With a reputation as a pioneering company, Toshiba is at the front of the electronics industry, producing and distributing high quality consumer and business products like computers, copiers, and printers, as well as industrial products like LED display systems and surveillance cameras. It also has a worldwide reach, with divisions in the United States, Asia, and Europe.

Additionally, the company's softer side comes through in its other slogan, "committed to people, committed to the future," which is for The Group, or all of the international divisions combined. Along that line, Toshiba strives to be a good corporate citizen and lives this out through its educational initiatives, like the Toshiba America Foundation and ExploraVision Awards, its environmental policies, and its corporate standards and commitments.

Explaining the diversity of its products and services, Toshiba's website describes the company as "a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products, spanning information and communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and materials, power systems, industrial and social infrastructure systems, and household appliances." But while the site gives the basic information about Toshiba, does it bring the best representation of a brand known for its innovation and high quality products to the web?

The Toshiba Headquarters website is very simple and provides basic information, especially for the media. However, the simplicity doesn't seem to mesh with the company's reputation of innovation and creativity in its products. The site does not include pictures, and even on the Products and Services page, viewers have to click through a few more links just to see images of products.

Meanwhile, the Toshiba America site is more interactive and flashy, showing off more of the company's innovative background. The site has a little more color and more pictures, including a flash banner on the homepage that focuses on new products and services. This seems to be a better representation of Toshiba, which is a company known for its advanced products and wide range. The American site design seems more sophisticated and shows off the company's versatility through a myriad of webpages of products and information.

One question that companies have to consider when creating their website is how to incorporate the e-commerce aspect of the company without letting it take over the site. Toshiba's answer to this question is to simply link to a "How to Buy Toshiba" page, which points users to ToshibaDirect.com or a number of dealers and distributors. This is a easy-to-use and discreet way of incorporating an e-commerce capability into the site, and is a welcome relief for those viewers who just want information about the company. Toshiba is first and foremost a manufacturer and this reinforces that part of the organization.

A separate part of Toshiba's personality, its commitment to the people and the future, is brought online through a section of the Toshiba America site that focuses on how the company supports programs in education, the environment, the community, and their employees. The websites of the various organizations, including the Toshiba America Foundation, whose mission is to "promote quality science and mathematics education in U.S. schools," explain how Toshiba is working to help others and how to get involved.

Overall, the Toshiba Headquarters website provides the basics: information and a place for the media, Japanese customers and those without a regional website to visit. But the Toshiba brand shines through more on the Toshiba America website, which offers a glimpse into the company's social responsibility, photographs and information about its products, and a reflection of the innovation and creativity that Toshiba is known for. The websites are very different and speak to different audiences, but together they paint a full picture of the company.