Carried Interest

Spitting the Stormhoek

I'm enjoying the blog-spat between Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void and Ben Metcalfe.  I read Hugh's blog every morning because it hits so many of my interests:  irreverent humour, bespoke suits, marketing evolution, the internet, the blogosphere. 

I don't agree with Ben that Stormhoek and Hugh's blogvertising strategy somehow pollute the blogosphere.  Yes, Gaping Void is popular, but at the end of the day it's one of 17.8 million blogs.  Go And Read Something Else.  Hugh's passion is pushing the online marketing envelope-- that's his game. 

It really doesn't matter whether Stormhoek is a great wine or not.  Ben's argument that marketing Stormhoek "defies natural selection" just doesn't stack up.  Should only Porsche and BMW be allowed to lend their vehicles to car magazines?  Does allowing Kmart to advertise their "crappy" clothes defy natural selection?  I also think Ben misses a vital point:  this was a very high risk strategy, a calculated gamble.  Hugh has put Stormhoek's brand (and his own brand) at risk.  From the saftey of their keyboards, bloggers tell it like it is.  They are an utterly ruthless bunch.

More Hackoff

Tom Evslin fired back a comment in response to doubts I raised about blooks like his new novel, Hackoff. He plans to also publish a hardcover for people who don't have the time or inclination to read a who-dun-it on their computer.  Tom believes the blook will encourage sampling, reviews from respect sources and invaluable publicity. 

I buy that.  And if I saw Hackoff in Borders tomorrow I'd buy a copy . . . thanks to the blook.

Hackoff.com

After being outed a few days back by bloggers like Fred Wilson and Jeff Jarvis, Tom Evslin's new blook Hackoff is up and running. 

As of a few moments ago, Technorati is only listing seven (7) blog links to "Hackoff."  Feedster lists 209 links and Icerocket lists 8 posts (16 for Hackoff.com).  That's not an avalanche of interest, but perhaps this will be a slow build?

I'm going to watch Hackoff.  But despite my fascination I doubt I'll read the whole story, I just don't have time.  And that's where I think the "blook thing" is going to fall down.  Put simply, if I'm sitting in front of my computer it's because I Have Things To Do.  I read novels on planes, after the kids have gone to bed, on holidays-- not on my laptop at the office. 

We'll see.