Journalists and the organizations they work for need to know when to stand their ground against entities about which they write and when to give in. IMAX wants Ars Technica to retract mentioning the company in a story: “Any unauthorized use of our trademark is expressly forbidden”. Say what? Four letters, in text, as part of a news story? That’s unauthorized? Unsurprisingly: “We’re declining to make the asked-for retraction”, Joe Mullin writes for Ars.
You’ve got to wonder WTF? I know that corporate blogging emboldens some companies to believe blogs and news sites are just extensions of their PR machines. But this is rather ridiculous. Unless…
It’s part of some devious public relations coup attempt. They say in marketing that there is no bad news. Everything promotes the brand. By making the request, IMAX gains free marketing because surely Ars would do what it did: Write a story! Others will comment (like me) and socially share. IMAX gets some extra attention, while risking little. It’s not like there will be a mass boycott or anything.
Photo Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers