As the editor of a fairly well established media and culture site (*cough* Transbuddha *cough*), I receive more than my fair share of e-mail links to viral and WOM sites. Quite often they are legitimately sent in by readers, but mostly they’re hamfisted attempts at garnering cool cred by those tasked with promoting viral sites and media. Far be it from me to begrudge an individual from trying to do their job. In fact, I’m here today in an attempt to make that job a little easier.
Sending out mass e-mails with ‘OMG check out this funny site!’ to random people who’ve foolishly signed up to receive communications from Company X is one thing. Sending that same e-mail to the guy who runs a site that discusses advertising and virals at length is another. If I can see that site X is a product site within two mouseclicks, all you’ve done is piss me off. There are any number of bloggers and site editors who’ve watched the rise and fall of the various heavy hitters of the viral genre (hell, most of the time they’ve contributed to it), and we’re not a stupid breed. We’re not autistics that someone planted in front a computer to post stuff. We’re obviously interested and engaged in the online world, so treating us like rubes won’t do you any favors. Unless negative mentions are what you’re looking for, that is.
The fact is most content dependent sites don’t succeed based on pure linkage. It’s the context and perspective we bring to the table. We’re filters, you see. We willfully and happily render ourselves crappy content meat shields so that our readers don’t have to wade through the infinite trench of crap that runs through the heart of this here intraweb. Our success is as dependent on our ability to provide background and context as it is to find that perfect football to daddy’s crotch video. Because of that, we won’t just post a viral site because an heretofore anonymous person sent us an e-mail telling us to. That’d make us chumps, you see? We’ll post it because we can provide a reason to visit. We’ll post it because our ability to be in the know (and by proxy let the reader know) makes or breaks us.
So in essence: Don’t treat site editors and bloggers like they’re dumb, and we won’t immediately consign your e-mails to our ever increasingly vigilant spam filters. If you (and your client) think your site is mierda caliente, then have enough faith in it to provide us the details we want. Who built the site? Who is running the campaign? What other campaigns go with it? That information won’t tank a campaign, I promise.
“But, oh no”, you say, “our clever teaser campaign needs secrecy to build anticipation!”. I got news for you, chump: No it doesn’t. On the off chance your viral can live up to even .01% of the hype you think you’ve garnered for it, people don’t like being tricked. The first response your audience will have upon realizing that the enigmatic billboards, teaser sites, and WOM stuff is for nothing more exciting than gunk you spread on your armpit is a collective: Well, that sucks. It’d be like finding out Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was just 1000 undocumented illegals running production line machinery that used nothing more than milk, cocoa, and sugar. Letdown doesn’t even begin to cover it. Blowback, baby. It’s all about blowback.
Now you may have reams and reams of polling data that says otherwise, but let me kill yet another marketing chestnut: You’re basing multimillion dollar decisions off the input of people too stupid to get out of completing a market survey. Well done, Madison Avenue! You’ve handed your financial success over to the same couple that fills out complaint cards at Wendy’s when the chili is four degrees too cold! And you wonder why we don’t respect you….
While it may be comforting to believe that everyone who doesn’t work in a marketing office is just two IQ points removed from Play-Doh, or that we’re not hip enough to adequately comprehend just how kick ass your metrosexual soul patch is, the fact is web denizens are much smarter, and much more media savvy than we’re given credit for. Reward that savvy, and it’ll reward you. Treat content site editors and bloggers with intelligence and respect, and yes: we’ll do your job for you. For free, no less.
I don’t know about you, but I feel better. Now let’s hug this shit out and get back to our collective media ass-kicking.
Oh, and while I’ve got you here: Were I to be crowned King Awesome of the Internet tomorrow, my first decree would be that Flash based product sites that launch in new, full screen or non-scalable windows would immediately be grounds for that site designer to be cockpunched by a PCP crazed Mr. T. So cut that shit out already. It’s annoying. Seriously.
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