Molecular Launches Emerging Interactions Practice Focused On Web 2.0

May 16, 2007; 05:29 AM
Molecular, Inc., a leading Internet consulting firm, announced it has launched an ‘Emerging Interactions’ practice focused on helping clients harness the potential of Web 2.0. The practice, co-led by user experience and technology experts Steve Mulder and Riccardo La Rosa, will help clients develop and execute strategies to interact more dynamically with their key constituencies in new and powerful ways. Mulder and La Rosa, innovators who bring more than 20 years of combined Internet experience, will model Molecular’s Emerging Interactions practice on the three core Web 2.0 principles the company believes are transforming online business. When strategically applied, these principles will help companies unleash new levels of engaging and profitable interaction with customers.

Molecular’s Web 2.0 principles, listed below, reveal new opportunities for companies to identify, capture and sustain their competitive advantage:

• User Contribution: More companies are empowering consumers to actively contribute to their web site and to their brands through ratings and reviews, tagging, editorial control (e.g., most viewed content) and all manner of user-generated content. What was once one-way messaging is now becoming a genuine dialogue with customers, introducing new challenges to online marketing. Molecular can help businesses understand how users are contributing to the discussion about their brands and develop strategies about where and when to have this dialogue with their customers and prospects.
• Openness: Customers now expect to consume content in different ways and at different times. Businesses that simply send customers to a web site limit the individual’s ability to interact with their content and most importantly, their brand. Companies must be more open with their content and make it available through different media (i.e., news aggregators, mobile, widgets, etc.) using RSS feeds and open APIs. It is equally important to evaluate complementary offerings and augment company services with mash-ups where necessary.
• Rich Interfaces: Rich interfaces are spreading across the Web, from basic Ajax components to full-featured Flash applications that take over the browser. Molecular has deep and proven experience in creating engaging interactive rich Internet applications. As leaders in rich Internet development, Molecular can help uncover the needs, goals and expectations of target customers and then design rich Internet experiences to meet those goals. The result is engaging, highly-interactive experiences that are not only more useful and usable for customers, but will substantially increase business results.

“Web 2.0 is not simply a buzz word, it is a set of principles that should be strategically adopted and deployed by businesses online,” said Howard Kogan, Molecular’s President. “Because of our history of customer-based experience, we’re uniquely positioned to help companies successfully navigate the Web 2.0 landscape and develop strategies and tools that contribute directly to business goals. The next phase of growth at Molecular will be exciting, and we believe our Emerging Interactions practice will be a catalyst for both our company and, most important, for our clients.”

About Molecular, Inc.

Molecular, an Internet consulting firm, designs and builds digital solutions to help companies increase revenues and decrease operating costs. Since 1994, Molecular has directed successful Web initiatives for the nation's top companies, including Finish Line, Inc., Fidelity Investments, MFS Investment Management, Hewlett-Packard and Talbots. Headquartered in Boston, Molecular also has offices in New York and San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.molecular.com.