Last week, I participated in a panel discussion at Adweek DC on brand planning in the digital age.  It was a really good chat including two other planners and myself.  We touched on a variety of topics including the changing behavior around how consumer’s shop.

The moderator did a nice job directing the conversation and asking thoughtful questions.  Most attendees I spoke with after the session wanted to speak with me about my answer to the final question, so I thought I’d share it.

We were asked to look forward to and predict an issue that we may be talking about at next year’s Adweek DC.  I answered that the corporate website as we know it will disappear in the next few years.  Why? The corporate website is a product of a different time, when the web was still a one-way street. Most website experiences are currently constructed as destinations. But the explosion of social media has changed how people seek out information online. The reality today is that people are increasingly finding sites through pass along, word of mouth and organic search.  Consumers are going to respond to a very different website and digital experience in the future. Marketers that recognize this sooner rather than later will reap the rewards.