Branded product websites have it rough due to safety concerns. That’s why corporate sites have become a great spot for creatives to stretch out and strut their stuff, fly their flags, and show off who they really are. And while there’s no shortage of great information out there, the experiences vary wildly in quality.

Maybe it’s because we’ve gotten caught up in making better mousetraps and forgotten about the cheese – which is to say, the craft and the content? In the end, it’s not the things we create but the experiences we bring to life that build value, gain trust, and earn loyalty. So check out a few of these mice-magnets.   

Mike Hartman is the chief creative officer at Intouch Solutions.

See also: 6 Campaigns That Value the Visual

Website: Pfizer.com
Company: Pfizer
With color-coded content tiles, this organized platform doesn’t feel like it comes from a pharmaceutical company. It just has a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff, and some of it happens to include product information. Mega-menus with “hot topic” previews prevent users from going too far down a rabbit hole, while sharing is well-integrated across content aggregated from other properties.

Website: BMS.com
Company: Bristol-Myers Squibb
It’s all about the stories. With edge-to-edge patient imagery and a left-rail navigation for desktop, BMS is combining the publishing model of its Life & Science magazine with a user experience that employs a something-for-everyone approach. The role-based information architecture is intuitive, getting users where they need to be.  

Website: Janssen.com
Company: Janssen
“We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it,” this site announces. And I believe it, because the sentiment is reinforced by looping videos with groups of people doing things together. Blades and transparency add visual appeal, while a hamburger menu reveals the big kahuna of megas for a take-your-pick list. Curated art from “people affected by the illnesses and diseases we are committed to treating and preventing” is not to be missed.

Website: Merck.com
Company: Merck
What a monster – and I mean that in a good way. Expansive and useful, the site is a bit of a celebration. At times, it’s like running around inside a sprawling infographic – super-visual, with rich imagery, animations, and videos. A sense of urgency and global emotion runs through the site.

Website: Roche.com
Company: Roche
With a homepage featuring an event recap, news updates and a rolling Twitter feed, the newsroom vibe is strong, almost like a blog. To save real estate, there’s another hamburger with all the fixings. Dig in and you’ll find yourself elbow-deep in articles, dashboards, data, and tagged content.

Website: Novartis.com
Company: Novartis
It looks good, owing to its clean design, and the user experience feels right. Isn’t it nice when something behaves exactly the way you think it will? Links and headlines take users where they want to go. The site is flat and crisp, with a careful balance of imagery and language for easy digestion. It receives extra points for affordances that improve shareability as well as true localization.

This article has been updated.

From the January 01, 2018 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media