to the end

I've just finished reading this. Very good. Not as brilliant as I thought it was going to be at the start but definitely worth reading. But I came very close to not blogging about it because someone at Penguin emailed me and told me about it. (Though, coincidentally I'd already bought a copy.) I like Penguin. And I can't fault them for writing to me about it, it's set in an advertising agency, it's likely to be of interest to me.

But I could feel that email causing the beginnings of that knee-jerk journalistic cynicism that I've always hated. (What do these people want? Why are they emailing me?) I never really understood that mindset, but now that I'm getting a small fraction of the PR bombardment that they get it makes much more sense. Someone emailed me the other day to ask if I'd review their chocolate easter egg on eggbaconchipsandbeans, I can see why they did wrote but, well, you know, I'm not going to do that.

On the other hand, those same cynical news organisations are sometimes completely credulous about the dumbest PR scam. Like this whole thing about McDonald's trying to get the OED definition of McJob changed. Obviously, McDonald's do not care about dictionary definitions. Obviously. But earlier this week I listened to a McDonald's executive talk for 5 minutes on the Today programme about how great it is to work there. Very clever.

This post is perfect illustration of my point about the difference between the way I blog and the way I feel I should write for Campaign. I have no point here. And no real ending. But, hey, you know.

Comments

[Rob Mortimer]

I got sent the book as well, just starting reading it.

Im working along the ideal that if I blog about something I will always be totally honest about it; and only if its something I think is of genuine relevance in some way.

[Amelia Torode]

I think that it's interesting that you seem to be so offended the contact that Pengiun had with you.

I would have thought that this would have been something that you would have been interested by - the fact that a company is connected and interested in a "citizen journalist" (excuse the jargon) like yourself I think is admirable. The fact that they sent you something that they thought that you would enjoy and if you did would perhaps blog about it is not a crime.

Is it PR? I guess that it is in as much as they are targeting people with influence, it just so happens that your influence is coming through your blogging.

I've seen a lot of discussions amongst bloggers about the rights and wrongs of stuff like this and most seem to think, as I do, that so long as you are not bribed into posting specific comments, it is a positive development.

[russell]

It's interesting isn't it. They didn't send me the book, though they might have. I'm not especially offended by it, I don't think I said I was. Like I say, it makes perfect sense that they do it.

But I can also see how a steady bombardment of this kind of thing starts to make you reflexively suspicious. Especially since most of the emails I get are not this thoughtful or relevant at all.

[Ben]

This post is a good illustration of why the blog is usually better than the Campaign stuff.

No one sent me a book. Bastards.

[Rob Mortimer]

I'll send you my copy when i've read it if you like; maybe we can make it the new Coleman mug type thing...

[Amelia Torode]

Interesting comments.

Russell, quick question: if someone at Penguin had sent you the book or maybe a link to an advanced copy online for you to read, essentially treated you the way that companies treat journalists, who do you think that you would have felt/behaved?

Not that anyone has sent me anything, but if a company included me as part of a launch seeding program I think that so long as the product was interesting/relevant to my life, it would be something that I would want to be a part of.

Maybe I just don't get as many annoying/irrelevant emails as you do though!

And the new Coleman mug could be the way to go...

[Colman]

There is no 'e' in Colman, pass it on.

[Rob Mortimer]

Ah yes. My apologies!

[John Dodds]

Is it passe to make an allusion to all the e in advertising planners?

[neil]

They sent me a copy a while back. I liked it, in bits. I was flattered to get it as usually the only mail I get is invitations to pay a fortune to attend a conference at which Russell Davies is speaking. So, no offence taken on my part. The book was actually better than I expected it to be at the start. Well written and sometimes insightful about the absurdities of the advertising business. But a bit narrow in its focus. Not as good as, for me, Popco or Transmission. Both of which touch on the business to make wider points.

[neil]

And in principle, I'm in favour of me being sent free books. (And CDs.)

[Rob & Robbie]

I just bought it. Via your link to Amazon. So Penguin's ploy worked (although I did get a second hand copy).

The addictive thing about blogging is the really personal nature of the communications. For some reason, you feel compelled to be truthful on a blog.

So, when you get an impersonal email from a corporate body, you probably felt that spell break a little bit. (Kind of the same reaction to that suggestion you mentioned - that your blog was 'Personal PR' for you.)

I bet you'd have felt better about it if the communication had come as a comment to one of your posts and read "Hey Russell, just stumbled upon your blog (interesting stuff btw), and thought you might like this book. I'm working on the launch of it at the moment, and it seems like it's up your street."

And I don't mean that more craft should go into PR work. I mean that PR people should get involved in social interaction on the web, rather than trying to manipulate it.

[Rob Mortimer]

Thats because its not out in the UK yet (apparently). You probably got a US version.

[Amelia]

And I just ordered it on Amazon last night too...