David Bowen commentaries

In his regular columns for the Financial Times and ft.com, senior consultant David Bowen has pursued themes ranged from customer relationship management and career marketing to ‘ethical’ retailing and royal family sites. His collected Financial Times and ft.com columns from January 2001 onward are indexed by theme and available for viewing on this site.

You can access articles directly by selecting a link below.

  • Secrets from the top of the FT Index What makes the sites at the top of the FT Index so good? Here is a run-through of the top 12 to show where they do particularly well, and also their weaker areas.
  • Where bad things happen to good Top performing sites are increasingly revealing a Mr Hyde side to themselves that detracts from their better aspect, David Bowen says.
  • What sparkles in the new Index The annual FT Bowen Craggs Index is by its nature best studied in detail. Among the many specifics in the latest edition, some shone brightly, David Bowen says.
  • What Facebook can’t replace Predictions of the demise of corporate websites in the wake of Facebook’s rise to popularity greatly exaggerate the reality, David Bowen says.
  • When the fairy dust settles The word ‘social’ is being sprinkled on online communications tools and strategies as if it had magical powers, but it could cast a bad spell, David Bowen says.
  • What the best corporate blogs say about blogging Blogs come in many forms, and in a new list of the top 10 corporate ones that in itself is among the things most worthy of comment, David Bowen says.
  • Why the web needs thought leaders The internet may be as important as its evangelists suggest, or not, but companies will only realise its potential when senior management thinks about it, David Bowen says.
  • What a hangover Some significant events from the year just gone will continue to resonate with online managers and should inform their future strategies, David Bowen says.
  • Where simple is the rule Rather than chase the next buzz-word concept, the key to successful online communication is plain old governance, David Bowen says.
  • What a state it’s coming to The web is fast dividing into a set of mutually incompatible territories that are challenging the global order of things, David Bowen says.

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