Day: October 7, 2004

Tekrati, the industry analyst news site, reports that research firm the451 is no longer accepting subscriptions from PR firms, marketing firms or clipping agencies:

“Adam Needles, vice president at The 451 Group, reveals that the firm has encountered too much difficulty in monitoring public relations, clipping service and marketing communications agency violations of its licensing terms and conditions. In short, the policy is a move to eliminate risks of agencies forwarding The 451 Group intellectual property to non-subscribing companies.”

You can see their point.  You don’t see clipping firms (in my experience) delivering Gartner, Forrester, META, IDC etc. reports in your clips so the451, which operates similar licensing policies, is only following suit.

Just found a new PR blog called The Bach Door written by Pete Shinbach.

Pete has an excellent posting on the perception that many PR people are dragging their feet adopting new technologies (as they always have).  He makes the valid point that when these media start delivering obvious benefits they will be adopted, just as Internet access, e-mail and fax were eventually widely adopted.  

“True, there are some agencies and specialists who have readily adopted new online services, like blogs, and are doing quite well using them to generate new business, create valuable client services and, ‘less we forget, ringing their own cash registers.  These folks don’t need convincing nor will they probably step out and publicly discuss their online services: services which give them very definite competitive advantages.  But for most PR specialists, such early adopting just isn’t their to-do list.  For them, it’s like they say in Missouri: show me.”

Footnote:

Thanks to the ever vigilant Constantin Basturea for the link.

Forget all the magazine stories and the pontificating blog entries you’ve read about blogging.  The real measure of the success, growth and adoption of blogs is revenue.

Blogs are already a useful tool – of that there is no doubt.  But if you want a real tangible measurement on whether blogs are “mainstream” then look at the advertising dollars they attract.

I think blog advertising is great, particularly if it allows blogs to continue to deliver great content.  Of course there’s probably only 1-3% of blogs that will ever make significant cash – and obviously this isn’t one of those!

As all marketers know, effective programs are tightly targeted and use a variety of tools from PR to advertising and direct marketing. Although it’s still very small, there are signs that advertisers are beginning to take notice and that’s a great development.

Of course while I believe blog advertising is something that should be welcomed, “blogvetorials” or the payment of cash in return for specific content is not something I agree with – or believe has a long-term future.

Kevin Dugan points to a story in the New York Daily News on the growth of advertising revenue targeted at blogs.

“In Blogads’ network of 500 sites, an ad costs as little as $25 a week on marginal blogs, to $300 on Sullivan’s site, to as much as $2,250 on DailyKos – all relatively inexpensive compared to a national magazine or network televison.”