Mass-market success looks different when you see its audience!
But not if you listen to the company CEO! Steve Case foisted his latest
round
of
PR in a speech at a business conference,
claiming that search engines like Yahoo and Excite are copying AOL --
instead of the other way around. AOL recently added a high-profile search
engine, and tried to mimic the success of free mail sites like HotMail and
Juno by adding their own.
Some members of the press may be buying it. Despite well-publicized
problems, Steve Case's insistence on a positive message is ultimately
wearing down the resistance of some cynical columnists.
But not all of
them.
Behind the scenes, one reports, AOL is flip-flopping on their business
plan, shucking
unsuccessful content areas like so many empty candy wrappers.