and so it should be when you work with people who actually know marketing and communications ;) - Valeria Maltoni

In reading Fred's post, it looks like everyone is thinking of the marketing function only as customer acquisition... I see it more as getting to the right product or service strategy, pricing, being in the right channel partnerships. Promotion and lead generation are a tiny fraction that indeed come later. You've got to bolt marketing thinking right into the business. - Valeria Maltoni

"The best companies know how to become the story and work it." sure, but not every geek is a good storyteller. And stunts take you only so far, unless the company's DNA is about stunt stuff. I say by the very same argument that you should not say *never*. Again, execution matters. You've got to work with people who have marketing and communications in their DNA :) - Valeria Maltoni

there you go, it looks like Seth Godin said it more succinctly in the comments. I (heart) my work! - Valeria Maltoni

Follow up to yesterday's post - http://www.avc.com/a_vc... - I have worked with several bad marketers, and they were often a few levels above me... - Valeria Maltoni

There are so many things wrong with a blanket statement like this. It's kind of sad to see someone who might have had a bad experience with a type of marketer trash the entire profession. It would be like me saying, 'Why a new startup should never take money from a VC' and then go on to tell how VCs don't actually understand product, pressure the startup to do things that are against the long term interest of the company etc. You know, things that a BAD VC might do, and then apply it to everyone. But then Fred goes and talks about Twitter and Events and Market Identification and things that need marketing talent. Because a lot of other people are clueless about these things and will screw them up. I'm tired of hearing this garbage, even after the apology. - AJ Kohn

As someone who has been painted with a broad brush by people who don't understand what I do, I have a hard time seeing wisdom in apologizing by saying "sorry you feel that way." I don't paint all VCs in a bad light, even though I have had my share of bad experiences with them. - Valeria Maltoni