An interesting new blog popped up a few weeks ago. Schtock.com claimed to be the work of an enthusiastic amateur designer working at a major stock agency, anonymously posting interesting images from the agency’s archives on their personal blog. It felt just a tiny bit illicit. We all knew that this person might be risking their job by posting these images without permission, and the work was good; sometimes funny, sometimes juxtaposed in ways that were quite striking. I quickly looked forward to checking the blog every day.
Today I opened my feed reader to this. A press release opening with the following brief:
As a newly formed design shop, General Projects launched with a self-assigned first project – to get the attention of Corbis and eventually turn that into a client relationship. This was done by launching a faux-viral campaign online with the intention of getting the Corbis name in front of as many members of their target audience as possible on a limited budget.
I don’t mind clever marketing campaigns, but I don’t like being tricked. It may just be that I am naive, but as an enthusiastic amateur myself (the word amateur often comes off sounding like a slur, but it really just refers to someone who works out of love, not for money) I like the idea that there are other people out there who are doing something they love without an ulterior motive. The idea that I was just part of some sort of “faux-viral marketing campaign” makes me feel a bit dirty. I think that marketing needs to be open and honest, because when people feel used, they are suddenly no longer interested in you or your product.
To me, this feels like the work of someone eager to get some attention, which obviously worked. I am sure this new agency will do very well in the world of business, selling Coca Cola or stock photos or whatever, but I am left with the nervous feeling that pretty much everything that comes my way from now on is a marketing ploy, which is a shame.