The Shift

This July our clients at Alcatel-Lucent approached BSL with a request to develop a website dedicated to a revolutionary new book called The Shift. Written by Allison Cerra, VP of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs for Alcatel-Lucent and Christina James, Director of Solutions Marketing for Alcatel-Lucent, The Shift is a book that offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing network operators, in today’s “I want it now” environment. End users have a rapidly increasing appetite for information and interactivity through social and digital media, and returns are not keeping up with increases in online traffic. Alcatel-Lucent asked BSL to create a “sticky” website that demonstrates Alcatel-Lucent thought leadership, and emphasizes the vast amount of market research included in The Shift.

BSL is no stranger to adapting a print publication for the online world (our design and development of the Canadian Geographic Online Atlas has been well-received over the years, and has been awarded Macromedia and MSN’s Website of the Day), so we were certainly up for this challenge. Our strategy for The Shift was to effectively communicate the significant research and insights included in the book, without divulging too much of the content itself. In order to do this, we incorporated a series of features on the site that would feature key highlights of the book, spark a conversation among audiences, and feature a simple mechanism for audiences to get their own copy of The Shift (free of charge).

Central to The Shift website is a dedicated blog, on which both authors (as well as some other key voices) share their perspectives on topics relating to various chapters in the book. We have incorporated a comment forum that invites any interested visitors to express their own opinions, inquiries or observations on these topics, to facilitate an open discussion among audiences. This topical framework is supported with a relevant News and Events section as well.

To extend the conversation further, the website also offers visitors the opportunity to request a meeting with the authors themselves, to discuss the book in greater depth. The request form allows interested parties to narrow down the topics they wish to learn more about as they submit their contact information. Users are also invited to submit their request for a copy of The Shift's online e-book.

Built in Wordpress for a customized content management system, The Shift website was designed to reflect a retail look and feel (a departure from Alcatel-Lucent’s more corporate image), and communicate a clear call-to-action on the home page. The site incorporates a series of interactive elements using J Query (Javascript Library) to provide an enhanced and dynamic experience for users.

The website has been promoted through various relevant channels, identified by Alcatel-Lucent. BSL was encouraged to learn of some exciting early results – in the very first week after launch the website had already garnered 1,000 requests for The Shift – a number far surpassing the initial goals of the client. That number has since climbed to over 4,700 requests.