Sam Michel's blog

PR vs. Advertising in the Dotcom Marketing Mix
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - July 28, 2000

More than ever, investor's beady eyes are scrutinising what their marketing pounds are buying. Which weapon in the marketing arsenal works best for dotcoms? PR? Advertising?

Just35.com controversy
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - July 21, 2000

Every so often a topic comes along that gets everyone chatting. Usually it tends to be some retail website hitting the rocks, or a really daft marketing campaign. This time however, it was an advert during Channel 4�s Emillionaire. It wasn�t the advert for Just35.com per se, but some of the policies applied by those behind the site.

To be an Emillionaire
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - July 14, 2000

You might have though a show giving away £1m investment to a prospective Internet business might have caused some grumbling on UKNM. The launch of Channel 4's Emillionaire show was met with surprising ambivalence, perhaps everyone is too busy working or jaded from the plethora of new media TV shows on our screens.

Top 100 ebusiness list credible?
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - July 7, 2000

Anti-agency feelings
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - June 30, 2000

The UK-Netmarketing list subscribers are an eclectic bunch, with a number of traditional and new media agency staff amongst its ranks. So, it's not surprising when the frequently re-visited traditional vs. new media agency crops up. The continual blurring of the lines between the traditional and the new media world and the movement of staff between companies also adds spice.

Students: all work and no play?
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - June 23, 2000

Despite the recent rollercoaster ride for new media companies, the clamouring for good staff is still deafening. This was clearly demonstrated by the almost frenzied activity of recruitment consultants chasing ex-Boo.com staff in the days after the company�s collapse.

Dotcom ads in the real-world
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - June 16, 2000

Back in the days when the latest 'cutting edge innovation' was getting pictures in the background on your website, there was much talk of how the web would kill off TV, radio, newspapers and any other form of 'old media'. There is a certain irony now that newspapers, billboards, TV and radio are chokka-block of dotcom ads. Perhaps the Euro 2000 induced rush of subscribers to the TV resulted in the plethora of postings on dotcom advertising this week.

CASE STUDY: Butterkist Popcorn
12/6/00

Butterkist nets 34,000 competition entries and hefty brand exposure through clever contra.

Inside dotcoms...
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - June 9, 2000

The BBC2 series, 'Inside Dotcoms' aired last week. For once a TV programme featuring dotcoms wasn't met with the usual hostility. The fact that the series actually looked behind the scenes rather than falling for tabloid guff, may have had something to do with it.

The best tools for the job
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - June 2, 2000

The tussle between those who want graphical wizardry overriding concerns about the actual usability of a website tend to be ignited by pretty much any discussion of Flash.

Netimperative down but not out...
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - May 26, 2000

Everyone, new media or not, knows about Boo.com and the inevitable deluge of 'bubble-bursting' stories continued. Unfortunately, YesTV's IPO postponement and the liquidation of Netimperative at the start of the week added fuel to the fire.

The post boo.com fallout
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - May 19, 2000

Considering the earlier criticism of pretty much everything that Boo.com did, there were few hints of 'I told you so' amongst the posts to the list this week. Perhaps everyone thought it bad form to speak ill of the recently liquidated, particularly when a number have been through or know people who have experienced the painful proceedings themselves.

Dotcoms...on a wing and a prayer?
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - April 28, 2000

The Archbishop of Canterbury's comments on the greed of the dotcom world understandably grated with some of the lists' subscribers. Andy Proyer posted, "Was anybody else extremely pissed off at the Easter speech from the Archbishop of Canterbury that basically said that we're all a bunch of good-for-nothing materialistic greedy bastards?"

Free wine whine
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - April 21, 2000

Maybe it's because Easter is here, but it seems even giving away free booze causes some people to grumble. When a subscriber posted >http://www.madaboutwine.com/free to the list, I'd guess there was a peak in traffic on the website. Naturally enough the comments came in thick and fast.

When is a business an e-business?
UK-Netmarketing Weekly Round-up - April 14, 2000

Following on from the heated debate about Panorama a couple of week�s back, a recent edition of the Money Programme covering e-businesses rattled a few cages.