Great analogy on stock fundamentals/price. I totally agree with your point about different sites have different purposes and of course you have to fit the measure to the purpose. People seem to always be chasing the one-size-fits-all measurement du jour often losing site of the basics: the target and what you want them to do. And you are right about the purpose of engagement. Its kind of like engaged to be married....get engaged and the goal is to get married; engage the customer so that they {eventually} walk down the aisle, to the cash register.

Cam, You asked the critical question: why? Ryan is correct in the value disconnect and Doug is accurate in mentioning the lack of incentive to do better which is the result of pricing based upon contract lock-in. But what drives that business model? I think it is metrics similar to the ones used by the automobile oompany in the movie Fight lub. Rather than fix the safety problem that is killing passengers, actuaries determined that it is more profitable to leave the problem and settle the lawsuit versus fixing the problem. I think in places like Sprint that consistently display a complete lack of empathy and respect for the happiness of their customers, there is a department of bean counters who recommend focusing resources in attaining new customers and front end load the the relationship building. In other words...spend like crazy on advertising, promote your product through sign up pricing and tell your customer in the very first encounter that you really have no intention of fixing the problem. So in the old days, you went away angry, called back frequently, and when your contract was over, you went on to the next carrier offering another sign on bonus. Somewhere the numbers said that the costs to acquire, nurture and satisfy customers is far less than the cost to provide a quality product and service for a moment. Then along came social media and the model began to crack. The one customer could post the account to their blog and all of a sudden, those voices were as loud and more compelling that the advertising promises and free phones. For the customer, it became apparent that the free phone and the generous calling plan paled in comparison to bad service, constant billing errors, and out sourced customer support. So, the smart companies will see how the model changes and encourage a differernt bedside manner, quality products and clear clean and consise customer support.

Apparently, hamburgers are next... http://tinyurl.com/2nkhso

My very first camera was Nikormat which I had to save FOREVER for....since that time I have owned quite a few Nikons, including the first Cool-pix. I have been trying to decide for the past year about what to upgrade to and I am now making due with a 7900. I seriously considered the D80 but after being one of the few bloggers, along with you, that I know NOT included in the program , I am definitely BUYING a Canon. And that way, I will be able to say I have never accepted anything more expensive than a book....and I can live down the temptation to chase cool, free cameras. Marianne

Another milestone! Congratulations. Your blog keeps getting better and better, Pete Marianne

Pete, Agree with the irony call regarding the Dove ad although maybe astroturfing is a bit harsh since they did not hide that it was a Dove commercial. Their AXE advertising and promotion on the other hand is targeted at adolescent boys and if anyone thinks that they don't take the shameful AXE messages seriously I would invite them to drive a carload of teenage boys to the mall and listen to their conversations. Marianne

So, it looks like there are at least 3 marketing bloggers who are wannabe political venter/bloggers. M

Cam, Thanks for the trackback...John Edwards does have great hair and that is definitely a part of the political marketing mix, although it didn't really help John Kerry. You are of course right to point out Edward's positions and I do hope that once this thing really gets going we can all get past the style and get to the substance...but right now the race, at least on the democrat's side as told by MSM is all about being a rock star, i.e. the cover of Newsweek. I am thinking maybe a political blog would be fun! Marianne

Andy, I agree with you...give Dell and every other corporation that tries to blog some space to figure it out...it is no wonder that there is a reluctance for corporations to enter the blogosphere. Marianne