying something new (ie. you can’t score if you don’t take any shots). I’m sure there are more than a few folks at Business Objects who are finding this change refreshing after a few years of same old same old. They certainly need to continue demonstrating leadership, showcasing innovation and the benefits their customers are realizing in order to stay ahead of the big four.
...if it helps...
I needed not only my glasses to read it...but the lights in my room needed to be turned off.
...this is software. Not a pink floyd light show.
Hope you all are well!
Stef
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