The French site taps nicely into the vast picture bank of sailing imagery. Every page is enhanced with a subtle photo and a headline, such as Vivre à Fond! (Live to the Fullest). Unfortunately, the American version is much more literal and two-dimensional: it sells boats, not dreams.

Among the few differentiated features, the US site includes a Factory Tour. However, these pages fail to deliver a compelling experience in the general amateur feel of the layout. It doesn’t help that the whole site is painfully slow to download, even for broadband connections. Moreover, the repeat reframing of pictures and text is a terrible distraction to the eyes.

In contrast, the French version is based on Flash technology. If the navigation menu is not exactly a high note of the browsing experience, several features, such as voice and images, nicely reinforce Bénéteau's brand image. They do not, however, compensate for the generally low usability factors of the site. Moreover, we were often distracted by the erratic behavior of the pages, e.g., a Choose Your Boat column shifting from left to right to center.

Bénéteau's branding, as shown on its web presence, has a considerable untapped potential. With its sailing imagery, the French site shows an obvious direction that could appeal to a mass of sea lovers. However, both sites could stand a more high-gloss approach to better suit their clientele. Furthermore, the American and French websites are so obviously different that they may reveal deeper brand management issues within the group. Sea lovers might as well go and surf elsewhere.