e.TIMES: Case Study - 3Com's The Impact of ISDN

3Com's The Impact of ISDN CD-ROM and Kiosk

The Project

3Com needed an exciting, informative multimedia presentation to promote its first consumer product, the 3ComImpact IQ ISDN modem, and to educate the public on ISDN technology. They wanted a CD-ROM version for direct mail and trade show distribution and a kiosk for 3Com demo centers, trade shows and computer stores.

The Solution
3Com turned to E.ON Interactive Design, a Santa Cruz-based design firm specializing in corporate interactive multimedia. E.ON helped 3Com clarify its communication goals and established the look and tone for the project. E.ON's creative team then developed a hip and humorous style to appeal to 3Com's target market. Based on a theme of speed, it features fast-paced graphics and "The Analog vs. ISDN Shootout," which visually demonstrates the superior speed of 3Com's product and reinforces its main marketing message.

Viewers and 3Com alike appreciate the program's creativity and humor. Says Paul Cegielski, program manager for Remote & Mobile Products at 3Com, "The response to The IMPACT of ISDN presentation has been great! It's very entertaining and enjoyable to watch — a very powerful way to get our message across."

E.ON wrote the script, created original graphics, music and sound effects, authored the program, licensed a classic photo of Tom Mix for the "shootout," designed packaging, and managed CD-ROM duplication.

The kiosk, which combines the original multimedia-rich project on hard drive with a link to the Internet via the 3ComImpact IQ modem, includes an auto loop feature, a customized browser and a timing feature. Users can experience firsthand the superior performance of the 3ComImpact IQ modem as they dial up the Internet and choose from a handful of graphics-rich Web sites. Each user has eight minutes to explore the Web via ISDN. Combining JAVA technology and Frames, a timer in the screen's upper right-hand corner counts down minutes and seconds remaining to the user. E.ON programmed the kiosk's auto loop, links to the customized Web browser, and timing feature.

"The timer is a great feature of the kiosk. It lets people see how fast the Impact IQ modem is while still keeping the cost of the kiosk's live ISDN account within reason," says Roxanne D'Amore, Product Marketing Manager at 3Com, citing customers who view a live ISDN account as a free ticket to sending e- mail and surfing the Web for long periods of time. The automatic loop at the program's beginning also keeps costs down by minimizing wear and tear on in-store equipment, while a password-protected program nips mischief by computer-literate users in the bud.

Benefits
Inexpensive CD-ROMs reach a wide audience without sacrificing value. At the same time, the project's creativity, humor and fast pace hook potential customers and brand 3Com as an emerging leader in consumer products.

The kiosk provides the public with a real-world application — accessing graphics-rich Web sites — that visibly demonstrates the 3ComImpact IQ modem's speed. And because it connects to easily updated Web sites, the kiosk can be frequently and painlessly modified, a feature that will keep it current and cost-effective for a long time to come. Initially tested in a dozen stores in California, the kiosk was placed in over 300 computer stores nationwide.

Technical Notes

The IMPACT of ISDN CD-ROM was developed for both PC/Windows and Macintosh formats. The presentation requires computers with a double-speed CD-ROM drive, 256 colors at 640 x 480 resolution, 8 MB of RAM and 8-bit sound and speakers. The presentation runs directly from the CD-ROM, requiring no special installation.

Diskette Version also Developed
A diskette version of the presentation was also developed in both PC/Windows and Macintosh formats, allowing the promotional presentation to be distributed to customers who don't have a CD-ROM drive.

Download the diskette:

The IMPACT of ISDN kiosk was developed for the PC/Windows platform. The kiosk is connected to a 3ComImpact IQ ISDN modem, allowing users to connect to the Internet via ISDN from the kiosk.

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