1. LITMUSGet in the Game:Are Branded Manufacturers Missing the Mark Online? MethodologyAre you O.P.E.N., or are you dangerously closed? Our assessment helps guide brandplanning and priorities for digital investments. An O.P.E.N. score is an evaluation ofyour brands digital experience through the eyes of your target segments. Our team of Resource Interactive researchers scored 15 sites within three umbrellacategoriesmajor appliances, consumer electronics and outdoor products. Each auditor focused on a single category for their review, and was given a pre-determined scenario and task to complete across all sites they audited. Forexample, You are a new home owner, shopping for a push mower and looking forproduct comparisons. All sites were scored using a 1-5 point scale for each O.P.E.N. brand criteriaOn-Demand, Personal, Engaging and Networked.SummaryMost Branded Manufacturing sites need improvement in all O.P.E.N. criteriaPersonal and Networked in particular. These are prime areas to invite and involveconsumers in your brand. Areas where loyalty is built and testimonials are shared.Experiences that create dramatic points of differentiation. Clearly, importantinvestment opportunities. Additionally, we noticed a lack of cohesiveness between channels. Across thebrands we audited, there were no holistic consumer experiencesno connectionbetween purchasing a product and purchase support. In these instances the brandsinternal silos become awkwardly visible.On-DemandMany consumers come to branded manufacturer sites to research and find decisionsupport. Overall, the On-Demand criteria provided the highest scores from ourauditors, as manufacturers have improved their online product selection andelevated information about how to buy the product. www.resource.com 2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved.

2. The Major Appliance category stood out by making products the heroshowingfeatures and benefits as well as visualizing them in a range of room settings andcolors. For an investment product, this is key. GE had the highest on-demand score within the major appliances sub-segment. Thebrands site was simple, clean, easy to navigate and made it easy to narrow downoptions. Of note was a comparison tool that allowed a consumer to compare upto four products including pricea rarity in our audit. Another on-demand featurewas the ability to locate the closest dealer from within the product details section ofthe site. Last but not least, the visualization tool was best in class as it allowed theconsumer to select a kitchen scene and manipulate the counters, paint, and flooringwhile interacting with the scene to learn more about the specific products.GE Enter a coption hereConsumer Electronics brands wisely emphasize how-to-buy content, but with sitesthat are difficult to navigate and contain calls to action that dont lead down intuitivepaths, these brands are falling behind their manufacturing peers. A disappointing example: Sonys Television Advisor tries to provide good decisionsupport but misses the mark as the criteria isnt user-friendly, and by leading withprice they miss an opportunity to up-sell the consumer. www.resource.com 2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 3. Char-Broil had the highest score within the outdoor category as it did the simplethings extremely wellload time was very quick, search produced fast, relevantresults and express checkout was offered for grills. Most impressive, however,was the dealer locator that included a list of all products carried at each location.Additional kudos for the infraRED gas grill demoeducational and engagingdecision support that we didnt have to dig for.Char-Broil Enter a coption herePersonalCreating a welcoming experience for brand fans is a way to activate consumerloyalty and let your enthusiasts spread the word. Our auditors found a big opportunity for more personal experiences. Scores werelow across the board, with Major Appliance manufacturers at the bottom of the scoring. While loyalty programs were commonand often a way to bring both value and apersonal touch to a sitewe found that many had a difficult time communicatingthe value of their programs. One question consumers ask when it comes to loyaltyprograms is Whats in it for me? Another is What do I have to do? Panasonicsloyalty program stood out by capturing a great balanceoffering a lot of perceivedvalue for only having to provide your email address. Free shipping alone mightbe enough incentive to sign up, but additional features such as the camera loanerprogram and gift suggestions were a nice touch. www.resource.com 2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 4. Consumers looking for a bit of fame need to go no further than Webers WeberNation site. There, grill owners can submit their Weber grill story for a chance to bea part of a Weber TV commercial. You cant get more notoriety than that.Weber Enter a coption hereCustomizable applications fell short, as with John Deeres Build Your Own JohnDeere feature. What should be a fun and engaging process becomes mundanewith a clunky user interface and complete lack of visuals.EngagingLike a shiny new button on the latest product model, branded manufacturing sitesshould get, hold and reward consumers attention. Our team of auditors found sporadic results in this area, with Sub-Zero and Char-Broil standing out from the pack with highly engaging experiences. Sub-Zeros elegant product design and features are enhanced through its sitedesign and layout. As a result, it received the highest Engaging score of any sitewe reviewed. Consumers have the opportunity to explore products through video,a product selector tool, visualizer tool and inspirational imagery. Visitors can alsogather product tips, kitchen trends, related suggestions and news, as well as learnabout events and other information to keep themselves connected to the brand.www.resource.com2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 5. Toro Enter a coption hereDespite having leading edge products, the Consumer Electronics sites we reviewedwere severely lacking the eye candy and head-turning wows that we wereanticipating. Televisions and home theater brands proved more confusing thaninviting and lacked demos that featured products in usea real disappointment. A few outdoor brands dialed up the fun factor with contests. Toros SmoothOperator campaign came to life with a unique video challenge. We continue to findToros dual site strategy interestingusing yardcare.com to inform consumers aboutlawn while keeping toro.com focused on products. An atypical experience (and notone we would typically recommend) but engaging nonetheless.NetworkedThe larger the purchase, the more likely consumers are to solicit advice from theirnetworks before purchasing. Our auditors discovered, however, sites scored lowestwithin this O.P.E.N. category, signaling a significant opportunity for manufacturers. Among appliance brands, KitchenAid stood out with its high traffic discussionforums and use of social networks, although most brand conversations centeredaround the brands iconic mixer. www.resource.com 2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 6. While shopping for televisions, our auditors applauded Samsungs use of theBazaarVoice Ask & Answer feature. Consumers can post a question and getfeedback from the brand as well as members of the consumer community. With the exception of Weber Nation, outdoor brands scored surprisingly low, giventhe level of consumer enthusiasm often associated with the category. In fact, nobrand in our audit is successfully leveraging Facebooks 200 million users to invitedialogue, share ideas or get product feedback. We found it perplexing that of the brands we reviewed, those attempting to engagetheir consumer communities were doing so by creating their own community fromscratch. This is an expensive option, especially since communities likely already existand are ripe for brands to join.Get StartedBefore you plan the future of your brands digital experience, its important to knowjust where your opportunities are. The Resource Interactive O.P.E.N. assessment canhelp identify gaps in your current online experience and start a dialogue with yourcustomers to determine where they are already talking about your brand online. For more information about getting an O.P.E.N. assessment for your company andyour competitors, contact Gail Sech at gsech@resource.com. www.resource.com2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 7. OUTDOOR LARGE APPLIANCES ELECTRONICSRED TO -D LC VI ER L ET AII Z OH RO M NI RO EE SH GO SU LPO DA SO ENTO UNSA SO CA JO -B IBO.P.E.N. Assessment CH R KI G H N E Y ARSA IR N EB TCN BNB KI H CUE LG PA W W GON-DEMANDEfficiencyEaseControlFindabilityInstantaneousnessOn-Demand Experience ScorePERSONALAcknowledgementDialogueCustomizationPrivilegePopularityPersonal Experience ScoreENGAGINGParticipationBelongingImmersionEntertainmentInspirationEngaging Experience ScoreNETWORKEDSelf-ExpressionEgo-GratificationPortabilityCommunityMeaningful ChangeNetworked Experience ScoreO.P.E.N. EXPERIENCE SCOREEXCELLENTGOODPOORVERY GOODFAIRNONEXISTENT* For further explanation on the scoring used in the O.P.E.N. Assessment, email Resource Interactive at inquiry@resource.com.www.resource.com2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved. 8. Fueled by the RI:LABThe RI:Lab is the R&D arm of Resource Interactive. The Lab offers an innovationmindset to make the future relevant to the here and now for our clients and theirteams. It isolates the trends swings and technological shifts that matter, and finds attheir intersection new, bold opportunities for consumer engagement and competitiveadvantage, while providing consumer insights driven by research and experience.About Resource InteractiveResource Interactive is one of the nations preeminent digital marketing agencies,helping Fortune 500 companies thrive in the evolving internet economy withaward-winning digital strategy, creative and technology solutions. Known forits revolutionizing consumer insights, leading edge interactive design andtechnological innovation, Resource Interactive is ranked among the top tenindependent interactive agencies in the nation. Unique in the industry as female-founded, owned and operated, ResourceInteractive has grown over its 28-year history from its first marketing relationshipwith Apple to ongoing partnerships with clients such as Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, The Coca-Cola Company, Victorias Secret, Sherwin-Williams and L.L.Bean, among others. For more information, visit www.resource.com. 343 North Front Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215 ph 614 621 2888 ph 800 550 5815 fx 614 621 2873 www.resource.com FOR MORE INFORMATION, EMAIL:inquiry@resource.com www.resource.com 2009 Resource Interactive. All rights reserved.