Ketchum Tries to Blog
It seems to be a good day for beating on PR. David Parmet, whom we wrote about as being the PR guy for English Cut , wrote in that Ketchum PR, the folks that collaborated with Armstrong Williams and the Dept. of Education to deceive us all, has started a blog, called Ketchum Ideas. "It's so good, they have to give away an iPod to get you to comment," David noted.
I worked at Ketchum in 1995 for a few brief, unfortunate months. During my tenure, if Ketchum actually had an idea, the poor thing would have died of loneliness.
And, of course, no comments or trackbacks, plus the use of that flash calendar for archives. What's up with that? Not to mention the content is little more than a regurgitation of what's been said about blogs for forever.
Shel, I think to call it a blog is being generous. They really need someone who understands this space to advise them.
Posted by: Paul Chaney | June 17, 2005 at 01:26 PM
Paul,
Nice to hear from you. They brought me in 1995 because they didn't understand the PC and emerging Internet industries. I should have had Ben McConnel's advice: Don't preach to the atheists. Unless they have changed remarkably, Ketchum is an organization that does not want to know what it doesn't already know.
Posted by: shel | June 17, 2005 at 02:22 PM
Wow a FREE iPod Mini!
If you leave a comment on my blog you will receive a FREE Comment Listing. A value worth at least a few dollars.
Posted by: Josh Hallett | June 17, 2005 at 03:11 PM
If you comment on my blog I just might email you back. That's gotta be worth... something....
Posted by: david parmet | June 17, 2005 at 06:11 PM
OK. I sense an e-Bay spirit going on here. How much am I bid for me to comment on your site. David, thanks for the offer, but could you be more specific on $$$?
Posted by: shel | June 17, 2005 at 06:29 PM
My 2 cents...Ketchum's Ideas is an online newsletter. Made me a bit crazed that I had to go back to home each time I wanted to read another "article."
Hey Shel, in comparison, sort of raises TA up a notch? By the way just added a real live guest blogger!
Posted by: Toby | June 17, 2005 at 07:50 PM
Just a brochure really, and it looks so over-designed and 'cute' that it replicates many of the flaws that make traditional websites so dull. The designer seems to have heavily picked up on the idea that a blog is a journal, hence the silly calendar
Posted by: Trevor Cook | June 17, 2005 at 09:00 PM
Hey Toby,
Yep, I find TA more transparent and authentic than the Ketchum, bl... er thing. Saw your real person and was going to write about it once I get out of the swamp.
Posted by: shel | June 17, 2005 at 09:08 PM
Btw, Ketchum thinks RSS feeds are important:
"That’s the reason why RSS is one of the five key offerings included in Ketchum Personalized Media, to be launched later this month to clients."
http://www.ketchumideas.com/index.php?p=11
Wow, RSS becomes a key offering in their new Personalized Media Practice !! That's just great news. Only problem: they don't even have a RSS feed for their funny little "blog" !?
Looks like they really have no clue what they are talking about...
Posted by: Bjoern Ognibeni | June 18, 2005 at 01:12 AM
Ups, I was wrong: the Ketchum kind-of-blog actually offers a RSS-Feed. But it is not featured on their website... You have to check out the source code of the page to find the URL to the feed... looks more like NRSS...
NRSS: Not Real Simple Syndication...!?
Posted by: Bjoern Ognibeni | June 18, 2005 at 01:21 AM
Bjoern, more likely it's WWFTDTLSS ... or Whoops. We Forgot To Delete That Line Simple Syndication.
Shel - leave a comment and you get the babysit the kids while I get some work done!
Posted by: david parmet | June 18, 2005 at 04:45 AM
Ketchum's blog is a shame for all PR bloggers... Catalogue of old boring content, nothing new, nothing "home made", they don't even respect the basics of blogging and ultime huliliation, they want to buy our comments with an iPod...
Posted by: Guillaume du Gardier | June 18, 2005 at 06:26 AM
David,
Deal on the kids. I'm a certified grandfather and kid-sitting is even more fun than puppy-watching. Just deliver the kids, and I'll give you my work to do.
Posted by: shel | June 18, 2005 at 07:26 AM
Shel - looking forward to your feedback. One more on the Ketchum "online newsletter." Why are the comments from the iPod winners not posted? Think that suggestion would win me an iPod? Let's test the system and see...will you think less of me if the next time we meet I'm listening to podcasts on my new iPod ?
Posted by: Toby | June 18, 2005 at 08:38 AM
Toby,
I will think no less of you, and with your iPod, you will probably listen no closer to me.
Posted by: shel | June 18, 2005 at 08:47 AM
There's been a great deal of comment around the PR blogosphere about Ketchum's announcement, just about all of it derisory:
http://beta.technorati.com/search/ketchum%20personalized%20media?start=20
If they practice part of what they wish to preach - monitoring blogs, as per their announcement - you'd imagine they'd post some commentary, comments or opinion. Oh, wait, they don't have a blog!
Well, here's as a good a place as any...
Posted by: Neville Hobson | June 18, 2005 at 09:49 AM
Neville,
The way Ketchum works is someone has to pay them a couple hundred dollars an hour before they deign to read what's being said anywhere. Don't worry, though. About 45-days from now Bacon's Clipping Service--which now covers blogs--will send them xerox copies of what is being written. An account coordinator will open the envelope after he or she gets his or her boss lunch. Then the clips will slowly wind their way up to the top of the organization, where about 60-70 days from now, people will read them. By then the rest of us will have long moved on and if Ketchum wants a conversation then, they'll have to start it themselves.
Posted by: shel | June 18, 2005 at 09:56 AM
Ah Shel, will always "listen" to you..tho I may not always follow your suggestions ;-)
Posted by: Toby | June 19, 2005 at 12:56 PM
What is up with Ketchum's food division--lots of changes in SF?? Are they moving to online consulting?
Posted by: steve stevens | June 20, 2005 at 08:57 AM