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MacUser: News: iTunes scientists discover sheep-like downloading

Link: MacUser: News: iTunes scientists discover sheep-like downloading.

A new twist on the old adage that a best seller is something that’s selling well because its selling well.

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Technology PR

We need case studies about why things go wrong – Ken Young, IT Week

Ken Young, in his piece Lies, damned lies and IT mumbo-jumbo
in today’s IT Week, bemoans the fact that case studies rarely talk about the bad things that happen in IT life.

Says Ken: "Customers love case studies, a PR person informed me recently. No doubt true, but a lot depends on how much information the studies provide, who they are about, and how sanitised they are. Who wouldn’t want to read a no-holds barred case study on EDS’s involvement with the Child Support Agency?
"

Journalists love case studies too – or rather they do like talking to real world users of technology.
And from a PR perspective, case studies that don’t just present the "everything is rosy" view of life actually have more credibility with both press and readers. As someone said to me recently, "according to all the case studies you read about in the IT Press, no IT project has ever gone over budget, been implemented late, failed to deliver on the functionality in the original brief, or caused both IT department and end users to tear their hair out in raw frustration."

So Ken’s plea for more real world case studies seems to get the thumbs up from pretty much everybody.

However, I suspect the number of "warts and all" case studies is not about to rise any time soon.

There are a number of reasons for this. And an example I was personally involved with recently perhaps illustrates this best.

We were interviewing a client’s customer for a case study. The customer company had been in a pretty bad way around 3 years ago – close to insolvency. However, with a brand new management team, new strategy and investment in technology, the company had seen a pretty remarkable turnaround. The story crying out to be written was how the management group had effectively saved the company – and how technology had played a key role.

However, they didn’t want to make any reference to this in the case study. The thinking was that they didn’t want existing customers and investors to get "spooked" by just how close the company had come to going under. Even though they hadn’t hidden any information regarding the company’s position, the thought of bringing up again the subject of "how bad things were" was too much for them in the context of a case study.

Which was a shame. On the one hand, you would have thought this kind of turnaround story would be just the kind of thing people would want to read about – and would present the current management and business in a very favourable light. However, this is one the one of the lesser known impacts of Sarb-Ox, etc – that companies will not take any kind of perceived risk with case studies, lest it comes back to haunt them (rightly or wrongly) in the future.

So, sorry Ken – looks like you may be waiting some time for your ideal case study.

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Technology PR

Why should press releases just be for journalists?

David Meerman Scott has written a small e-book on the subject of press releases in the Web 2.0 world.

You can download it here:

The New Rules of PR

One of his arguments is that press releases aren’t just for journalists – that they can be used as a direct end user communication tool. Lets read that again – press release – ie a release for the press. If you send it to a someone who isn’t a journalist, then surely it is not a press release?

I can (sort of) see where he is coming from – that PR should be about Public Relations in its widest sense rather Press Relations. But what he is really saying is that you don’t just have to target journalists – you can target your end user customers and/or other relevant publics – but this feels like a semantic argument – if you send a communication direct to your target customer, then this is direct marketing by any other name – why call it a press release? It also ignores the fact that press releases are still presumably conceived and written with the needs of the press in mind (I fully accept that the intention and the reality of press releases generally may diverge widely on this point).

Perhaps we are moving to a point where traditional marketing disciplines are all going to merge into one.

Reading between the lines (and in spite of his comments to the contrary), you do get the impression that what he really means is that journalists don’t really matter anymore. I’d welcome comments from members of the Fourth Estate on this viewpoint 😉

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Technology PR

Rogue clients – paying for pitches?

A story from the ad world today, but one that has parallels for PR. EasyJet has moved the goalposts in its current 8-month pitch process for its £50m ad budget. The two agencies apparently involved – O&M and Saatchi & Saatchi – are both said to be fuming – and both £100K down in terms of pitch costs. EasyJet are allegedly claiming that they said all along that they wouldn’t necessarily appoint one of these agencies – and that the agencies were aware of the business risk involved.

Clearly not being privy to the dispute at first hand, it would be unwise to comment further on this specifically. However, the trend for this kind of behaviour does seem to be on the rise. In PR, there are increasing stories of agencies being invited to pitch – often requiring large amounts of time, money and effort, as well as the sharing of creative ideas and information – only for the prospect to “do it themselves” or give it to the cheapest agency.

Unfortunately this kind of thing has happened since the dawn of time. There was a very large IT company in the 90s that would put its PR account up for review every year – agencies would duly pitch, only to find that the incumbent was reappointed – and certain ideas mysteriously being subsequently used by them.

Some have argued that the practice today is a reaction to heady dot com era when clients felt they were pitching to the agency to take on their business – if you hadn’t got at least £10K a month to spend on PR, you wouldn’t get past the initial phone call. However, the pendulum does seem to have swung a little far the other way.  Nobody would dispute that pitching is one of the opportunity costs for any PR company doing business – but this is on the basis that there is a real opportunity to be persued – as opposed to clients attempting to get a load of ideas and information for free.

Again, the idea of asking prospects to pay a pitch fee has been around for a very long time – unsurprisingly, it is an idea that has not caught on – and probably never will.

In the end, there has to be a level of mutual trust between prospect and agency – if either side feels they are being taken for a ride, then nobody wins long term.

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People

“Why I’m So Great”*

*With a nod to a Nietzsche (who was no slouch in the self belief department) and his essay entitled, Why I Write Such Good Books.

The ever-entertaining Lucy Kellaway has another good column in yesterday’s FT. She cites a recent Harvard Business Review article that claims to have established a strong link between exaggerated self-belief and incompetence. In other words, the people most likely to overestimate their ability are those with little ability to start with.

I’m sure most people in their working lives have encountered just such a type. Certainly  the world of PR seems to be populated with more than its fair share. However, as ever, there appears to be a paradoxical attitude to this in the world of spin (I can’t say whether this is more prevalent in other sectors). Senior managers appear to give these self aggrandizers the benefit of the doubt. Even though they fail to deliver the results, their “attitude” is deemed to be  worth more than those who achieve what they say they would, but don’t crow about – or embark on internal self-publicity campaigns.

I guess the psychology is that people want to believe that these people can do what they say they can do – a kind of cognitive dissonance applies, so that they allow their logical concerns to be over-ridden. Of course, you can’t get away with missing targets forever – but the trick is to move on before someone blows the whistle – moving up the greasy pole and avoiding being brought to account.

As Lucy says, in the work context, “Self doubt is not allowed. You can’t say – I don’t know if this will work.”

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Bye Bye Aibo

"Aibo has been a very popular product, but we’ve decided to focus on our core businesses of electronics, games and entertainment, and on profitability and strategic growth," says Sony spokeswoman Kirstie Pfeifer.

But not that popular. What now for our very own Aibo – Bentley – he’s been lying dormant in the corner of the office for the last month – we were under the illusion he was a boy – until the very annoying American female voice kicked in when "he" had grown up to the next level.

I wonder if someone will start the electronic version of Battersea Dogs Home?

Ers7_top_dog

Categories
People Technology PR Web/Tech

VNU buys The Inquirer

How things go full circle. Mike Magee has sold The Inquirer to VNU. Guy Kewney has already blogged regarding his possible role as a catalyst for the deal.

Guy Kewney’s Role in Inquirer purchase

This is an interesting story for a number of reasons. Mike founded The Register with John Lettice and Drew Cullen before falling out with them in 2001 (although many rumours emerged as to the real reason for the bust up, I don’t think anyone other than the participants really know what went on there). He left and set up The Inquirer shortly afterwards – I know a few people at the time weren’t sure whether Mike would be able to replicate the success of The Reg – but he ploughed his own furrow and getting a media giant like VNU to buy it must be viewed as somewhat of a coup.

What remains to be seen is to what extent The Inquirer will retain its unique editorial style now that it is under the VNU wing. The Inquirer (like the Reg) has never been one to pull its punches. Take for example Intel’s Guide To The European Press – whoever was Intel’s PR at the time must have wanted the ground to open up and swallow them.

Of course the terms of the deal are undisclosed. What next we ask ourselves? The Register being bought by IDG?

All the best to Mike on his return to Broadwick Street. At least now the distance from the office to the Star and Garter and Blue Posts can be measure in feet rather than miles.

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Who says economics has to be dull?

Tim Harford regularly proves otherwise here:

http://www.timharford.com/deareconomist/

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Music People

Richard Ashcroft’s Keyboard Player

Ra
One time Object Marketing colleague Rico Petrillo dropped by the office this afternoon – taking a quick break from his recent busy schedule as keyboard player in Richard Ashcroft’s backing band. We’ve had fun playing spot Rico on the TV over the last few weeks, as he keeps popping up everywhere – Jonathan Ross Show, Top of the Pops, VH2 to name a few.

Rico is of Swiss Italian descent – and he made his dad happy when he was interviewed on national TV in Italy a few weeks ago. Apparently Richard Ashcroft pointed out that Rico’s Italian was much better than his, so he had to do all the talking.

RIchard Ashcroft and band are off to the US next month apparently, supporting Coldplay. We told Rico to remember us back in Shepherd’s Bush when he steps out on the stage of all those mega-stadiums.

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People

Son of Smith – early arrival!

Archie Henry Alexander Smith arrived yesterday at 3.08pm. A few weeks ahead
of schedule, but mother and baby fine.

Pic of the wee man below – clearly he is destined to be the the first
Scotsman to score the winner in a World Cup final, a famous rock guitarist,
the most gifted writer of his generation since George Orwell and a great PR
man – all at the same time! No pressure there then 😉

Many thanks to those who have already sent congrats and good wishes.

Back to the hospital now.

Archie2