I am embarrassed. When Andy Sernovitz of WOMMA denies the seriousness of the Edelman controversy he is forgetting to honor and respect an Internet Culture that is inherently skeptical. “This is a small group of anti-corporate bloggers who would attack all marketers,” said Andy Sernovitz, “Because it was Edelman, they get outed by the people who are looking for a scandal. But there’s no story here.” There is a story here.
Why is Edelman such a target? Although this group of “anti-corporate bloggers” may be small, it is comprised of some very influential online influencers and “influencials” as well. The Internet is anti-corporate. The Internet is skeptical. The Internet is wary of corporate shilling and stealth marketing. Do you blame them?
If you want to see which industries and organizations are feeling guilty for their behavior, look to industries and organizations that tout their membership in professional associations, especially professional associations focused primarily on self-regulating, keeping the FTC out of the game, and showing off how painfully ethical they are. They’re the one that doth protest too much.
In a world of Flogs and Splogs, the skeptic is king. If you “get it” then you know this to be true. Edelman isn’t an innocent, it is a for-profit media powerhouse hell-bent on being the “It” firm when it comes to new media and online brand promotion. Sadly, they’re not leading my example, they’re a bull in a china shop, blaming all the crockery for being so fragile.
What is my advice? Learn how to market on the internet from bloggers and Internet denizens instead of from fellow marketing and PR folks. Actually, I actually tried to give Edelman, AMD, and Microsoft some free advice on how they might have handled this differently.
WOMMA can’t “get it” because it isn’t “of it.” Andy Sernovitz is showing indignation and that defensiveness is often indicative of an important issue that needs to be addressed and not diminished.
WOMMA needs to spend less time talking and conferencing and more time listening and learning. In many ways, too many marketers and marketing associations — especially the word of mouth and buzz marketing gang — are really being “ugly Americans” on the Internet.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Chris –
I was misquoted by MediaPost. In fact, I told them that I did not have a comment for the story. They put words in my mouth that I did not say.
My record on supporting bloggers, the blogosphere, and blog ethics are clear. Don’t read too much into much into one line in one inaccurate story.
Andy
I appreciate your comment, Andy. I will promote it to an article. Thanks.
I was quoted accurately by Media Post. :>)
Either Andy or MediaPost is not telling the truth. For what it’s worth, I know that Andy is strongly opposed to any whiff of deceit or opaqueness.
I am inclined to believe his comment above.
So perhaps we should turn to the reporter for find out their side of the story?