CES 2008: GizmodoGate

[Warning: rant coming]

GizmodoGate really bothered me. I was at that Motorola press conference. This was Moto's first time talking to press/analysts in the post-Zander era, and they kept starting and stopping and starting and stopping. It was annoying for me to watch, and very hard for them to tell a smooth story.

If Gizmodo had characterized this as a prank gone badly wrong and apologized, it might have been forgivable (after all, some of us do have a sense of humor). Instead, Gizmodo's unrepentent response left a really bad taste in my mouth. I've been a marketing professional in the past and now I'm on the analyst side of the table; I consider both worthy of respect. Not nearly as much respect as teachers or firefighters or Alzheimer's researchers, but marketing, analysis, and journalism are jobs that need to be done and are worth doing well. If Gizmodo doesn't respect these professions (or my time) and insists on acting like 14 year old boys, that's fine, but they should get the same access as 14 year old boys get to CES and press conferences: none. Let the pros at engadget get the coverage and ad revenues.

-avi