Why we don't trust Devil Mountain Software (Exo Performance backstory)
blogs.zdnet.com
blogs.zdnet.com
I used to work at an ad agency, and one of my jobs was pitching stories to tech trade media about the companies I represented, as well as researching ad buys. I had sort of a mixed practice serving tech clients - I would do PR, ad research, brochures, websites, business plans, etc.
When I was pitching a story to an editor or reporter, there was never any discussion of ad buys or quid pro quo for placing ads, but on the other side of the shop - when talking to publishers and salesmen who sold ads, I can't even count the number of times I was either straight up offered a story in exchange for an ad buy, or given assurances like "I'll make sure the editors read your press releases." I'm at least happy to say that the agency I worked for didn't go for that type of thing, so I was free to politely ignore their offers, but I imagine that's not universal.
From these kind of conversations, I draw the conclusion that these organizations are rotten to the core, and they let the ad salesmen handle the dirty work. I never had this kind of offer from eWeek or InformationWeek and publications of that size, but the small ones were often dirty, and owned by the same conglomerates that own the big boys.
You should also be suspicious of expert articles written by industry professionals in trade publications. They might just be ghost-written by some 20-something at an ad agency.
They're just stenographers for PR flacks, from the groveling interns to Woodward & Bernstein (they were taking dictation from the acting head of the FBI!).
1. The editorial staff didn't give a fig for the adverts that went in. Once the magazine had been put to bed, we hardly ever looked at it again, apart from to see how the colour repro came out.
2. Occassionally we would get calls from a vendor who was stupid enough to suggest that we should cover them, since they advertised. It gave us the greatest pleasure to tell them we really didn't care.
3. Occasionally an ad-sales guy would make a stupid promise to bring something to editorial's attention. They got short shrift. But that's what ad-sales sometimes guys do, they sometimes make silly promises to try and make their quota. That doesn't mean the organisation is rotten to the core.