Ray Wert

Putting aside the actual campaign merits or dismerits and focusing on the question of advertising (can we even do that? clearly it's integrated...) I think I have to disagree that "buying your way onto the page" is somehow inconsistent with the notion of a cluetrain-esque effort.

To be sure, the purchase of the ads themselves is no such evidence. Not at all. What *would* be evidence in my mind would be proclaiming values (transparency, openness, etc) and then running away from them.

For instance - if Ford gets beat up and runs away without ever answering tough questions? If they prove themselves oblivious to the conversations (good and bad) that their ads incite?

Then I think criticism would be warranted. Perhaps not an all-out broadside - after all, it's nice to see companies put a toe in the water. But at the same time- if Ford's actions moving forward demonstrate a real committment to all the values they're advertising, then that will be something else entirely.

That's not a toe in the pool, that's a cannonball. And just because they used a paid ad campaign to kick it off...no, I don't think that's so awful.

p.s. sheesh, just think of how many lawyers they must have duct taped to their chairs to get this launched! Admirable in and of itself.

Mike Krempasky