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Up0
What’s wrong with predatory pricing? In that industry you could try as much as you like to create a monopoly, but I doubt it is possible?.
Every industry on the planet has a competitor who uses price as their point of difference?
IMO, the real issue is the same one sided omission of facts almost all marketers use and its no exception to the above mentioned company. The day all marketers add “Our price is low, our service is poor, but that’s ok if that’s what you want” to their blurbs is the day all our problems will be solved.
Up0Thanks for your post Matt and for your comments Robbie.
In accordance with our guidelines around public disputes and defamatory content, we have removed the named reference to the advertiser in the original post and ask that any ensuing discussion respects this ruling.
Public disputes: Flying Solo is not the appropriate channel for disputes or arguments between named individuals or companies. Any gripes should be taken up directly with the company concerned. It is our policy not to get involved, and any such discussions will be edited to remove names, or more likely, deleted.
I am sure we can discuss the principles of the issue without naming brands.
In this instance, the ads promote services for a legitimate business that has offerings for the micro business audience. Clearly, each business has very different priorities when assessing their purchasing decisions.
It is inevitable that individuals, particularly in related industries, will have very different views and experiences on products and services on the market.
As ‘community custodians’, we will endeavour to respond to these situations and concerns quickly and professionally. However, the decisions made won’t please everyone
As always, your input, comments and discussion are welcomed and a great help as things evolve around here.
Cheers,
PeterUp0Hi Matt
Some responses below to your questions…
marketingweb, post: 56536 wrote:Fair enough you have removed the name of the advertiser, in hindsight I should probably have PM’d you the info rather than displaying publically – for that I apologise.Thanks Matt, no problem.
marketingweb, post: 56536 wrote:However I would appreciate a response to my concerns, beyond the current discussion on whether or not I should have actually named the company. In particular would be interested to know the following IN GENERAL.Does Flying Solo in any way vet who advertises on the site, beyond ensuring the business is an actual business?
All our display ads publish directly onto the site via our ad agency, so no we do not vet every single ad or campaign. However, we have outlined a number of specific product/service categories that we don’t accept any advertising for, and, we entrust our agency to highlight anything that is likely to be contentious before it runs.
marketingweb, post: 56536 wrote:Does Flying Solo take into consideration the overall best interests of the community when allowing or disallowing advertisers? Or does simply whoever wants to pay get a look in?We’ve always put the community needs at the very top of our list. We regularly say no to campaigns and advertising opportunities that we feel don’t serve, or aren’t relevant to our community. Yes, advertising does enable us to deliver our support and services, but it’s a balancing act that we take very seriously. We also ensure our agency have a good understanding of our audience and they of course track interest via online activity.
marketingweb, post: 56536 wrote:I would also be curious to know (although you may not want to say, and that’s fine), is the advertisement in question paid for in cash, or just an affiliate one? If affiliate based, there are LOTS of other good options out there…..In terms of this specific campaign, I don’t think this is relevant to this discussion either way (and right now, I don’t know the answer!). While there are many opportunities out there, we tend to avoid affiliate marketing.
marketingweb, post: 56536 wrote:As another example, Robert has a passion close to his heart of working to get the big banks to improve. Now banks are neither all good nor all bad, but as a hypothetical example, would you accept an advertisement from a big four bank for a particular offer, if the offer was one you considered detrimental to small business, especially the inexperienced?My passion is actually directed at helping all corporate business better understand the needs, characteristics and motivations of micro business. I don’t pretend to understand how the big end of town run their businesses and if a campaign appears online such as you describe, there are others better qualified than I to pass judgement!
As always, we welcome all community feedback, positive and negative, as it helps us continually improve things. So don’t hesitate to keep it coming.
Robert
Up0Hi Matt
I don’t know if we are talking about the same ad – if it’s the one taking the mickey out of graphic designers and them charging $250 per hour, I was only hoping for users here on FS to not take that headline seriously
Designers who are charging that fee won’t be here.I was considering being annoyed with that ad for half an hour, but then let it go — this kind of competition is everywhere, not just here.
Whoever wants to go with these kinds of offers will do so anyway and if price is the main priority I can’t and won’t compete.Cheers
AstridUp0Re:
Advertisements – WHY????? I’m going to go with Robert’s suggestion to keep comments flowing … I understand where Matt is coming from – and I also know that Matt appreciates the FS community here and the work that Robert, Peter, Sam and Jayne do – as do I.
I also agree with Astrid – I too get upset momentarily with some ads, and then end up taking the same attitude she has and let it go.
However, I received a newsletter this week that had an advertisement (not yet seen on this site) that was promoting outsourcing for $5 per hour and discounts for referrals etc. As the minimum adult wage in Australia is $15 for employees, this to me is an ethical dilemma and not acceptable and I was so upset thinking of the unemployment and loss of jobs for Aussies in the future that I thought about it all night. But I physically can’t do anything about it because these people have a right to run their business even if they obviously don’t value people’s work at all. I personally think there should be a level starting playing field and a minimum that you should outsource that is equal to a minimum in Australia, but that’s another story.
For my own field, there will always be, and always have been, competitors who base their business on price only. Astrid, (hope it’s ok I mentioned you), and I don’t choose not to compete on that level. She is incredibly good at her work and deserves respect and fair payment for what she produces, as do I. Getting upset at those ads is not going to help either of us or anyone similar.
I don’t know what the answer is. For what it’s worth, I don’t like seeing those ads either because they devalue the soloists on this site trying to make a living and many of them can make you feel depressed. But I understand that the ad agencies just take the bookings and go with it. And advertising is what helps pay for these forums, like TV etc. whether we like it or not.
We just have to show our point of difference and hopefully have enough people referring us that know our strengths, talents and services. Just like Robert promotes in his CD The Referral Virus.
By the way, as a Libran, I tend to see both sides of everything, which can be very annoying at times.
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