StatoilHydro's world is opening up

Company: StatoilHydroTrend: The Marketing MachineSubject: Branding

What do you see?

StatoilHydro operates in 40 countries and is aiming to achieve further international expansion. Statoil uses an interactive world map to show the countries in which it operates. When clicking on a country, the map zooms in and provides a short introduction. Clicking ‘read more’ leads to a detailed country page, which shows:

Statoil's specific operations and business in the country
The office locations of Statoil companies
Facts and figures about the country itself (e.g. # of inhabitants, GDP)

Statoil also shows its environmental and social activities on the detailed country page. A click of the mouse will direct visitors to the ‘Environment & Society’ section of the corporate website for more in-depth information.

And, last but not least, Statoil puts a local employee in the spotlight on each country page by means of a video interview. After watching the interview, other employees are eager to talk about their experiences too.

Before I knew it, I had been introduced to the entire company and knew everything about its countries, social responsibility initiatives and employees. That’s what I call a proper introduction.

Why is it effective?

Each stakeholder wants to know what a company does, where it operates and who its employees are. Statoil illustrates that an effective combination of text, video, images, interactive applications and related links results in a page-turning experience. Page views on StatoilHydro.com are sure to be on the rise, not to mention their international presence.

What' s next?

To date, few companies seem to provide an appealing and effective introduction of their enterprise. In light of increased globalization, heightened attention for CSR initiatives and the search for good employees, it would seem high time to do so. Internet provides excellent opportunities, both in terms of multimedia and combining seemingly unrelated information.