Pamela Anderson: Marketing-industry skeptic

Posted by Rob Walker on April 14, 2008
Posted Under: Anti,Update

 

Recently I was told by someone who knows a lot more about blog popularity than I do that having high-impact key words in a post’s headline is good for traffic, because I guess headline words mean more to Google’s algorithms. If true, then surely this will be the most popular post in the history of Murketing.com.

Even so, everything about this post and its headline is totally justified: According to some blog, that isn’t Photoshop above, that’s Pamela Anderson reading the recent book Unmarketable (“examines the corrosive effects of corporate infiltration of the underground”), by Murketing Q&A subject Anne Elizabeth Moore.

Would it be fair to infer that Anderson got hip to this fine book by reading Murketing.com?

No? It wouldn’t?

Okay, then. Just asking.

Further diversion may be found at MKTG Tumblr, and the Consumed Facebook page.

Reader Comments

I’ve read it.
I found out about it here.
Pamela Anderson has read it.
Ergo she found out about it here.

See? You’re totally justified in envisioning yourself as the center of Pamela Anderson’s days.

#1 
Written By Nancy on April 15th, 2008 @ 11:19 am

Rob, dude? If you want to get this thing read you also need the some version of “almost nude” “nearly naked” etc in the headline. Alternate suggestion: “iPhone” works too. Best: “Naked Pam Anderson Video Available for iPhone”

#2 
Written By Peter Kafka on April 15th, 2008 @ 11:55 am

Peter, are you implying that “naked” and “iPhone” now have roughly equal power? That is so depressing!

Nancy: Thanks for the rationale ammo!

#3 
Written By Rob Walker on April 15th, 2008 @ 4:39 pm

Rob – I hope the Pamela reference brings more attention to your upcoming book, which I intended to buy before looking for porn; however, I also clicked on the link for Unmarketable, and was redirected to Amazon… not even Powell’s? Or your favorite neighborhood online bookseller? Perhaps this blue-media boy from Portland is biased.

#4 
Written By Steve Chaney on April 15th, 2008 @ 10:19 pm

Steve: I changed the link to go to the publisher’s site. I can’t remember why I used Amazon. I’m book-seller neutral.

#5 
Written By Rob Walker on April 16th, 2008 @ 7:08 am

Rob, thanks for the site switch! Umm, and I really have to say, I hear a lot of people *claiming* to have read my book, but really only one person’s had the guts to be photographed doing so in the appropriate attire. I don’t want to go around pointing fingers or anything, though. I’m just saying.

#6 
Written By anne elizabeth moore on April 16th, 2008 @ 2:56 pm

Hey, now, Anne — I’ll have you know that while I was reading your book there were days in which I paged through wearing: a low-cut silk evening gown; knee-high, brass-button-studded leather boots; and, a fitted baby-tee from Bitch Magazine. While nothing quite compares to Ms. Barb Wire in a string bikini, I would think at least one of those (probably the latter) would count as “appropriate Unmarketable-reading attire.”

Rob, book-seller-beautral is great; indy book seller supportive is even better. Among some great independent stores (with whom I am totally unaffliliated, aside from having done several book readings at these places, including with our favorite snarky anti-marketing author/artist) include: BlueStockings Books, Women and Children First books, and the original Amazon, Amazon Books (the actual 70s-born bookstore, not the online megachain that stole their name). A quick web search will turn up their URLs.

#7 
Written By Jennifer L. Pozner on April 20th, 2008 @ 12:39 am
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