The unveiling of Toshiba's new HD DVD players has been their most important product launch since their 1997 release of the first DVD player ever. To ensure the success of any new product launch, information and product messages must be focused and carry great impact.

FutureMedia met this challenge by creating a dedicated microsite to introduce and support the online marketing campaign HD DVD - A Defining Moment.

This easy-to-navigate site helps guide consumers through new technology in an interactive and informative way. Videos embedded in the site help teach those consumers who need more assistance, and easy-to-reference spec sheets and technology explanations provide instant access to consumers looking for immediate answers.

Regardless of a visitor's level of comfort with new technology, the HD DVD microsite addresses the needs of everyone.

Toshiba has a variety of opportunities within the site for cross promotion, or to showcase important news and awards. All product information is managed using FutureMedia's Content Management System, which means the site can easily stay up-to-date until a redesign is needed. Read more about this unique system in this issue.

This site was recently selected as a Silver Award winner in the International Academy for Visual Arts' W3 Awards, in the website categories "Consumer Electronics" and "Visual Appeal!" Truly a defining moment for Toshiba!

Check out the HD DVD Microsite today!

This fall FutureMedia will launch the ground breaking Regza Virtual Showroom website, which will use a custom presentation for each user, interactive video, and a "hands-on" Learning Lab to educate consumers about Toshiba's new line of flat panel televisions.

This project is several months in the making, and in the meantime Toshiba still needed an online presence for Reza. To get their web marketing started, FutureMedia created this Regza Teaser site.

The teaser accomplishes several goals: it introduces the brand to web visitors now, rather than waiting for the full website to launch. Also, it is also an important lead generation tool for Toshiba, as visitors who sign up to receive more information can be added to their mailing lists. Finally, this mini site helps with search engine ranking. Search engine spiders will have already indexed the teaser, and when the full website launches, search engines will take note of the changes and ranking will continue to improve.

The Regza Virtual Showroom is scheduled for launch in time for the holiday shopping season. Until then, experience the Regza teaser for yourself!

Web site redesigns are needed for a variety of reasons, often because of new branding and messages. These redesigns can run the gamut from a subtle evolution in features and content, to a wholesale overhaul and re-launch.

MTI Instruments, a producer of precision measuring instruments, found themselves needing to make a splash in the marketplace. Since the introduction of MTII's new logo is meant to help take their brand to the next level, FutureMedia also suggested a few other changes.

To best meet MTI Instruments' objectives, their site redesign was comprehensive. First, the new site's information architecture was engineered for ease of use. Then, FutureMedia designed and implemented a more professional look and feel that better compliments their new logo. Finally, the site was built using modern and flexible construction methods, which ensures that as MTI grows, the site can grow with them.

The changes FutureMedia brought to the MTI site have already paid off: the site was recently selected as a Silver Award winner in the International Academy for Visual Arts W3 Awards for "Structure and Navigation!"

Take a look at the MTI Instruments Website… then, contact us when you're ready to redesign your own website!

There's one final project we haven't yet talked about: the Content Management System (CMS) FutureMedia developed for Toshiba. This custom CMS is based on several prior versions that FutureMedia has launched for other clients, and is engineered to be both powerful and easy to use.

Toshiba's website contains data for approximately 120 current models and several years' worth of archived models. This database, containing over 5000 individual entries, needs to be updated yearly to reflect important new features and specifications.

Even though this SQL database is complex the CMS is not, which makes site administration accessible to Toshiba's content experts, who don't need to be experienced programmers to get their job done.

Giving Toshiba control over their website, and ensuring the process is intuitive and accurate, eliminates the need for an in-house team of web developers. This reduces overall maintenance costs and speeds deployment time, so that the company can focus their attention on other important marketing and communications initiatives. Contact us today to see a demo version of a FutureMedia CMS!