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Thread: Paul Sellers screwed up...a big PR blunder damaging his hardearned reputation

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Hasin Haroon View Post
    Simon, all your examples involve a customer paying the service/goods provider, not free content provided by someone on youtube. If you paid money to enter the giveaway, your examples would apply...in this case it's a little off.
    Your observation is valid. I was just trying to put across the point that the silent majority have a lot of influence (to change things) but they let it unused, and hence many businesses can get away with their questionable and in some cases unethical behaviors.

    Simon

  2. #17
    Join Date
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    Interesting discussion about giving away information. That is why at LeeValley.com, I don't see the youtube videos in the product popup video windows. I have tracking protection turned on in Internet Explorer, which then blocks the loading of a youtube api script.

  3. #18
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    Rule #1 of the modern day internet; if you are not the customer, you are the product. The internet as we know it today would not exist if people had not figured out how to monetize every transaction. Somebody has to pay the bills...

  4. #19
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    The subscription part isn't what my beef is about which can be unsubscribed easily if one wishes to after entering the draw. It is the complexity to complete the draw. It was not clear anywhere in the process that one did not have to complete all the steps as you point out here. There was no explanation about Gleam in the process. You may know about what you are giving up as you explain here, but most don't.

    In fact, I received an email from his company telling me I still had two outstanding steps to complete after I aborted answering the skill question (drill bit).

    Check out his blog about what other people -- supposedly his fan base -- are saying about this. Unlike his usual style, he is not responding to those frank comments. He is a woodworker and not a marketing prof; i can understand why he did not foresee how it could go wrong.

    Simon
    Vote with your feet. If you don’t like it, don’t play.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Shawn Pixley View Post
    Vote with your feet. If you don’t like it, don’t play.
    I didn't...

    For those who did and wanted to remove the Gleam from accessing your youtube (did you know what you have given up? See below after the link), follow the instructions given in this link (as submitted and posted in Paul Sellers' blog post): https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=-M5UYQ2i0F4


    Access given to: gleam.io

    Has access to:

    YouTube
    Manage your YouTube account

    Basic account info
    View your email address
    View your basic profile info

    Paul Sellers is innocent in this, I am sure, and I hope he will become more involved next time when his team comes up with another marketing drive.

    Is this a molehill or a mountain? You be the judge.

    Simon
    Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 11-24-2017 at 11:56 AM.

  6. #21
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    I tend to agree with the OP. Only have learned about it here as I have no interest in a "signed" anything regardless of where it comes from. While I'm a big fan of Sellers and have adopted his sharpening method as well as some other techniques, I will as stated, vote with my feet. On the same note, I like many things Christopher Schwarz does as well but I'll never pay exorbitant prices for "wax" or $180 for a pair of dividers, etc. I'm not sure what the draw is - does it register pride of ownership or make one feel "closer" to celebrity?

    For the same reason, I won't do the DNA ancestry stuff - read the fine print of that stuff which signs your DNA over to someone else? Anyway, different strokes for different folks.

  7. #22
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    I didn't...

    For those who did and wanted to remove the Gleam from accessing your youtube (did you know what you have given up? See below after the link), follow the instructions given in this link (as submitted and posted in Paul Sellers' blog post): https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=-M5UYQ2i0F4


    Access given to: gleam.io

    Has access to:

    YouTube
    Manage your YouTube account

    Basic account info
    View your email address
    View your basic profile info

    Paul Sellers is innocent in this, I am sure, and I hope he will become more involved next time when his team comes up with another marketing drive.

    Is this a molehill or a mountain? You be the judge.

    Simon
    Okay as my own personal judge, I think it is less than a molehill. I have already spent too much time thinking of it. Admittedly, I don’t think particularly highly of Paul Sellers and am totally ambivelant as to his content. But, I would never allow someone to speak for me and I really try to avoid Paul Sellers anyway.

    However, you obviously feel strongly and appear to find this more important than I.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Dorn View Post
    but I'll never pay exorbitant prices for "wax" ?
    Or...STICKERS!!!!

    Every parent should help their kids do well -- including financially, but mixing one's professional business with one's kid's financial interest is a no no in my judgment (unless, as an exception, the kid is doing that for charity). If a kid's venture can stand on its own, let it thrive in a separate medium. Call me old-fashioned.

    Well, that is a subject for another thread...if anyone else is interested in taking it up.

    Simon
    Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 11-24-2017 at 12:58 PM.

  9. #24
    I was directed to Paul's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz7_npQfrk8


    There, I saw a firestorm of comments in the comments section that I have never seen pitched at Paul like that.

    May not be a mountain to some, but definitely so for many including a lot who have been Paul's friends and supporters!

    This fits the textbook definition of a PR disaster.

    Simon
    Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 11-24-2017 at 5:40 PM.

  10. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    I was directed to Paul's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz7_npQfrk8


    There, I saw a firestorm of comments in the comments section that I have never seen pitched at Paul like that.

    May not be a mountain to some, but definitely so for many including a lot who have been Paul's friends and supporters!

    This fits the textbook definition of a PR disaster.

    Simon
    But it's his PR disaster, my friend. If you vote with your feet, you aren't really affected, are you?

    Respectfully,
    Fred

  11. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    But it's his PR disaster, my friend. If you vote with your feet, you aren't really affected, are you?

    Respectfully,
    Fred
    NO PR disasters will ever affect me. In fact, none of the things seen or discussed in any threads in any woodworking forums have affected me.

    So, respectfully, my friend, your point?

    Simon

  12. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    NO PR disasters will ever affect me. In fact, none of the things seen or discussed in any threads in any woodworking forums have affected me.

    So, respectfully, my friend, your point?

    Simon
    Well, my point is that you seem to care a great deal about this, and I don't really understand why. I'm not trying to be a wise guy or anything. I just don't understand.
    Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 11-24-2017 at 7:18 PM.

  13. #28
    <p>
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    Well, my point is that you seem to care a great deal about this, and I don&#39;t really understand why. I&#39;m not trying to be a wise guy or anything. I just don&#39;t understand.
    I am no more and no less different from many of those who voiced their opinions on the subject in Paul Sellers&#39; Youtube channel or blog. Some of us feel strongly that when a trusted public figure like Sellers asked people to give up some of their rights in exchange for a chance to win something, that is fundamentally wrong. Some here or on his channel think otherwise. That is fine as we are different. Perhaps, that is why you don&#39;t know the why, because you think as long as one doesn&#39;t play the game, there is no harm. Some of us also speak up because we are disappointed that this goodwilled giveaway has turned out to be a tarnisher of Sellers&#39; hardearned reputation. Did you see that blog post (now removed) by a long time supporter of Paul, Roy, who decided not only to unsubscirbe from his youtube but also cease renewing his masterclass subscription? I don&#39;t expect you and some to understand why he would react so strongly. Simon</p>

  14. #29
    Thanks Simon. Have a good evening.
    - Fred

  15. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Rush Paul View Post
    Agree they messed up on the design of this giveaway. Seems like good intentions, but not thought through. Here is the "Team Paul" reply to the criticisms from a few hours ago. Still not fully thinking through the issue they've stirred up:
    Not sure if Rush has any marketing or PR background but he is very sensitive to public reactions and the undercurrents. His single statement "Still not fully thinking through the issue they've stirred up" is the only comment I have seen anywhere in any discussion of this PR campaign gone wrong that points out the seriousness of what Sellers is facing. He and his team still have no clues what the fuss is about.

    I posted this on his blog (not knowing if it might be removed):

    "Hi Paul,


    I hope you are personally reading this. I do believe this is a blunder caused by lack of expertise and experience as your team is not equipped to handle a PR crisis like this. Many big businesses even with professional PR departments have failed at times too in situations like this.


    Please don’t play down the seriousness of this backlash as it does not come from people who dislike you, they are your long-time admirers and supporters. You must be proactive in fixing your error.


    But I am not seeing it.


    Your Team Paul’s half-baked statement issued in the Youtube channel hardly addresses the core concern that the exchange of rights for a chance to win is wrong. Like many PR incidents before you, your gut response was people overreacted.


    I strongly suggest that you issue a statement of apology and put this all behind you. You may think this whole incident will be forgotten once the draw is over. Without proper closure, it won’t be over and years from today, people will still bring it up in the right context when your name is mentioned. Your reputation is AT STAKE, if you still don’t realize it.


    I am also disturbed by the fact that your team removed the comments of a poster, Roy, here who accused you of being scammers, as well as those made in response to his comments. Why?


    Some will see this as censorship of criticisms you don’t like. Another big no no when you already have a PR blunder to solve in your hands.


    Either focus your mission on teaching, or get marketing expertise to help you manage your marketing drive."

    How he will handle this crisis will partly determine how he will be remembered, if you asked me.

    Simon
    Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 11-25-2017 at 8:51 AM.

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