tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post8845877291053616272..comments2024-03-06T19:27:17.852-05:00Comments on The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk: Your Brand Is Not My Friend: Web 2.0 Unmasked. Part 3Alan Wolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12911841405348126875noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-57379454655362107812008-09-16T08:05:00.000-04:002008-09-16T08:05:00.000-04:00Oh man. This is absolutely cracking me up."But her...Oh man. This is absolutely cracking me up.<BR/><BR/>"But here’s the rub: Adscam is exactly the sort of blog that 2.0 advocates would like to advertise—excuse me “engage you” on. (They do not, as I’ve been told several times, work in “advertising.” Yup.)"<BR/><BR/>I heard this allegation for the gazillionth time yesterday! I really thought I was the only one who found this entertaining. Hah.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-76850154595161539962007-07-13T14:14:00.000-04:002007-07-13T14:14:00.000-04:00Tom - thanks for your commentary. I'm not sure my ...Tom - thanks for your commentary. I'm not sure my world got rocked at all by Toad and CK, but I sure enjoyed the conversation and trust/respect their input. <BR/><BR/>I think you might have missed the whole point, but that's cool my brother.<BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, I try to wear 2 hats:<BR/>1) A marketer<BR/>2) A participator<BR/><BR/>It's easy to stand back and throw stones. It's easy to dissect and pick any program apart. I could easily have said nothing and kept the camera to myself. I instead chose to talk about it and share this live case with people interested in understanding how the world is changing and what their roles might look like in it.<BR/><BR/>:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-49780607187354604092007-07-09T12:06:00.000-04:002007-07-09T12:06:00.000-04:00Toad,I got the eerie feeling you were channeling m...Toad,<BR/><BR/>I got the eerie feeling you were channeling me as I read your three part post. Brilliant. It's rare to read such clear-eyed rationality from someone who's part of this business.<BR/><BR/>I listened to you and CK rock Jaffe's world and thought it was awesome. I'm not sure he fully understood your criticism but when he started rationalizing the campaign by doing phony marketing math (listeners/readers x conversion rate x margin - media spend) you knew his argument was lost. <BR/><BR/>At one point he was actually making an argument for traditional, non-contextual marketing - i.e. even though the media channel (Jaffe) and his audience lacks context and relevance to the product, the reach x impressions drove a good ROI so the campaign was a success.<BR/><BR/>You and CK should cajole Jaffe to do a follow up on the topic of social media.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-33110555157960987802007-06-29T06:16:00.000-04:002007-06-29T06:16:00.000-04:00Hm, interesting read. You do write a really good b...Hm, interesting read. You do write a really good blog. One thing I would challenge though is that the CEOs can't be authentic. <BR/><BR/>Obviously they have an agenda, but if they clear about WHAT it is and their agenda is sufficiently interesting they'll make a compelling blog. However I agree with you that blogs written by some random PR officer won't convey that agenda in an authentic way.<BR/><BR/>We did an interesting exercise here at the company where I work yesterday, we showed them how blogging works and what tools they have. We asked if they would be interested in joining in and doign this - and most of them were so excited.... They had wanted to do it, but nobody had ever showed them, or hadn't asked them (and then reminded them to keep on going .. it's a bit like starting to exercise regularly!).... we'll see how it pans out - but it was an interesting session... <BR/><BR/>So, in general I agree about authenticity, but I disagree that a CEO is incapable of showing it (though if he tries to hide behind a facade or a PR officer - this will obviously be the result).<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://entrebeneurs.wordpress.com" REL="nofollow">- Linus</A>Linus Kendallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09525523945377231974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-17697160150425506482007-06-29T01:45:00.000-04:002007-06-29T01:45:00.000-04:00"It will be interesting to see if the trend toward..."It will be interesting to see if the trend towards authenticity extends beyond the developed nations of the West. Less developed nations tend to go through a period of advertisers spouting all sorts of unregulated BS because their consumers aren't sophisticated enough to call them on it. I'll be interested to see if the addition of the web speeds up or eliminates this part of the cycle."<BR/><BR/>Agreed, very interesting. Wonder how to track besides needing some history (introducing a product into a new market, following the sales, following the convos).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-17775874502141435872007-06-26T23:18:00.000-04:002007-06-26T23:18:00.000-04:00what i love about your analysis is that it could o...what i love about your analysis is that it could only come from one with some mileage on, as i'm guessing you do. and you're right. i too have had enough of new media pretenders who ain't never done nothing themselves except talking about doing something. some time. but never quite do it. and blog about doing it instead.<BR/><BR/>(cue overexcited response from young inteweb types who, not uncoincidentally, aint done nothing yet either. and so it goes.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-86360069063379548332007-06-26T10:43:00.000-04:002007-06-26T10:43:00.000-04:00A great thread -- that needs to be aired. How abou...A great thread -- that needs to be aired. How about if people just started working on the 'first life's' instead of some wanky avatar crap. Friend? I don't need any more friends. I need cool products that work. And even cooler ones that don't work. I need health food and I need absolute junk food. I need to drink artisinal well water and rotgut tequila. I don't need brands to be friends. I may want to wear their logo on my t-shirt (lee clow), but only if they're for the band cheap trick. that's what i want. i do not want more product placement in my life. i want products and i want my life.<BR/><BR/>thanks for raising this.<BR/><BR/>ken krimsteinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-28004718302941704952007-06-26T10:35:00.000-04:002007-06-26T10:35:00.000-04:00I don't see authenticity being the rule at the end...I don't see authenticity being the rule at the end of the day. The temptation is too strongly there to overhype to features/bennies, to conceal or conduct a spin on the flaws. Or for that matter, for the competition to do a behind the scenes trashing of a product that comes off as authentic but is actually dirty work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-41411149459834015512007-06-26T10:05:00.000-04:002007-06-26T10:05:00.000-04:00Wow. Great comments. Thanks.@KBAM: I checked out t...Wow. Great comments. Thanks.<BR/><BR/>@KBAM: I checked out the Lenovo blog and you are correct- it is very well done. The guy writes better than I do-- literary allusions and everything. That said, I suspect this is the exception rather than the rule. Lenovo has a strong fan base for the Thinkpad who are worried about its future and they (more importantly) have several managers who can write engagingly and frequently enough to maintain a blog. Not sure how common that's going to be. But I agree there are companies for whom a corporate blog makes sense (auto makers could do with some honesty and interaction) but it's far from a universal solution.<BR/>Oh, and thanks for the compliment.<BR/><BR/>@CK: Authenticity is going to become even more crucial. For bloggers and for advertisers. Because as I posted in <A HREF="http://tangerinetoad.blogspot.com/2007/06/real-digital-revolution.html" REL="nofollow">The Real Digital Revolution</A> consumers now have the ability to research products independently. So you'd better be telling the truth in all your marketing materials or people are going to find you out pretty quickly. It will be interesting to see if the trend towards authenticity extends beyond the developed nations of the West. Less developed nations tend to go through a period of advertisers spouting all sorts of unregulated BS because their consumers aren't sophisticated enough to call them on it. I'll be interested to see if the addition of the web speeds up or eliminates this part of the cycle.Alan Wolkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12911841405348126875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-42872302939062916152007-06-26T01:30:00.000-04:002007-06-26T01:30:00.000-04:00Why you called me your friend. And yes, I call it ...Why you called me your friend. And yes, I call it authenticity (and I label that 'advancing' and always will). Just watch to see how far authenticity will prevail in this medium.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-34342982050551496292007-06-25T20:36:00.000-04:002007-06-25T20:36:00.000-04:00Ya know, the vast majority of social blogs--like ...Ya know, the vast majority of social blogs--like many of life's random encounters--just isn't very keen. Presumably, most who publish them aren't really thinkers and, to the extent they can think, alas, they can't write.<BR/><BR/>Still, the digital persuasion arts represent a vibrant, colorful, and compelling landscape. As a society, we're now blessed with the power of mobile (my "city desk" is 2.8"), realtime, interactive personal journalism--a miracle. There's no going back.<BR/><BR/>On the corporate side, Lenovo's (home of ThinkPad) blog might be a sort of model. It's a pretty good "workhorse." For visitors, it's a source of insight not quite available any other way. Lenovo's handful of bloggers are mid-level managers who handle tough subjects directly--and take lots of heat--with dignity and a wink. Is this the high road?<BR/><BR/>Here's a sample dialogue on ThinkPad branding: <BR/>http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=85<BR/><BR/>A nice series, Toad. Your point of view is reasoned and your agenda matters.<BR/><BR/>--BAMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-12336343017685135632007-06-25T20:03:00.000-04:002007-06-25T20:03:00.000-04:00Thank you "Sixth Reader"Love the moniker.Yes, you ...Thank you "Sixth Reader"<BR/>Love the moniker.<BR/><BR/>Yes, you may certainly claim these opinions for yourself- that's what they are there for.<BR/><BR/>And yes, anyone who knows me will tell you that I am most definitely a frustrated performer. Very perceptive.Alan Wolkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12911841405348126875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-45253392231612669582007-06-25T18:11:00.000-04:002007-06-25T18:11:00.000-04:00blogosphere works. that's why people say it. com...blogosphere works. that's why people say it. come up with a better word. <BR/><BR/>must say i've been following this with great interest. toad is on a roll. keep agreeing to the point where i'm going to claim some of your opinions for myself. if that's OK.<BR/><BR/>good blog writers are like good English pub landlords. frustrated performers who finally got a stage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-13236112769099116912007-06-25T13:58:00.000-04:002007-06-25T13:58:00.000-04:00Agreed. I had intended to put ironic quote marks a...Agreed. I had intended to put ironic quote marks around it. Thanks for reminding me.Alan Wolkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12911841405348126875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8106820546854003223.post-52568038250310609262007-06-25T13:40:00.000-04:002007-06-25T13:40:00.000-04:00if you and everyone else never used the word blogo...if you and everyone else never used the word blogosphere again it would not be too soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com