"It has spawned a few highly publicized successes and a torrent of expensive failures"
Digital marketing validates digital marketing!!
Have you seen this?
http://tiny.cc/RkERA
I think you'd like it
My mother owns a closet of Liz. If a friend of hers comments on how nice the outfit is, they talk about where she bought it and what was the sale price. Where is this other type of conversation with brand they are suggesting takes place everywhere all the time?
I thought I was too young to be a dinosaur. Maybe some day I will see the light and repent...or maybe I will go extinct.
I wish you'd write something bad or at least something I could disagree with - I feel like some starry-eyed, lovesick child whenever I read your posts. It's getting quite disturbing.
But yes, great stuff as usual. Particularly the 'primacy of channel over ideas' paragraph. It's a thing that's bugging the hell out of me at the moment. A lack of ideas - or a lack of respect for the idea - in general. I'd love to read more of your thoughts on this, especially in relation to the current economic climate. I.e can big ideas save us?
Oh, and because I didn't comment on yesterday's post - you were absolutely spot on there too. Felix Thingy and 'Old Friend' are exactly as someone else described them: like The Blob that just keeps coming, changing its shape as it goes. The trouble is there are far too many of them out there - even in my small neck of the woods.
As for the swearing (as mentioned by John Joss) - I'm a big fan. Keep it up.
Cat, the question is:
If this idea of communication directly with the customer is so central to the Liz Brand, what took them so long?
"Community technology" has been around for a decade and it's basically free.
What is this fucking bullshit about liking swearing? Utter crap! Piss on it!!!
Enjoyed yesterday's slug fest. One late comment: If you think the internet has changed everything, get a life. As for today, when are people going to figure out that "social media" is exactly that. Social. The minute you try and turn it into a marketing tool, you ruin it for everybody. And you lose your money. The guy from Liz Clairborne admits it's costing him a fortune to stay involved with his extended focus group. It's almost as if he is trying to turn the brand into a God, with his minions following its every move or suggestion. It's friggin fashion. Mail them a coupon, for Christsake. They'll love you, talk about you and you'll save a ton of money. Another thing. If I hear one more person say they want a "viral video," I'm going to slit my wrists. "Viral" is an adjective, not a noun.
Looks like Liz Claiborne's stock is down 80% from last year. The S&P is only down 30% from last year so it isn't all due to the economy. Plus they just took a larger 2Q loss than expected. Yay social media, good case study! Maybe a company like that needs more than 300 customers from a social media website....but what do I know. Maybe they need to invite some of their shareholders to join their social media experiment. I'm sure they have some insight to give!
"It has spawned a few highly publicized successes and a torrent of expensive failures" - This is true of most media, I would have thought?
Out of interest (I'm not baiting you, I'm genuinely interested), how would you characterise the impact that this blog has had on your business? None, some, lots? Negative, neutral, positive?
Another unsourced TAC rant filled with attributions to generic "marketers", "ad industry leaders" and "digital zealots".
You realize that your last "symptom" bullet is true no matter what medium you insert.
Hey, Old Friend:
You can't be an "old friend" because no friend of mine would be such a lame-ass chickenshit that he'd be afraid to sign his real name.
When you grow the balls to sign your name I'll publish your comments. Until then, you're out.
@Martin:
1. True, but nobody makes the kind of outrageous claims that web advocates do.
2. I would characterize the impact on my business as nonexistent.
Haven't read your stuff in a while; when did you get so soft??
@Nathan:
I think I need anger management this week.
Bob,
Dared not wade in when I could see so much smoke on the water yesterday. Loved it as always.
Re: Impact on your business, which I was also thinking about yesterday
—if some smart folks don't choose Hoffman/Lewis after reading your excellent arguments in these posts and in the comments...
But that's the problem. Execs you'd need to be reading TAC aren't. They're busy exec-ing.
*sigh* Funny channel, this.
Regards,
Kelly
@Kelly:
Sure, just when I needed you you were too damn sensitive to wade in.
Don't worry. I'll take my meds tonight and be better by morning.
Hope not. 
Every arena needs a lightning rod, dear TAC. He who stands the straightest and never breaks...
Plus you seem to enjoy the zings.
TAC (and, I hope, others, finally 'gets' what the anonymous 'contributors' are all about: invective without responsibility--the bane of the Internet.
John Joss (real name)
What's the difference between selling and masturbating?
In business you are doing either one or the other and rarely both at the same time.
Commenting by HaloScan
