The Cluetrain Manifesto Revisited

I recently went back and took a second look at the Cluetrain Manifesto after a discussion with a coworker about the impact of the internet on how brands communicate. 

I was afraid it was going to come off as dated 10+ years later, but was pleasantly surprised to see that it actually holds up well (and is still generating discussions online).

But there were a few misfires. One pf the 95 points that seemed a little naive in hindsight was #74: "We are immune to advertising. Just forget it." With a little digging I was able to find a recent article from mediashift that tracked down some of the authors 10 years later and got their take on how it held up. They too noted the advertising quote as one of the weaker observations.  In fact they made the leap that google is one of the biggest brands out there these days  - and it was all built on... advertising.  But the thinking was still right.  In fact, if the theses was "We are immune to advertising in its current form. Just forget it." I think it would have been right on.

The article and interview are worth a look, but I'll leave you with the theses that resonated most strongly with me in 1999 and remains valid today.

#64 We want access to your corporate information, to your plans and strategies, your best thinking, your genuine knowledge. We will not settle for the 4-color brochure, for web sites chock-a-block with eye candy but lacking any substance.

Amazing that 10 plus years later and the internet is still strewn with sites and ads that are superficial and wasting pixels.