In lieu of the weekly post I was to write, I invite you all to read this Public Relations piece about my former agency.

What is interesting about the article, aside from a real dearth of reporting (Zimmerman spends millions on ads purchased in the Miami Herald every year,) is the comments section at the end of the article.

If you’re looking for summary judgement regarding my feelings regarding Zimmerman Advertising, that’s not the place of this blog. Like everything else, Zimmerman has its strengths and weaknesses. It is all in what you make of it, no?

What I find fascinating is that the employees (either former or current,) are refusing to allow the powers that be to promote the agency’s chosen brand image to the business community. This used to not be possible: a company would put their best foot forward and the employees would have no real say in the matter.

Welcome to the World Wide Web, guys. This article was myspaced my way this morning, as part of a bulletin that no doubt impacted a lot of people. That’s the way the internet has changed everything: a local story becomes a chained post, becomes a series of comments both supporting and refuting the claims made in the Herald.

In any case, if you worked at Zimmerman, or continue to work there, I urge you to post a comment…good, bad or indifferent, and become a part of the dialogue. In the comments section here, I’d love to hear about other examples of a corporation’s image being taken down by the newly democratic multitude of voices raging over the internet. 

NOTE: It appears that the comments section is mysteriously down this morning, but here’s a link for yourself.

UPDATE: The viral aspects of the internet are already beginning to show themselves, as both this site and this site have picked up on the story.

Filed under: Industry Gossip, Miscellaneous