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New York, 5:07 PM
Sun Nov 15
12 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/26/08
11/26/08
Sports sponsorships create brand awareness and, consequently, sales. But here's the thing: AIG is a privately-held corporation. If it has to justify every last cost-to-benefit decision to the public, it's already dead.
I know you don't think you can run AIG. Of course you can't! I can't either! So perhaps we should all shut the hell up and let them try to make this up on their own, no? These self-serving stories about the advertising, branding, recruiting, etc. expenses of AIG aren't making a single one of my tax dollars back. They're simply burnishing the resumes of psuedo-journalists.
11/26/08
In any case, the point here seems to be that if they're hiring PR people who are so inept they don't know the difference between blogging and reportage, what reason do we have to believe that any of the other means they're taking to promote themselves is any more cost-effective or intelligent?
11/26/08
Funny, I would have thought that if it had to be bailed out to the tune of $150 billion it was already dead.
This sort of grand mal lack of information on AIG's businesses or how it operates is exactly why AIG's business decisions should not be subject to public approval.
11/26/08
Also, AIG was a privately held company.
11/26/08
11/25/08
Just to recap, based on what I've read on Consumerist and Wonkette:
1.) You aren't allowed to advertise your product with the world's most popular football franchise anymore. Because you got bailout money!
2.) You aren't allowed to hold recruiting events to bring more advisors to your firm. Because you got bailout money!
3.) Corporate events anywhere are verboten. Because you got bailout money!
So, presumably, the blogger-bailout business plan for AIG is for everyone to sit nervously in the office and hope that AIG starts making more money? What the fuck? Dumbasses: you have to spend money to make money. Every corporation does it. If you ever want to see your precious tax dollars returned and you want to avoid default on (your) the government's investments in AIG, you'll let them operate like a goddamn corporation and advertise their fucking products to potential customers.
But I guess it's easier to just play gotcha, right? Assholes.
11/25/08
11/25/08
11/25/08
11/25/08
11/25/08
That's one opinion, and it's part of the problem. Subjective every last expenditure and business decision to the court of opinion is deadly. Financial companies have made lots of mistakes, but management knows the return on a marketing investment much better than you or I. They can probably substantiate the value and did so when negotiating price!
But once again, much easier to be "comedic" and critical.
11/25/08
11/25/08
11/25/08
The person was polite. The person gave factual information about other athletic endorsements the company has cut. The person sought to call the blog - the blog! - to clarify, and simply got shut out.
Ken Layne looks childish and vindictive in that exchange.
11/25/08
Also, things like naming rights aren't really such effective marketing tools. A nice campaign saying you're being good stewards of bailout money would go much farther, no?
11/25/08
And this: "we'd like to be engaged with Wonkette to allow your readers to get answers about AIG directly from the company" is classic clueless corporate PR, not good corporate PR. Thinking for one minute that Wonkette is the kind of blog that acts as a corporate mouthpiece is naive.
If any research had been done, the person would have been better prepared for what he was getting into. Or, more likely, the company would have decided not to engage.
(I still think most of your points are valid.)
11/25/08
11/25/08
11/25/08
It wasn't funny and it wasn't effective criticism.
11/25/08
11/26/08
He states that "they report" blah blah blah. No, they link to another blog. They're a blog, that's what they do. This guy is attempting to do public relations without having any sense of what medium he's dealing with. It's stupid, and since he's being condescending at the same time, that's always a comedy goldmine.
Then when he gets to the part where he pretty much invites them to scoot over and let him drive, that there is what you call sidesplitting.
11/26/08
11/25/08
If for nothing else, but the "Dude" response at the end. That AIG flackwad was so trying to tow the company line and get his talking points out there, and Layne comes back with "Dude". HAH!
11/25/08
11/25/08
11/25/08
Just try to get insurance again.
Love, AIG
11/25/08
11/25/08
11/25/08