If you want to get an idea of how convoluted things can become with multiple brands and divisional fiefdoms in a media conglomerate, witness this: MSNBCi, the online PR team for MSNBC, sent out a release yesterday announcing the launch of a dedicated TodayShow.com site (a show that runs on NBC, of course)...when you go to the site, it actually redirects to today.msnbc.msn.com (then why did they bother?). The release quotes Charlie Tillinghast, President of MSNBC.com: “We recognize that the ‘TODAY’ brand and its fan base deserve a distinctive destination rather than existing solely as an MSNBC.com subsection. We’ve created a unique ‘TODAY’ environment with its own URL and a standalone experience.” Of course that is not true...it is merely a URL redirect.
On that page, there is an MSN logo vying for attention; then below the Today show logo is the iVillage logo...another fiefdom to please now. Then, the sub-site has a new Today show blog, called AllDay, which you might have thought would have been at Allday.todayshow.com, but no, it is at Allday.msnbc.msn.com.
What a mess…