The Perils of Punditry

The Economist’s Microsoft After Gates briefing mentions that the company has hired “one of America’s coolest advertising agencies, Crispin Porter+Bogustki” to launch a $300M ad campaign.

I’m left wondering how this $300M, no matter how adroit the folks at CPB are, will change attitudes toward Microsoft. They’ve tried repeatedly to change their public image. They even tried to disassociate themselves with the Zune in the bizarre ad campaigns for the device.

A $300M marketing campaign will work wonders if Microsoft comes out with some new products that show a new product development philosophy. If Microsoft continues to turn out bloated monolithic apps with overly complex UI, I’m scratching my head as to how Microsoft will ever be thought of as anything but the General Motors of computing – big, financially successful, and representative of a bygone era that is rapidly coming to a close.

If you’ve read Naked Conversations, the blog marketing book by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, you know that blogs are a great way to interact directly with customers. You also know that to do it right you need to be accessible and open to criticism.

Ken Case, the CEO of software maker Omni Group, demonstrates how to effectively respond to criticism and engage with customers in a constructive fashion. In Matt Neuberg’s review of OmniFocus, Case deconstructs Neuberg’s review. He is thorough, thoughtful, and respectful, and he doesn’t pretend that OmniFocus is a perfect product.

Things get interesting in the comments to the post. Instead of merely posting his thoughts then retreating, Case stays engaged with his readers and encourages them to continue their own critiques of the product. He’s not asking for punishment, and he explains the reasons behind some of the company’s design decisions, but he appears to honestly welcome direct, detailed feedback from customers. I happen to use three of Omni Group’s applications pretty much every day: OmniFocus, OmniGraffle Pro, and OmniOutliner Pro. But even if I didn’t like Omni Group’s applications, after reading Case’s blog post I’d likely want to give them a try.

No spin. Just direct, respectful interaction with customers and critics. If only we had more of that online and in the physical world.

Tip o’ the hat to John Gruber’s excellent Daring Fireball blog for the link to Case’s post.

Image Credits

Cropped version of having a discussion by Erik Kristensen - http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikkristensen/293638211/ - Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license 

I’ve been noticing far too many service business websites these days that contain zero useful information about the actual people behind the company. It’s a bizarre trend, considering that for many years Web professionals have known the importance of building trust with site visitors. Consider these only slightly modified examples from real About Us pages:

• Company X was started by three individuals in X City. Each has brought the exact set of skills needed to create Company X.
• Company Y brings top talent from the widget field to deliver stunning results for you.

Umm… what? Despite the transformative power of the Internet, business is still personal. Hiding behind empty language like the above is worse than not even having an About Us page. Imagine yourself as a potential customer. Upon reading about Company X or Company Y, would you think, Gee, these folks really are transparent. I think I ought to trust them.

Or would you think, Perhaps these people have something to hide. Maybe this is just a side gig for them and they don’t want their bosses to find out. Maybe they’re actually in Bangladesh and don’t want me to know. Maybe they have absolutely no experience and are afraid that if I find that out I’ll talk them down to $2.35/hr.

Whatever the reason behind it, when I encounter an About Us page that consists of sheer puffery, it makes me want to run away. I want to know who I’m doing business with, even if I never meet them in person. Reputation management is about getting your name out there and standing behind that name.