This is too Good to be True

So this story has already had its lofty coverage from the NYTimes. Gawker and Jezebel have added their own dirty spin. The story is about a group of girls that formed a pseudo support group to get them through the hard times of dating bankers - Dating a Banker Girls (dabagirls.com).

While I, like most others, have an opinion on their grasp of reality in today's world, that's not what angers me. We live in a conversational age. But unlike a cocktail party - or support group gathering - what we now say is recorded in the digital annals of history.

We need not look any further than this blog/support group to see the effects of the amplified voice. Hell, I'm contributing to it right now. My mother claims (rightly) that these things go away if ignored. Unfortunately, it's not going to be ignored.

What makes or breaks companies in the digital space is not the ability to go viral or fully personalize the experience. What's key today is crafting a perception that speaks to your audience. With a properly crafted perception, your audience will market to themselves. So kudos to the DABA Girls for finding their niche, staying true and hanging on for the ride. They have stumbled on the secret. Too bad they display little hope of capitalizing on their success. Given the success of site, one would think of hundreds of opportunities to profit. Their choice - a book deal. That's what you get when you cross fashionistas forged from the publishing world with wall street influence - hunger for money without a plan.

So what's the plan? They have crafted a distinctive perception. They have the attention of a large chunk of the digital audience. Some will gravitate to their ideas - others will not. And in the end, the site will fade away into obscurity like all the other fads of the digital era. The golden opportunity to allow their members to stretch this message for them is lost. Well, not lost, but there's less than a week left to move. Because, in the digital world, information and fads travel at light speeds. Perceptions last, but only if you can stay top of mind. A book just won't cut it.