SendTec Aims for Me and Mortally Wounds Itself Instead

SendTec decided last night to fire off a reply to my past posts that corrected their inaccurate observations and questionable use of data to "prove" their points.  I found their reply strange because it fails to address my major points and instead dives into a micro overview of my posts.  Unlike other search marketing agencies and luminaries who have spoken with me (Kevin Lee and Danny Sullivan) especially after I have corrected them, SendTec decides to roll around in the gutter with their response.  So I need to explain this to them once again...

1. I work for an agency Connell Donatelli who has years upon years of experience in the political world.  We've been running Senator McCain's online advertising from the very beginning.
2. What this means is that we have data, results, and experience so when you try to nitpick that we don't know how to use the keyword insertion tool properly you make a grave error.  Did you ever stop to think that we tested this years ago and have data to back up why we do things?  Nope.  You'd rather assume we don't know what we are doing.
3. When you speak about pay per click costs, did you ever stop to think about what our objectives are?  Don't you think it is in poor taste to comment on tactics when you don't understand the client's objectives?  Would you ever just make gross assumptions when it comes to how a client does things without understanding the client's goals?
4. Why do you think it is fair to comment on another agency's work?  Didn't you break an unsaid rule in the agency world by publicly commenting on another agency's work?  Would you publish something like that for DidIt's largest client?  I am defending my agency's work.
5. Have you ever worked in the political world and for that matter a Presidential Campaign?  You don't have any experience so when you make comments like "I think they should do this" or "now is the time" what do you base your observations on?
6. Your use of state data to prove your point is still horribly wrong and then instead of backing off you try to defend it.  If you knew anything in politics you'd realize that your choice of states to prove your point was off base.  I'd suggest a course in political science or two for you.
7. You aren't furthering the industry.  Unlike HitWise and other information sharing organizations you are a SEM agency.  You are doing this for self-promotion and to try and get a larger share of the budget.  If you were actually trying to "further" the industry you actually would have tried to interact with me when I've pointed out your inaccurate statements and gross assumptions without firing off a personal attack.
8. You make assumptions as to our role in the campaign and how we get our budget.  If you'd have ever spent any time searching (you know "the Google") you would have found articles and posts going back to the primary season which demonstrated what our role has been and how we get our funding.  Instead of doing that, you again made inaccurate assumptions.
9. In all of my posts defending my agency against your attacks I never once accused you of supporting one candidate over another.  You used my lack of referencing you in the WSJ article as proof which again you couldn't have been more wrong.  I didn't mention you because you added nothing (positive or negative) to the article and probably played the role of 3rd party in the article after other folks that the reporter called wasn't available.  You protest too much, so I'm beginning to think that you do have some political motivation.
10. I've made the posts on my blog and on Twitter to give people who truly want to learn and observe an opportunity to see what has been actually going on.  The information is there on my site for you to actually see what's been happening but you refused to view it or acknowledge it.  If you were really interested in pushing the "industry" forward as you claim, then why have you ignored the obvious information?  Instead you post false assumptions and make wild guesses and when I go to defend I'm personally attacked.

It is time for SendTec to move on and focus on whatever your core competencies are.  Clearly it is not trying to attack someone that has been quite open and vocal about sharing information about political search advertising.  BTW - did you catch The Washington Post article on political search called in Targeting Online Ads, Campaigns Ask: Who's Searching for What?   Curious as to why they didn't include SendTec.  SendTec should just stop "reporting" on the political search campaigns.

PardonMyFrench,

Eric

Comments

[Deepak's ppc marketing]

One of the key skills needed for PPC advertising is the skill of condensing your words to keep them to a minimum. Remember that minimum words will have the maximum impact. Though we are tempted to shout about our businesses off the rooftops, but we must just train ourselves to come up with a catchy slogan that says it all in one short phrases.

[PardonMyFrench]

Hi Joe,

1) If you'd like to comment on my skills, perhaps posting with your real name and URL to your linkedin profile would be appropriate. I might actually take your posts seriously.
2) I have no problem handling criticism when it is somehow based on an ounce of relevancy or realism. SendTec's post were made for their our self interests to try and get a piece of the advertising pie.
3) My posts in response to their articles are very accurate - why don't you check with Google to get their opinion as a neutral party? Afraid you might not like the answer?
3) I spend no time working my LinkedIn profile as you correctly pointed out.

So, perhaps starting by posting with your real name and website address we could actually have a conversation. My guess is you'd rather not because I'm thinking you are either a MediaPost or SendTec noob.

Eric

[PardonMyFrench]

BTW - here's a link to a video with Peter Greenberger from Google singing our accolades. Perhaps this puts this old topic to bed. Joe via SendTec, you really should gather your facts before attacking an old topic like this; you/SendTec mortally wounds yourself again.

http://pardonmyfrench.typepad.com/pardonmyfrench/2009/03/our-search-work-for-john-mccain-wins-best-tech-award-at-aapc.html#comments

Eric

[Bridget Landis]

Article about Sendtec:

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/06/15/daily7.html

Sendtec just filed for bankruptcy. Word on the street is they are changing their name and trying to start with a clean slate. Their clients were jumping ship like crazy...

[Joe]

Eric, keep up the unprofessional and immature postings. It is sure to win you future business. You blew the McCain campaign, live with it and stop attacking others. The sooner you acknowledge you did poor work, perhaps you'll begin to deliver better results by learning from your mistakes and building on them. Attacking employees at a company that went bankrupt due to bad financial dealings with investors and greed by its founders doesn't detract from the fact you know little about search engine marketing and why you are little more than an unemployed fool...er...consultant.

[PardonMyFrench]

Joe, my posts and comments were very accurate.

I'm sorry you didn't agree with them and I'm sorry you could never see my point of view. I have not made a single post regarding SendTec since the going back and forth from the fall campaign and have only responded to your comments .

I am not "attacking" any employees at a bankrupt company and had no clue they filed until Bridget left the comment above. Sorry you seem to think I've paid any more attention to SendTec since I pointed out the errors of their posts or responded to your comments.

Eric

[Joe]

Eric, again you need to grow up. It is pretty clear you posted this given there is nobody at SendTec named Bridget Landis. A search on LinkedIn shows a person named Janel Landis works there, not Bridget. You got outed for doing poor work, suck it up and move on. The company goes bankrupt and you clearly want to pile it on.

If you do a search on Sendtec in Google News, you will find that their PR Agency got an award for their analysis of your poorly constructed campaign. Accept the fact you did poor work and be happy they just did a top-level review of your campaign. I think that puts its to rest that you blew it.

As an individual that has worked in the industry longer than you and at a much higher level across a much wider breadth of businesses, your work on the McCain was putrid to say the least. What SendTec didn't nail you for harder was a completely lacking strategy that had no focus or goal. The McCain online campaign failed significantly because you put it out there on a nationally targeted basis, while Obama's was focused in a geo-centric manner. The goal is to generate votes and you did a branding campaign. The reason I know this is because I provided free strategic consultation to the Obama campaign and instructed them of your failures. Using services such as AdGooRoo, Hitwise and other solutions, I handed their campaign a workup of everything you were doing wrong and advised on actions from them to take and focus on geo-targeted basis. Your mistakes is setup of the McCain campaign were overtly obvious, available through research sources for the world to see and SendTec called you on it.

Suck it up and eat crow...and move on. Life is short.

[PardonMyFrench]

Joe,

You really have anger management issues and it is a real shame. I'll keep this short.

1) SendTec was wrong in the fall as you are wrong today.
2) Implying that I posted on my own blog under a false name to pile onto SendTec is delusional. I have the IP addresses of everyone that posts here including yours.
3) I've been on several panels and had several meetings with the actual Obama online team; plus witnesses to corroborate. You have nothing but false anonymous posting and statements.
4) Whether anyone believes my posts and the tons of articles written about McCain's search is up to them; however, my second comment back to you which shows Peter Greenberger from Google's Political team confirming my posts and the articles should be the determining factor of what really went on behind the scenes; Google would hardly corroborate my posts if they were false.

Please refrain from posting anonymously here anymore. If you must, leave me your real name, your real email address, a working landline, as well as a working mobile phone so I can validate who you are.

I moved on. I haven't paid attention to SendTec since the original posts. ANONYMOUS COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOW CLOSED.

Eric