The PR Warrior

Heartfelt Blog Posts Provide Counterpoint to Hartigan Rant

I read half a dozen blog posts this week that kind of made a mockery of the broadside News Limited boss John Hartigan recently aimed at the blogging fraternity.

For those unaware of the outburst in question, in a speech to Canberra's National Press Club Hartigan turned on the blogging fraternity, reportedly saying:

"In return for their free content, we pretty much get what we paid for - something of such limited intellectual value as to be barely discernible from massive ignorance".

Naturally, the blogging community bit back.

Respected media commentator Mark Day suggested bloggers' rage at Hartigan's comments showed they were out of touch with reality.

High-profile finance journalist and founder of Business Spectator Alan Kohler countered Hartigan's argument with this sensible piece.

Anyway, back to the blog posts as mentioned in the opening para:

Some of Australia's leading bloggers contributed a post under the theme ManWeek (organised by Reach Out Australia). I think you'll agree they're well-written, insightful, raw and honest accounts.

On Being a Man and Losing a Loved One (Scott Drummond)

The Journey to First-Time Fatherhood (Mark Pollard)

A Little Fluffy (Gavin Heaton)

Becoming a Man: Dealing with Personal Problems (Julian Cole)

Return to Colombia (Jye Smith)

Having a Dad (Matt Moore)

Limited intellectual value Mr Hartigan? I don't think so.

http://www.gapingvoid.com

The point is:

Far from being ignorant, bloggers are often experts in their field and because they write about what they know, the depth of knowledge is often significant and their opinion is valued (whether you agree or not) - and, I might say, the willingness of bloggers to freely share their thoughts and ideas is to be applauded.

Blogging is the 'passion medium' (or, as some people like to call it, the 'enthusiasm medium'). Why? Because bloggers write with passion and enthusiasm - they write because they want to, not because it's a job. In most instances, they don't derive any direct income as a result of their efforts.

So why does Mr Hartigan feel the need to denigrate bloggers? Indeed, why is he even bothering comparing them to professional journalists? They are different mediums with different styles of writing. 

It's like the editor of The Australian recently comparing Twitter to the Herald-Sun - why on earth does he feel the need to do so?

For the record, I'm a trained journalist and a self-confessed media junkie who reads newspapers more than most. I also happen to love social media and all it entails.  

Blogs are part of my daily diet of information (along with other forms of traditional media) - they provide me with the extra dimension of specialised insight and opinion I cannot get from newspapers, radio or television.

A more productive way forward for senior media executives would be to embrace the seismic change that is occurring, engage bloggers and new media mavens in dialogue (rather than putting them off-side with deliberate inflammatory language) and start implementing seriously - as opposed to paying lip service to - the exciting online tools and technological platforms that are taking the world by storm.

FOR A GOOD CROSS-SECTION OF BLOGGING, CHECK OUT AUSTRALIA'S TOP 100 WOMEN BLOGGERS.

For more on the John Hartigan debate:

Mumbrella isn't the Cause of Your Problem, Mr Hartigan

John Hartigan Vs Bloggers *Ding, Ding*

Hartigan on Old and New Media

Heritage Hartigan Attacks Everyday Australian Readers

Australian News Corp Chief Attacks Google, Bloggers

FLASHBACK 2006: When Mentos 'Got It' & Coke Didn't. What Would the Story be Today?

I've just finished re-reading Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba's excellent book Citizen Marketers.

In it they provide a snapshot of the Diet Coke/Mentos video experiment that went on to become a massive hit on Revver and YouTube (see below). 

You may remember it - two guys in white smocks - one a professional juggler, the other an attorney - combined Diet Coke and Mentos lollies to create a choreographed fountain of Diet Coke geyers.

Although this video wasn't the first example of what happens when you mix together Diet Coke and Mentos, it became the best known. Within no time it went nuts online, spawning thousand of copycat videos. 

Interestingly, it's a classic example of a company losing control of its brand to consumers - two companies in this case - and how each handled the situation. 

According to McConnell/Huba, a Mentos spokesman said: "We are tickled pink by it". (And why wouldn't you be? It's estimated Mentos generated online buzz to the value of $10 million!).

Coke's response? 

"We would hope people want to drink (Diet Coke) more than try experiments with it," the Coke spokeswoman said, adding that the "craziness with Mentos...doesn't fit with the brand personality" of Diet Coke. Ahem.

Given we're three years on and social media has gripped the world and consumers are getting involved with brands on a scale unimaginable 10 years ago, I wonder how Coke would react if the same situation arose today? 

Would they get in on the act and come out and say "hey, that's pretty cool...look at all the free publicity we're getting, and consumers are having fun interacting with our brand"? 

Or, would they bang on about all this "craziness with Mentos...doesn't fit with the brand personality" of Diet Coke. 

Coke didn't 'get it' in 2006, and fair enough. But I wonder if the company's response would be any different if the same situation arose today? 

The answer would go a long way in illustrating how far big brands have come to grips with the 'new consumer reality' of today's hyper-connected marketing landscape. Do they 'get it', or have they still got a long way to go?

Welcome to the Personal Media Revolution!

Just saw this pic on Terry Heaton's PoMo Blog - sourced via Soup. Says it all, really. Great stuff!