Month: September 2002

Catching up on some reading material…..
Instant Messaging (IM) has taken over as the technology de jour this week and there seems little doubt that IM has implications for anyone in the communications business. It’s permission marketing at it’s best.

There are two articles I came across, one from the Wall Street Journal (published on MSNBC) entitled “IM takes off in the corporate world” and there’s also a piece from the Internet Advertising Report at Internet.com on Using Instant Messaging for Marketing.

Network World covers a round-table from the Seybold Publishing Conference that looked at the impact of Weblogs on the publishing industry.

Update on Publicis Dialog…(Proud Member of the Flash Hall of Shame)
Thanks to Anthony Parcero who pointed out that Publicis site doesn’t recognize Mozilla… Also in case you haven’t already visited Skip Intro (shame on you) click here.

Flash Hall of Shame #20… Greenough Communications
If anyone who happens upon this posting,can tell me, exactly what this Flash intro is supposed to represent or achieve, I’d really like to know. Answers to me via e-mail – oh and turn off your speakers.

Flash Hall of Shame #19…. PR21
They should know better 🙂 [Not for people sensitive to flashing lights]

Flash Hall of Shame #18…Publicis Dialog
“Who let the designer out?, Who? Who?…” Urgggh

Auction Update
So the Rose, Stein & Associates eBay auction has ended.

The last bid was for $3,551 but it didn’t reach the company’s (hidden) reserve. Anyone smell a rat? Cheap publicity stunt? Well it was always a stunt but if they set the reserve artificailly high, knowing that no one would bid that high then it becomes a cheap and nasty stunt. Anyone have any comments?

A new twist on the wire….
There have been a number of high profile cases where press release wire services have been used by third parties to distribute false information which has materially affected a company’s stock price.

Now a new case has emerged and this time there’s a twist.

In the previous cases the releases, which were sent across Internet Wire, were hoaxes designed to engineer stock price fluctuations. However this time, the company in question, eConnect, allegedly sent out false press releases themselves!

According to PR Week, eConnect’s CEO, Thomas Hughes, was indicted last month for attempting to increase eConnect’s stock price by issuing false releases.

David Armon, president of the Americas for PR Newswire, who Hughes used for distribution, is quoted as commenting: “Just as we sent out releases for Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco, this one went out because our job is to verify the company issuing the release is really the company issuing it. We are just a distributor.”

I think that’s a fair comment, but if it’s true it’s another blot on the corporate landscape.

Flash Hall of Shame #17…Finex Communications Group
Finex Communications Group…probably the worst navigation in the world. [Warning: if you have your bullsh*t bingo filter on, please disable prior to entering this website as you’ll get a headache from all the hits]

Flash Hall of Shame #16…OAST Communications
Click here

PR people staying put in troubled times….
The results of a recent poll at the League of American Communications Professionals website found that over thirty three per cent of visitors were remaining at their current job because of the slow economy. Fourteen percent were staying on because of good pay (I thought that was a startling statistic for our business!), twenty eight percent because they enjoy their jobs, twenty two percent felt their team was worth staying on for, and THREE percent because of the potential of future advancement! The survey is online here.