Media feasts on dotcom carnage during closures

Print media spent much of last year feasting on dying dotcoms, according to a report by Applied Communications, which added online companies received more media coverage when they terminated businesses than while they were still in business. The study found 33 out of 55 failed dotcoms were covered more by print media titles when they announced they were closing than they had when they were open for business. It also found companies that engaged in elaborate publicity stunts, such as lavish spending on advertising and marketing initiatives, or attempted to persuade journalists their companies would survive the dotcom gloom received even more media coverage when they failed. In the US, the companies that received the most media coverage when they closed last year included boo.com, pets.com and toysmart.com. Applied Communications surveyed the amount and prominence of dotcom coverage in more than 6,500 publications. It found that the size of the company - whether it was a small or large sized company - or the nature of its business had no bearing on the amount of coverage a company received when it terminated operation. It concluded, "Flameout is an equal opportunity proposition".

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