Website down, profits up?
It seems we have a new digital benchmark for drawing crowds. Forget sales figures, profits or download numbers, the site crash is the industry must-have for proving the popularity of any event campaigns with an online affiliation. We’ve seen the headlines for the site crashes for the launch of the iPhone, Led Zeppelin tickets and most recently capitulation of the Radiohead site for the Rainbows album. ‘’What a success’’ you’d be forgiven for thinking – audiences too large to handle! It reminds me of that ridiculous Hollywood saying – ‘you’re not famous until you’ve got a stalker’. Whilst it may work on a publicity level, it’s pretty frightening and a huge inconvenience.
Seriously though, it’s the digital equivalent of the crowds on Oxford Street at the midnight launch of the latest gaming console or celebrity clothing range. Shoppers broke down the doors at Primark in April, two people were hospitalised, 50 security guards were needed and mounted police were called. The brand came under scrutiny for spreading rumours of £1 per item prices and not planning for the frenzied crowds and resulting injuries to its customers.
While nobody’s likely to get hurt when a website crumples, the online industry should take a more sensible view on managing its online stampedes. Why? Because the brands involved are compromising their reputation and that of the industry as a whole.
A tangled web to weave
The web is fantastic for creating a buzz: social networking groups, online videos, virals, interactive games and even the ‘friends and family’ discount vouchers – word on the web spreads like wildfire. Insufficient IT and preparation however, can put all of the hard work and creativity to waste.
If we fail to act appropriately, sales and long-term trust will be surrendered. If a site crashes once, will consumers really want to go back later with their credit card details? Consumer confidence in online services could wane as they begin to expect disappointment. If they anticipate the site being unavailable, why bother in the first place?
Getting IT right
Traffic management should be at the centre of any online campaign. The challenge most agencies face is that they do not have the in-house IT or web backbone to cope with unprecedented demand should a campaign be hugely successful. Not every campaign an agency will undertake warrants immense bandwidth so it’s cost prohibitive to invest in server capacity that will largely sit redundant.
The good news is that there are hosting partners that have the expertise, established global IT infrastructures and the availability and security accreditation in place, to support agencies. Such partners offer a ‘plug-and-play’ solution, which can be tapped into when additional bandwidth is required. Good hosting partners will provide contracts that allow agencies to only pay for additional bandwidth when rather than if it is required. Excuse the pun, but agencies can have a ‘safety net’, without incurring additional costs if bandwidth is not necessary.
Now a standard element of exciting online campaigns, rich media content places huge pressure on in-house IT infrastructures. If you think you’re currently working on a campaign that might make the next crash headline – it’s probably worth speaking to an independent hosting expert. With the right hosting partner, your site should always be prepared for whatever traffic demands you create and your campaigns will be among the true success stories – those where the website doesn’t fall over at the crucial time.