10/25/2007

• International automotive supplier revises international websites
• Innovative navigation concept makes for secure and convenient navigation

Hanover, Germany, October 2007. Following a three-month conception phase, Continental AG has revised the layout and design of the Continental websites, thus improving their user-friendliness. By the end of the year, a total of around 50 websites in various languages will be adapted. "The aim is to improve the information, while at the same time increasing the websites' entertainment capacity and emotionality and thereby strengthening the identity of the Continental brand", says Monika Andrae, Director of Online Relations at Continental and project manager. "Secure and convenient navigation around our sites is just as important to us as the quick and easy retrieval of information." The Continental websites can be found at www.conti-online.com.

Continental has revised the design of the Continental websites, thus improving their user-friendliness. By the end of 2007, a total of around 50 websites in various languages will be adapted.

Here you can download the graphic as a jpg-file.

Here you can download the press release as a doc-file.

The increased use of multimedia objects, such as Flash applications, animations or short films, guides the user through the Continental world. The larger numbee as a doc-file.r of pictures on the newly designed sites also helps with this. "We made sure that content can be found more quickly and intuitively with the new layout", explains Andrae. "Visiting out websites should be both informative and entertaining at the same time."

In collaboration with various German agencies, Continental commenced the development and conception of the new websites in the first project phase early this year, after regular user surveys, external assessments and internal suggestions revealed the need for action. "Developing entirely new user navigation within the scope of our design guidelines posed a particular challenge", stresses Dirk Rockendorf, Director of eBusiness in the passenger and light truck tires division and project member. "The visitor moves through the various websites of the divisions and business units of the Continental corporation with just a few mouse clicks."

In just three months, in the second project phase the new concept was realized and inte­grated into the content management system from CoreMedia, which Continental has been using for the past six years. "Through the increased use of the existing component system and through the enhancement of the flexible templates, it is now significantly easier to create new websites without incurring additional external expense", says Andrae of the corporation-wide synergies. "However, different document types leave sufficient freedom to guarantee the individuality and thereby the recognition value of each individual site," Andrae concludes.

For this project, IT service provider Materna GmbH was charged with managing the project, while Berlin Internet agency Aperto was responsible for creating the new online design and the style guide and w//Center Consulting GmbH from Hamburg for programming and imple­mentation.

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realized sales of EUR14.9 billion. At present it has a worldwide workforce of around 89,000.