Subscribe via RSS FeedDo Ecommerce Blogging and Politics Mix?
I received an email earlier this week from Overstock:
What I found interesting was the combining of blog content with merchandising in email, which isn’t such a bad idea. Without the blog post and the link, I may not have found Byrne’s blog - or the community section Overstock appears to be launching soon, granting blogger privileges to the public a-la eBay.
But this isn’t your typical ecommerce blog content, and Patrick Byrne is not your typical ecommerce mogul.
It’s startling to find “Save up to 70% off watches” in the same email as bold statements like “PS If you wish to join me in asking Fox to refrain from trying to warp the public discourse, email Fox Senior Political Producer Marty Ryan.” But Overstock’s outspoken CEO isn’t using his blog to chat primarily about shopping or his company (if at all), rather he’s using it as an outlet to express his personal views on politics and the US financial system. From his inagural post:
Dear Reader,
Since early 2005 I have been criticizing our nation’s financial system. Some recent news stories displayed confusion regarding my claims. I will therefore restate them here in a way that will be difficult for others to misunderstand or misconstrue. Then in subsequent posts I will review evidence that has emerged over these past two years and evaluate the degree to which that evidence has confirmed or falsified my claims.
My theory can be reduced to eight simple assertions:
1. The SEC, regulator of our nation’s capital markets, has been partially captured by financial elites to the point that it favors Wall Street over Main Street…
Curious? Read more here.
Now Patrick Byrne is a fascinating individual and is no stranger to praise and criticism in the blogosphere. I’m not blogging about this to say his opinions are right or wrong. But his decision to inject his personal views into promotional emails and the Overstock community is a risky one.
Most ecommerce blogs support the marketing, SEO and merchandising goals of the online retailer, but personal blogs with “an axe to grind” don’t add to the customer experience - they can confuse customers or even worse, alienate and anger them.
It’s not uncommon for consumers to boycott retailers because their personal beliefs don’t align with the company’s values - for example, if a company is perceived to have an unfair “monopolistic” advantage, is found to pollute the environment or have unethical employment practices, violating consumer privacy or supporting a particular political party or bill.
Tiger Direct’s Lonny Paul has his own political blog he calls “The Truth” as a companion to his ecommerce blog where he discusses tech, copywriting, online retail and domain squatting. These are separate from the Tiger Direct blog - as I believe they should be.
What do you think? Is Overstock walking a thin line here?
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Byrne is definitely walking into the lion’s den here. His endorsement of a fringe presidential candidate, and using emails to push that endorsement, is likely to turn off far more customers than it will keep.
Byrne’s antics have caused great grief to shareholders and the company’s stock is down 70% since Oct. 31. This is precisely the kind of quixotic behavior that has people doubting his suitability to run the company at this point in time.
I also think he’s letting his personal beliefs interfere with running a successful retail company. All of his “Take 5 with Patrick” columns have nothing to do with retailing and don’t support Overstock’s brand image. At best it’s a distraction; at worst it offends/confuses people and makes them less willing to buy from Overstock.