Vonage Convinces WSJ to Run Ad With Visible Censorship

Starting with the result, Vonage convinced the WSJ to run the image at right (from gigaOM blog) exactly as shown. This clearly makes one curious about the lines marked out. And bloggers ran with it putting the WSJ in a deserved difficult spot for censorship.

For how the events unfold please check the Vonage/WSJ GigaOM post. I am only commenting on the PR/Ad aspects.

Reading between the lines it sounds to me like:

1. Vonage bought the ad space in the WSJ to promote the FreeToCompete site. The site is about Verizon trying to "screw" the competition with patents BTW.
2. Vonage submits the creative with copy to the WSJ.
3. WSJ objects to the "Verizon attacks Vonage" line and asks for it to be removed. Specifically they object to the somewhat disingenuous line:
   1. "Now, Verizon has chosen to attack Vonage in the courts. Why? Could it be all about the money?"
4. Vonage (this is me proposing one scenario of how it might have happened) likely says "hey, we don’t have time to redo the creative so we will just line it out. Given you, Mr. WSJ, didn’t give us time you need to run it as is."
   1. Alternatively, and even worse for WSJ, is if one of their people actually did the line out before sending it to the presses! Oh that would be rich.
5. WSJ editors says "OK" to amateurish revision of the ad and approve the run regardless.
6. Bloggers blog it, making the WSJ censorship painfully visible and;
7. Generating free PR AND BUZZ FOR FREE TO COMPETE!

You have to know the PR folks at Vonage are smiling ear to ear about getting this one live. Talk about turning an advertisement into PR about your brand!

So to the clever folks at Vonage, nice one. To the editor at WSJ – you got 0wn3d!

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Bring on the Class Clowns – Short Form Video Rules!

From Accenture on Consumer Generated Content (thanks for the link Dan)

Asked to identify which type of content offers the highest growth potential for their industry over the next five years, the greatest number of respondents —

1. 53 percent — cited short-form video, followed by
2. videogames (13 percent),
3. full-length film (11 percent)
4. music, (11 percent),
5. consumer publishing (9 percent) and
6. business publishing (4 percent).

Numbered bullets added by me because I like lists. Lists are simple. But back to the topic – this is a very interesting list indicating what is already very apparent. Video, short form, is the future. Bring on the class clowns!

The video at right? Just a cool consumer generated video tribute to smilemaker that I like.

How Not to Get Indicted: Get Out of PR

I haven’t linked to Amanda Chapel in a while, cause, well she can be kind of a bitch. <grin> But this is just too real world of a PR cynical scoop by Doug Dowie. From the Strumpette article:

How Not to Get Indicted – by Doug Dowie

• Get Off the Public Teat
• Stop Sending Email
• Never Delegate
• Buy a Stopwatch and Clipboard
• Spy on Your Staff
• Ignore Your Financial Targets
• Never Trust Your Boss

What strikes is that you can’t actually DO that. Sure you can "get off the public teat" but "stop sending email"? I think not. Which is the authors point. So you have three options.

1. Don’t take public accounts or;
2. get out of PR or;
3. be a big agency and make sure middle managers take the fall.

There it is. On that note, I can’t believe we don’t have a Douglas R. Dowie wikipedia stub btw – not that I am suggesting y’all create it.

 

Congrats to True Light and Frog Dog

Congratulations to True Light Resources and Frog Dog PR for their successful campaign for save the center. Still some conversation going on, but definitely a well executed regional PR campaign IMHO.

Wired Interview Standoff with Calacanis Resolved

Jason Calacanis requested an email interview when approached by a Wired journalist. The journalist refused. Jason refused otherwise. The interview compromise was a recorded telephone call to make everyone happy. I just find it interesting that the interviewee has leverage and that the journalist found a flexible solution. Well done folks.