DR MUMBO: Badjar’s bad site; Reef stunt is great PR but lame social media; taking out the trash and the truth about the blogosphere
Here’s a good way to piss off bloggers. After enjoying some great global PR for its best job in the world stunt (and no, Dr Mumbo isn’t going to link to it because they’ve pissed him off), Tourism Queensland has started spamming blogs. They had a go at getting onto Mumbrella, but we’re leaving it up because their spam robot wasn’t able to consider context. So they’ve commented on our posting pointing out that their opening video was clearly a fake, and the idea wasn’t original either. Great PR stunt, shoddy social media execution, chaps.
Hit Google and it looks like Badjar Ogilvy, STW and WPP’s problem child has got its web strategy bang on. If you tap in the agency’s name, they win the paid search battle with a prestigious above-the-organic-search ad. But that’s where it goes wrong. Because the web site it links to consists of nothing but a white screen with the agency’s name on it in small letters. Try to find the agency via (partial) parent company WPP’s site and it’s even worse, as they link to the agency’s old, dead site. Fail.
There is an old political tradition called “taking out the trash“. There was even an episode of The West Wing named after it. It refers to the PR stunt of picking a moment in the news cycle to bundle out a load of bad news when the media won’t be able to do much with it. Digital minister Stephen Conroy played that game with some of his broadband announcements over the Christmas period. So Dr Mumbo salutes today’s AFR Hearsay column for tackling it head on. Today it offers readers a summing up of the stories that the powers-that-be sneaked out, including the Haneef fallout
Thanks to Hubspot…
…for this painfully accurate image rendition of the social media universe.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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I’m confused. Jess is asking people to donate to a worthy cause. Sending her to Great Barrier Reef. She’s trying to raise US$350k.
Is this a joke? Or someone else trying to cash in? Or is this Tourism QLD themselves?
User ID not verified.
My guess is it’s also Tourism Queensland. It’s clearly from an automated posting (the spam catcher blocked it, but I allowed it on to facilitate the debate). Anyone else been spammed by the same message?
It’s all a bit too profession, and soon after the initial launch to be anything but part of the campaign.
But if so, then lying about who you are does not seem like good social media marketing to me.
Tim
Whoever it is has already raised over $8,000 for this dubious cause according to the blog? This is the bit I don’t get.
People donate till Jess hits $350k and then 12 are chosen for jobs (NB you have to make your own way there).
It’s all a bit weird.
User ID not verified.
I wonder if they’re lying about that too.
That number hasn’t moved since they started spamming yesterday. And there’s no way of telling if they’ve really raised a single dollar.
But if they are seeking Paypal donations, and aren’t telling the truth about what they plan to do with any money they get in – even if it turns out to be for a charity, they are playing a pretty dangerous game.
I’ve asked Tourism Queensland for a comment, and will report back.
The repeated use of the Tourism Queensland url in their materials makes it look like a part of the campaign.
The way it is dressed to look like a scammer site keeps it at arms length and the nature of the site will generate interest and prompt further discussion of their campaign.
I expect Tourism Queensland to follow this up in the next few days, late Sunday or Monday most likely, and warn everyone of this scam.
User ID not verified.