NetJets – Code Freeze, No Problem

NetJets

Digital Marketing Specialist: Simran Basra
Head of Marketing: Anne-laure De Vienne

HAVAS

Senior Developer: Marc Quinn
Visual Designer: Rob Stimpson
Head of UX: James Sinclair
Senior SEO Executive: Maria Fores
Copywriter: Jessica Cole

Background

NetJets, a Warren Buffett-owned company, offers shared ownership of a private jet fleet for high-value individuals. NetJets Europe identified that its website’s current design did not effectively convey its luxury brand image, impacting engagement and conversion. Although a new website was in development, its delivery would take at least a year.

Challenge

Implement quick wins to improve the existing website’s performance while awaiting the new site
Halt on creating new templates or code for the current site
Address the off-brand design, which required more than copy adjustments and minor CSS tweaks
Redesign structure and layout without changing templates, which is a typical approach

The Approach

To address NetJets’ concerns, the first step was to assess the feasibility of implementing significant design changes through CSS alone. After discovering that the HTML structure was sufficiently independent of the CSS, it became apparent that dramatic visual design alterations and page structure modifications could be made without modifying the templates.

To convince NetJets of this possibility, a proof of concept was developed. With a home page wireframe and NetJets brand materials, Rob created a design, while Marc developed the corresponding CSS. This new design was then integrated into a duplicate of their site and presented to the client. The positive reception allowed for a more extensive heuristic review, including design recommendations.

Outcome

The project scope was expanded to accommodate the required design and CSS work. Although not all desired changes were implemented, NetJets achieved a significantly improved design that better aligned with their brand.

Following a month of adjustments, the collaborative efforts of UX, SEO, and Copy teams resulted in improvements across all primary objectives: