Just four years back, premium branded PCs cost close to 60,000 rupees (around US$ 1400). A

Zenith forced premier players to cut their prices to the bare minimum and kept the pressure on till PC prices crashed to about Rs 20,000 ($500). Zenith built its image on being simple and low priced, occasionally cocking a snook at its higher priced competitors. The computer brand never seems to have done much more than price based communication and so it lacks a distinct well-rounded image, and suffers from lack of awareness about the brand in terms of its quality parameters, management initiatives, etc.

The site is primarily a selling tool, and every page prominently displays links to the product range, showroom/dealer/service center locators with links to price quotes. There are hot offers and cool prices that would make even the stingiest among us drool. The product range features the prices/specs of the Zenith offerings completely in line with its other communication.

The news section (news items that feature Zenith) has relevant content but the section looks drab. Similarly the profile section is brief and informative but presented in an uninteresting manner. It provides an interesting statistic that one in every three computers in India is a Zenith, but this is presented in an understated manner without making a strong point about the brand.

The exports section has information that would probably be of interest only to site visitors from India. The fact that Zenith has a strong presence in its neighboring countries and is expanding rapidly into Africa is impressive but the information is presented blandly without trying to make a clear point that could later be depicted as a brand strength.

To this end, the brand does little to enthuse site visitors to read and learn more about the brand. The various sections do not work in synergy with each other to build and reinforce a particular image of the brand. The content is not provided in a cohesive manner, and after clicking a few sections, one still does not have a clear image of the brand. The site visitor will have scattered bits of information and not much motivation to read more.

The downloads section consists of leaflets and brochures more than software or anti-virus downloads as one might expect from a computer brand’s download section, while the support section seems limited. These two sections reinforce the worry that Zenith’s focus on price cutting comes at the expense of attention to detail. Low price shouldn’t be a license to sloppiness.

The site is boring, drab and unimaginative. The brand has not tried to infuse any interest to move from section to section. There is little to build involvement and encourage repeat visits. The copy lacks direction and often does not make a point.

The brand has not taken the trouble to understand the site visitor’s possible questions and consequently has no answers. Basic questions like how Zenith manages to provide quality at such low prices, Zenith’s quality tolerances, or processes to prevent deficient quality are not addressed clearly. This is the website of a sales driven brand that does not see more to branding than the name on the box. Clearly Zenith is not working when it comes to communicating its brand online.