The issue around embargoes is tricky. Powerful media sites are saying they’re not happy with the concept and have no plans in honouring embargoes going forward. TechCrunch, in particular, hates the concept.
We’re a PR site. We honour embargoes – in fact, you can use Brinkwire to set a release time so your press release does not go live before the embargo date; although we find most companies use this feature to coordinate the timing of the release.
Last week TechCrunch started a little meme by pushing a short dialog between a PR and a site owner.
PR Pro: Hi I’m just checking you got the email I sent.
Blogger: When did you send it?
PR Pro: Five minutes ago.
Blogger: Oh. I get a lot of email.
PR Pro: Shall I send it again?
Blogger: No. What did it say?
PR Pro: I’d love to tell you, but you’ll have to agree to the embargo first.
Blogger: Ok whatever, I agree, now tell me more.
PR Pro: Can you email back first saying you agree to the embargo?
Blogger: I get a lot of email.
PR Pro: Please.
Blogger: Look, I honor the fucking embargo. Now tell me more.
PR Pro: A Silicon Valley based startup is going to announce a new revolutionary software as a service for social media companies targeting B2B. It will change the way social media marketing is done forever. Are you interested in a briefing with the company’s CEO.
Blogger: No, I don’t cover B2B.
PR Pro: But I thought you wrote about social media.
Blogger: I do, but not B2B.
PR Pro: But it is revolutionary.
Blogger: So are all the others.
PR Pro: Really?
Blogger: Yes. Look, when every new social media service is revolutionary it is no longer news.
PR Pro: I didn’t know that, but we are working on an API.
Blogger: I’m not interested.
PR Pro: Oh.
Blogger: Sorry.
PR Pro: Can I still email you the details?
Blogger: If you must.
PR Pro: And you’ll honor the embargo?
Blogger: Yes, I’ll honor the embargo. In fact I’ll make you a better offer.
PR Pro: Oh.
Blogger: I will honor the embargo for the rest of my working life. As I have no intention of writing about your new revolutionary software as a service for social media companies that will change the way social media marketing is done forever. So, yes, I’ll honor the fucking embargo.
PR Pro: I can’t thank you enough.
Blogger: It’s nothing. Really.
What’s given the meme that extra bite is the use of Xtranormal to turn the dialog into a short animation. Check it out.
March 1, 2010
Blogging, PR