Bzzkill....

Hard to believe, but I'm rapidly approaching my 10th year in online advertising (with a gap here and there during the crash). It's interesting to observe how the industry has evolved, or not in some cases. I find myself reacting much in the same way I did when I first heard about Web Services which appeared to me to be warmed over CORBA, at least from a philosophical standpoint. Much of the current messaging in online marketing is centered around concepts first developed circa 1996: one-to-one marketing, audience development, optimization, etc. We certainly have learned from our mistakes during the first go around and a conscious effort to distance ourselves from the sins of our past (you won't find many companies actually using the term "one-to-one"). One model that seems to have some traction now is the notion of social commerce. Way back when, one of my companies, Cybernautics, used to infiltrate news groups, in which commercial advertising was verboten. The trust of the unsuspecting participants secured, our operative would begin to make casual reference to a product or service, sharing all of the wonderful things that had happened to her life since being blessed with this gift (most of our agents were women). On some levels, it's like the Oakland Police infiltrating a peaceful anti-war group, but the model worked surprisingly well for some time. Eventually, the practice became widespread and ineffective, followed by the death of news groups in favor of boards and blogs.

That's why I was intrigued when I came across an article in OMMA about a new company called BzzAgent. The promise of BzzAgent is that they have taken "word of mouth" marketing legit. The difficult equation to solve in these models is how to compensate the participants. Not enough incentive, and participation will suffer, too much incentive and you encourage people to game the system, marketing everything they can for pure personal gain. BzzAgent has developed a points system. New BzzAgents must complete a series of surveys usually oriented toward various vertical markets. The agent earns points for each survey completed. BzzAgent uses the results of these surveys to create an agent profile which is used to match potential marketers with campaigns. I signed up as an agent because I was interested to see just how well BzzAgent has executed on its model. I dutifully answered all of the surveys, truthfully by the way and eventually, I was invited to join a campaign. The campaign I joined was for a line of male skin care products. After opting in, I received a welcome email and was informed that my BzzKit would be arriving at my house soon. When the kit arrived, it contained materials about the products, the campaign, and general information about how to be a good BzzAgent. Also included were 1 each of the product, along with 7 or 8 samples and a bunch of coupons, presumably to give to your friends as part of your Bzz activity. The BzzManual goes on at some length on the topic of honesty, encouraging the agent to express only genuine feelings and information regarding the product in question. So far, sounds good.

The first day, I used both products, an exfoliating facial scrub and an aftershave. The scrub was ok, but a little on the coarse side for me. The consistency of the aftershave was pleasant enough, but the scent was a bit on the "old" side for me. Yeah, ok, fair enough, I'm 40, but I'm a dedicated Zihr user and I prefer a more subtle aroma from my products. My immediate reaction to the test product was Aqua Velvet or Old Spice. That's not to say it's a replica (or that bad) but in terms of a "feel", that's what I got. I'm thinking that the makers of this product might be interested in that feedback. After all, I was selected for the campaign, so I must fit the profile of the target demographic. Upon logging into the BzzAgent system, I am unable to find any way to report "buzz" to the client. All buzz activities are related to outbound marketing. I can't imagine that BzzAgent would actually like me to promote my first impressions of the product to my friends and colleagues, but would want to provide this direct feedback to their client. I sent a mail to the omnipresent "Jono", the generic BzzCoordinator alias to inquire as to how to handle my dilemma. The responses I received (I tried more than once) were completely generic, disconnected, and uninterested. I was directed to the BzzAgent bootcamp, the focus of which is to train BzzAgents in the use of language and strategy in promoting product. Finally, there was no answer to my question. BzzAgent has no mechanism for providing feedback directly to their clients, unless it serves to enhance the position of BzzAgent as a marketing agency. Subsequently, I stopped actively participating in the campaign as I was left with no alternative other than the one "discouraged" by BzzAgent, the disingenuous and shameless promotion of the product for the purpose of gaining points for myself. Even more disappointing, what BzzAgent does do is use the channel often for direct marketing to the supposed agents. I received, during the campaign, many messages encouraging me to visit the clients website, to register for discounts, to purchase additional product not provided as part of the campaign. Ultimately the motivations and practices of BzzAgent have been revealed to be nothing more than what we did in the late 90's warmed over and wrapped in a thick coating of BS.

The Web 2.0. It's not quite here just yet.

Racing is life....

This is where most people say "the rest is details." Funny the first time I read it. In any case, not really the point here. I ran in the San Francisco Marathon last weekend (although this time I ran only the half marathon). I learned this morning that Bill Goggins, the former deputy editor of Wired, died of heart failure at mile 24. Bill was only 43 years old. It sounds like he trained for quite some time before competing. Although it was his first marathon, he was attempting to qualify for the Boston. To do so, you have to turn a time under 3 hours. That's movin'. Sunday wasn't hot in San Francisco, the temperature hovered in the 60's, it was a beautiful day for running. Whatever the ethereal force, God, Mother Nature, Karma, Fate, it was mercilessly cruel to Bill. At 43 he set out to accomplish a life goal, not unlike I did last year when I completed the same marathon just before turning 40. He was obviously dedicated, he trained, he was "fit as a fiddle" to quote a colleague. He looked great as he passed through mile 21. At mile 24, the end isn't quite in site, but you can feel it. You've punched through the wall at 22 miles (which is a literal wall in this marathon, heading straight uphill) and no matter how exhausted you are, how much pain you're in, you just know you're going to finish. Mile 24 comes just after making the left turn onto Terry Francois, you can see the ball park looming at the end of the road, if you are still able to see that far. The trophy in sight, the anticipation of the finish line, arms raised, creeping into the forefront of his thoughts, in an instant it was snatched from Bill, and the rest of us who worship similarly. I never knew Bill personally, but I am saddened by his loss. Wired is certainly a fixture of the Valley, a survivor that managed to avoid being deflated when the bubble popped. Bill leaves behind a 10 year legacy of work enjoyed by many and for me personally, a chance stop and evaluate once again.

When I was 24, my best friend from college, Cameron Duke, was killed in an airplane crash. That day is still one of the most painful and influential in my life. It fundamentally changed the way I choose to live. I find that most people become squeamish when forced to face their mortality. We'd be much better off if more of us chose to do so. It's not necessarily a pleasant subject, but it is reality. The simple fact of the matter is that you absolutely cannot be certain that you will be here tomorrow, or later on tonight. Death will come for us all without consulting you first, so the timing might end up being a bit inconvenient should you be unprepared. That said, I'm not suggesting that one should adopt the to-hell-with-everything attitude and switch to bacon and cigarettes for breakfast. Balance is achievable in this situation. After Cameron was gone, it was the small things that I noticed were missing from the record of our friendship. He had sent me a Christmas card that I had saved because it contained his new phone number. I still have it. When we were dormmates during freshman year, I bought his Kramer Pacer Stratocaster from him. I'll always have that. What I'm missing are photos and any record of his voice. I seem to remember we took plenty of photos. Cameron was an amazing guitar player. I have a tape of a live performance with Stiff Kitty and I remember taking photos with my friend John Lamm's Nikon F3, but I can't find even one of them. Cameron's Mother, Val, sent me some photos she found a few years ago, but there are only a few. I think that Val found an answering machine tape that she managed to save. There are "big" things too. Travel abroad, now. Do something that matters, make a difference in the someone else's life, whatever it is, plan for it, do it, make it happen.

Bill's demise has caused me to consider my own mortality once again. I've been running for a few years now. When I'm not injured, I'm religious about it. I have an arrhythmia that I developed when I was a competitive cyclist 20 years ago. I'm told that it's benign, but when I get exhausted, I can have over one per minute. If you're not familiar, the type of arrhythmia I have causes both chambers of my heart to contract simultaneously rather than in sinus rhythm. The result is a momentary loss of pulse. The first time I felt it, I freaked out and was sure I was going to die. I've learned to live with it and even though I have them constantly, I don't notice. On occasion, I awake in the middle of the night having slept on top of my arm for a few hours. The numbness triggers anxiety and start to wonder if I've perhaps overdone it one time too many. So far, no. What was it that went wrong for Bill? I wonder if we'll ever know. My arrhythmia is considered benign because the reasonable assumption is that the normal delivery of electrical impulses will continue and hence my heart will return happily pumping along. Should I count on that? Can I? Well, I don't. I run at my own peril, because not running may or may not prolong my time here, but it certainly wouldn't be as rich. I'm recovering from a recurring calf injury now, but when I hit the road Sunday I'll be thinking of Bill, and Cameron, and the pancakes with my family at the end.