Dear Marketing Folks: Leaving A Blog Comment Does Not Mean I Want Your Email

I was added to a Breitbart Report mailing list today (without opting in). The announcement mail assured me that I would be the beneficiary of Breitbart’s “timely news and other information, independent of media bias” and that I was receiving the mail based on my “past interest” which was reflected by my having commented on one of his sites.

Breitbard told the marketing company that I had opted in (screenshot below the fold); that was a lie. I was added to the list, without permission, and had to opt-out to remove myself.

What egocentrism, to think that anyone who commented on one of his sites would want email spam! Comment does not equal agreement. Nor does comment equal “it’s OK to spam me now.”

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Where’s The Background? Ogilvy Taiwan’s “Dream Rangers”

This is a fabulous 3-minute commercial (it feels like a movie trailer) for TC Bank, based, it says, on a true story. The videography and editing are so good that subtitles really aren’t needed. (They do add some context.)

If you had a video with 2M+ views, wouldn’t you provide a link to a page with background info? Who are these men? How did Ogilvy learn their story? I can’t find anything on Ogilvy’s website or through Google (most of the hits are embeds of the YouTube clip).

:: WiredPen Permalink : Follow Me On Twitter!

Stephen Colbert Really DID This?

colbert huffpo

I didn’t think he would!

Earlier this week, Stephen Colbert took aim at Rupert Murdoch’s “The Daily” (an iPad app) and the Huffington Post-AOL deal. In the riff, he said that the HuffPo was “famous for its extensive, comprehensive coverage of things other people produce and put on the Internet” and announced that he was going to rip-off HuffPo. He has: http://colbertnation.com/ColbuffingtonRe-post.

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Rewards For Those Who Wait? BestBuy iPad Bundle

Over at 9-to-5 Mac, Mark Gurman reports that BestBuy is bundling the iPad with mobile hotspot hardware. The catch? A two-year contract with either Verizon, AT&T or Sprint. Clear and Virgin not part of the deal for obvious reasons when you look at their non-promo service plans.

According to ThinkMobile, the MiFi is not locked to the iPad (reportedly it is with Verizon) in this short-lived promo (ends January 2, 2011).

The base model iPad (16GB, wifi) is $499; to bump up to 3G service, add $130. That’s basically the retail cost of the MiFi unit. Who’s really subsidizing this bundle?

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What Does It Mean To Be “Engaged”?

I’m not talking about the first step towards getting married!

Online marketing buzz words include “social” and “engagement.” Let’s set “social” aside for another day.

What does it look like when a customer is “engaged” with a brand, with a web site, with Twitter or Facebook? Who are “engaged” customers and why are they important to an organization? Why might their web site visits be more valuable — in the traditional, monetary sense of the word — than less “engaged” customers?

What the heck does it mean to be engaged?

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