Day: August 19, 2004

I’ve had a flood of nominations for the Flash Hall of Shame.

After much deliberation, I’m delighted to announce three new inductees today:

• i2i Creative
• The Ruth Group
• MWW Group

Footnote:

Thanks to David, Jeremy and Darren.

I’ve had received two “Gorilla Marketing” award nominations for Real Networks.

Both nominations centered around the Freedom of Music Choice campaign and in particular the online petition “Hey Apple Don’t Break My iPod”

After a lot of consideration I’ve decided against it.

Although the petition should have made full disclosure that it was created by Real Networks, it does provide a link to the Freedom of  Music Choice website – which is clearly driven by Real Networks.

The campaign has generated a lot of ink, though personally it rings a little hollow.

 

One of the interesting changes online is that we now have at our disposal, powerful technology for communicating with each other and with groups.

The corollary is that people’s expectations have grown in line with these advances.

People expect companies to communicate with them based on their preferences.  They want plain text e-mail, they only want information on product X, they prefer RSS feeds… whatever.

The simple fact is that if your organization isn’t properly managing your databases then you could have some very upset consumers on your hands.

Media relations is facing a similar challenge.  Journalists know that MediaMap and Vocus hold vast volumes of information on journalists, analysts and bloggers. But they also have expectations that PR people will use the technology at their disposal to fine tune a pitch.

The simple fact is that a lot of information in online media databases is out of date – regardless of the sales pitch. So it’s important you only use the databases as a reference point. Before putting your finger on the “send e-mail” icon, make sure you’ve done your due diligence.  The risk is you’ll look ridiculous.

Steve Rubel points to a great example of this. Jeremy Wagstaff recounts a media database-driven pitch that was a little wide of the mark:

“Bottom line: I don’t mind being pitched. And I don’t mind it that much if the product is actually either too old to really get excited about, or too far away from the stores to burden readers with it. But couldn’t these media research databases, and the people who use them, do a bit of basic research (it’s called ‘Googling’) before they fire off their pitches? We bloggers, just like journalists, are a sensitive lot and hate to feel we’re being taken for a ride by folk who haven’t done their homework first. Otherwise it looks dangerously like spam.”

 

Postscript:

This is another illustration (if it were needed) of the perils of pitching bloggers…. You may end up reading your pitch online…

It’s not all bad news for Google.  Research just published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and reported by EMarketer has found that 85% of US Internet users seek information through search engines.

Google still leads the way with 47% of respondents with Yahoo in second place (26%) and MSN and AOL limping in with 7% and 5% respectively.

One of the stranger findings was that 50% of respondents reported that while they like search engines, they could definetely go back to alternative methods of using and navigating the Internet. I think I am firmly with the 32% that couldn’t live without search engines…

68% of respondents felt that search engines are a “fair and unbiased source of information”, while 87% said they find the information they are looking for through search engines “most of the time” or “always”.

Another reason why search engine optimization is becoming one of the most important elements of the online marketing mix….

Human nature is a fickle thing. 

The one guarantee for a successful company is that at some point in the future, people will tire of your success and will turn on you.  Of course this transition from hero to zero will often be aided by the fact that successful firms often believe their own hype and lose the run of themselves.

What’s interesting is that in the crazy 24×7 media environment where we now live, these boom-bust cycles are reducing all the time.

Think about this.  Microsoft was a poster child for just over twenty years before the wheels started coming off the perfectly manicured profile of innovation, intelligence and great marketing.

Today a company’s honeymoon period will never last twenty years. 

Look at Google. They have executed a staggering PR and Marketing campaign. The company joined a “stagnant” product category that was, at the time, saturated with large players. Google not only built a business, they changed how people used the Internet – and generated billions of dollars of cash along the way.

Now with their imminent IPO there’s a growing wave of cynicism surrounding the company.  The combination of dutch share auctions, profiles in Playboy, and millions of bloggers is taking some, though not all, of the sheen off the Google logo.

The lesson for PR professionals here is simple. If you are executing brilliant campaigns, achieving your objectives and building a successful business, then you should be aware that at some point in the future things are going to get difficult. 

Rather than waiting for that to happen, think about it, understand it and plan for it. It is an inevitable result of success.

“Google has become an embarrassment for the entire tech industry. Google should pull its IPO and come back later. If the company won’t do that, the SEC should stop the IPO for an extended period while the company tries something it can handle–like a traditional IPO. The auction format looks more like a means to separate unsophisticated investors from their money that a means of letting the �little people� in on the riches.” – Dave Coursey, EWeek

 

On related search matters:

• Yahoo has kick started a weblog on Search

 

Footnote:

Thanks to Jeremy and Robb for the links.