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I would like to commend Jason Fried on establishing a source of free and recurring advertising in a massively distributed publication that has had his target au

I would like to commend Jason Fried on establishing a source of free and recurring advertising in a massively distributed publication that has had his target audience cornered for years. Not only is this free advertising, but it is the highest quality of advertising congratulating small and medium size business on being flat (which they usually are because in a small army, even the Generals are on the front lines) and reassuring them about the benefits of being so (imagine you’re a 6-person company where everyone does everything and you have just read this article: now decide between buying MS Project and 37 Signals’ Basecamp for your PM needs - cloud over your head says "Jason gets me, man!"). Jason, if you’re reading this I know you’re smiling - you have my vote for strategy! There is a PR lesson in this for all of us!

dasil003 16y ago
I'm the first one to be skeptical about the universal feasibility of 37signals bootstrapping principles (that's an easy philosophy to espouse when your product was bootstrapped by leveraging early success in client work and community mindshare in what was a nascent market at the time), but your dripping cynicism is quite offputting. The fact that Jason's ideals serve his interests is not necessarily an indication of of any machiavellian scheme. In fact if you think about it, this is a necessary byproduct of the marketing of ideas by anyone with integrity.
- abbasmehdi 16y ago
  Since when is benefitting oneself by adding value to something a bad thing or a "Machiavellian scheme"? This is what you need to do all day: figure out how to establish yourself inside your customer’s head, no matter where he or she is - get the singer they listen to, get in the publication they read, get on the radio show they listen to etc. As a CEO you should chart out your customer(s) and go after them - establishing yourself as the best choice (every demographic has a different definition of "best" so be careful here) through all and any mediums. Also, think about it like this if you feel "evil" doing this, as a CEO you are the mind of the organization, you must think for the organization because like a baby it cannot fend for itself. I am commending Jason for being creative - most companies throw away money year after on ads in magazines like Inc that barely get glanced at - Jason, on behalf of his organization, has sold you his product - correct me if he hasn’t.

dasil003 16y ago

I'm the first one to be skeptical about the universal feasibility of 37signals bootstrapping principles (that's an easy philosophy to espouse when your product was bootstrapped by leveraging early success in client work and community mindshare in what was a nascent market at the time), but your dripping cynicism is quite offputting. The fact that Jason's ideals serve his interests is not necessarily an indication of of any machiavellian scheme. In fact if you think about it, this is a necessary byproduct of the marketing of ideas by anyone with integrity.

abbasmehdi 16y ago
Since when is benefitting oneself by adding value to something a bad thing or a "Machiavellian scheme"? This is what you need to do all day: figure out how to establish yourself inside your customer’s head, no matter where he or she is - get the singer they listen to, get in the publication they read, get on the radio show they listen to etc. As a CEO you should chart out your customer(s) and go after them - establishing yourself as the best choice (every demographic has a different definition of "best" so be careful here) through all and any mediums. Also, think about it like this if you feel "evil" doing this, as a CEO you are the mind of the organization, you must think for the organization because like a baby it cannot fend for itself. I am commending Jason for being creative - most companies throw away money year after on ads in magazines like Inc that barely get glanced at - Jason, on behalf of his organization, has sold you his product - correct me if he hasn’t.