Now, more so than ever, an interweb company with a compelling product or service, need not advertise. Or so says Bruce Sterling in Wired:
It’s good to see Internet entrepreneurs grinning again. Web 2.0 makes them happy in several ways that its bubble-era forebear did not. Here’s a critical one: The new breed of online business has no need to advertise. Have you ever seen an ad for Skype? Any kind of pitch, anywhere? Yo, Skype don’t hype!
Web 2.0 outfits like Skype, Wikipedia, Flickr, and del.icio.us don’t need to promote themselves because, unlike their Web 1.0 counterparts, they connect people directly to engage in meaningful activities.
What about offline products and services? Do they need advertising? I think the same principal is at work. When you have a product or service with no equals, there’s no need to create desire. For instance, Herman Miller chairs need no advertising. They advertise themselves.
Dan Goldgeier
David Burn
Shawn Hartley
Wade Sturdivant