Sorry for the delayed response, but I wanted to give myself time to review Ben’s comments in entirety so as to not misrepresent him unfairly (as opposed to fair misrepresentation I suppose).

I would agree that statements like “rededicate all advertising budgets” and “The advertising virus has mutated so much that we have no choice but to develop a general-purpose immunity.” are pretty extreme. It indicates that I am not in complete agreement with Mr. McConnell. Like you, I believe that good creative can aid tremendously in breaking through the clutter. Still, with certain media channels being ignored at an escalating rate (first mute buttons, then TiVO and satellite radio), alternative “channels” must be considered.

That is pretty much how I have presented WOM to clients, as an alternative channel. I tell them that it does not replace radio, TV, print, online, or outdoor advertising… it is an expansion of these media outlets. If marketers view it as such, then I believe they can craft a more holistic construct of their marketing strategy. My inclination would be to believe taking the best WOM campaign structure and inserting horrid creative would end up damaging your product, earnings, and overall brand instead of improving it.

That being said, creative individuals should embrace word of mouth as a new avenue, but they should also be aware that WOM works best as a two-way street. You cannot just be a broadcaster of WOM, you should be a receiver as well.

Tar Baby Syndrome is the way in which thrashing about in opposition to something keeps one attached to the source of the conflict. The idea is taken from the Joel Chandler Harris story in which Brer Rabbit, in his hubris and anger, punches and kicks at the Tar Baby, becoming increasingly stuck therein. As Ken Wilber puts it (from memory so not 100% on every word here,) “Problems can’t be solved at the level upon which they’re created.”

It seems to me that ‘advertising’ in Ben’s vernacular is synonymous with ‘media buys.’ The new agencies, like Attik, CP+B and others, claim to be ‘media-agnostic.’ which means that the tools Ben seems to think are so novel (forums, blogs, online communities, etc.) are just one of many in a set that is used to serve the story. They’re (these new agencies) even going so far as to buy and own the content itself, allowing them to charge an even greater premium for their prescience in securing the juiciest intellectual property.

Oh, and it would appear Ben DOES imply he’s lost all faith in advertising when he says, “Build a plan to rededicate all advertising budgets toward bolstering existing customer relationships, improving product and service quality, and creating collaborative marketing programs with customers.”

“All” advertising budgets?

Dustin