You had the core of it in your comment: “Redeploy the whole site as changes were made across multiple platforms to fix an error”. Just translate that out of corporate-speak like “redeploy” and “multiple systems” into the language of your target audience. And say where the information is coming from.

Compare:

http://www.findmyshoes.com.au is being updated and is offline temporarily. Please come back soon!

with:

9am Monday: Something went wrong overnight and broke computer systems all through our business. Shopping carts are going “missing”. We’ve taken http://www.findmyshoes.com.au offline until we’re sure it’s fixed properly. We don’t know exactly how long for yet, but the web developers looked worried. They said they’d have a better idea in a hour or two — so maybe check back this afternoon.

and then:

10.15am Monday: Aha! Our web developers have found the problem. An automatic software update went wrong, so now they’re fixing it manually. They reckon we’ll have http://www.findmyshoes.com.au back online before midday Melbourne time.

If something’s broken, say it’s broken and say what you’re doing to fix it. None of these vague weasel-words like “issue” and “difficulty” and “update”. Use the same language you’d use to a friend who wasn’t in you business.

Lawyers hate this language, because it’s being specific and to them it sounds like you’re making a commitment. Indeed, corporations generally seem to find it hard to use concrete language. But that’s what builds trust: facts, and a recognisably human tone of voice from a recognisable human.

This is the kind of thing I covered in The Importance of Authenticity, the whole “being human” thing. But I’ll stop there, otherwise Joseph will complain about something.

On reflection, it’s not so much that I love Dunlop Volleys but that I dread the thought of having to shop around for something else should they not be available.

As we don’t know the time frame for the site to be down, any other suggestions as to what the holding page should show?

At any rate, we’re up and running again now for those interested.

But is left-brain practical value also “the brand”? I guess after a series of good experiences with a specific product, I’ll be more likely to trust the brand, and would consider them if they also offered a product in a different category. “Well, their shoes were good, so I’ll give their t-shirts a go.”

In that sense, then, it is indeed impossible to separate the product from the brand. The association will have been made in my brain — and our brains to jumble up all those responses.

I like the “cognitive dissonance” angle. And yes, that was precisely how I started my piece:

[T]he Dunlop Volley Classic tennis shoe… Comfortable. Practical. Cheap… Thing is, the Volley website… exhibits everything but those attributes. Fail.

I do like how discussions in blog comments help clarify understanding. Unlike drive-by flamers…

@Garth Roxburgh-Kidd: The other problem with that message is the “soon”. Is that “soon” as in minutes, hours or days? You’re right, there are other shops open if that one’s unclear about when it’ll be back.

http://www.findmyshoes.com.au is being updated and is offline temporarily. Please come back soon!

Uh, no. I won’t. Sorry.

“Please come back soon” works for some companies. Apple, for example, seems to have trained its customers to desperately want to know what they’re about to release. When Apple takes its store down, their countless fan blog authors hit “Refresh” once a second for as long as required to be first to brag they’ve seen it and report on what changed. I don’t think the downtime hurts Apple that much.

I don’t think an online shoe shop commands the same kind of reaction when it takes its store down. People just go elsewhere. Hence, the multitude of well-established techniques for updating web sites without having to hide under an “Under Construction” sign for an hour.

My favourite bit of theory, partly because of the pseudo-gravitas of the phrase is, cognitive dissonance. You can’t get away with calling a sow’s ear a silk purse. I guess, putting words in your mouth, that you were annoyed that the silk purse was being marketed like a pig’s ear online.

But no, this isn’t an attempt to drum up work. I have plenty to get on with, and in any event I don’t do “social media PowerPoints” — as even a cursory look at this website would reveal.

[Update: I also see you didn't leave a real email address. Seems... spineless. However you're more than welcome to discuss the actual issues we're talking about.]

Top marks to you sir, will be search/replacing some social media powerpoints for them in no time!

I monitor social media for FMS & like to respond where I can, but I must admit on this occasion the email made it through first (via a few people).

PS. If you’ve not yet looked at the site, don’t look at it now, it’s down… we’re having some issues the developers are working on.

I suppose, then, that The Tennis Shop had to persuade me to buy from them. Being listed in the first Google search result I saw, the myshopping.com.au aggregator, solved that in their favour in seconds. As did having that trust-building information on their website.

Now if I’d discovered that Dunlop Volleys were no longer in production, I’d be back at square one. Marketing might have become important. Then again, I know what I’d have actually done: gone to Paddy’s markets and bought the first halfway-decent black tennis shoe I found.

Quality is indeed its own branding — but I daresay you won’t hear an agency ever tell its client that, because there’s no money to be made that way.

@Kate: So findmyshoes.com.au is an online store for the many shoe brands owned by Pacific Brands? Cool.

Some quick feedback: If someone’s already looking at the Volleys website, a big fat “buy now” button right next to each shoe would significantly reduce the friction of a potential sale. At the moment, as far as I can tell the only option is a phone number to call to find my local stockist — so I have to call, then figure out how to contact or get to that shop and so on. That’s a much bigger set of hurdles to jump.

It’s great that Pacific Brands has responded. I assume that’s because I emailed you, rather than because you’re monitoring social media like blogs?

@Peter: There’s two separate activities here, and I admit I’ve jumbled them in the one blog post.

First, I wanted to buy specific shoes. A good Google position and providing trust-building information meant The Tennis Shop got the sale. Quickly and efficiently.

Second, I looked at the official Volleys website for linkage to the shoe’s history so I could write about it. That website annoyed me. I couldn’t link to specific information, “cute” but non-obvious choices impeded my navigation, and the whole thing seemed to be style over substance. It didn’t seem particularly optimised to making a sale, or even telling me about the product.

So it wasn’t that “the poor website did not in actual fact deter” me, because I’d already made my purchase. The Volley brand website didn’t even appear on my radar during that process.

It was more that the website, in typical agency style, was all about what they wanted to tell me, rather than what I might have wanted to find out. Basically, it wasted my time.

Is it really of any value to anyone to be able to look at a photograph of a show with different amounts of dirt on it?

There’s a lot in your comment, thank you Peter, but I’ll pick up on one more point…

I disagree that “the product and the brand can’t be separated”. Perhaps I’m in a minority here, but I’m buying a shoe — a particular construction of canvas and rubber that’s served me well in the past.

When I made that choice, years ago, I didn’t care one bit that it was called “Volley” and that the brands “Dunlop” and “Volley” have a particular history. I picked up a shoe, looked at how it was made, tried it on for feel and bought it. It worked well and was a good price, so I bought another pair when the first wore out. And again. And again.

I’ll look again in the morning but, Random Person, if you see this please feel free to re-post your comment.

I’ll also read and respond to the rest of the comments tomorrow.