We all love Vice Magazine...

...and there's no reason not to. It's actually more of an empire than a magazine these days. Rather than start a magazine that connects with one particular kind of person (in Vice's case it's urban hipsters, or people who want to be urban hipsters) and then create a bunch of other magazines - that's the a more typical model for a communications company - they've taken their understanding of that consumer and branched out into music, retail, events and advertising. It's a smart idea - and it's the same thing we do at Youthography, really: we've created a multi-disciplined communications company that offers a lot of services, catering to one particular demographic. This sort of model places more importance on the end user than on the particular service being provided to them - meaning, in Vice's case, that because they get who this person is (and because they are this person) they will have an easier time putting together a party for the Vice customer than would an experienced party planner who doesn't get them at all. It's all about authenticity, and in this age of post-marketing where consumers see the strings as they are being pulled, that's not a bad way to go about it.

So why this, then? Vice's marketing arm, addVice, sent out this e-mail last week, trashing the North by Northeast music festival:

"So its' NXNE time again, for those of you who don't know, NXNE is the crippled little sister of the SXSW Music Festival in Austin. NXNE pretty much sucks except for Dan Burke's nights and like maybe 2 shows. This year, VICE is putting on another unofficial "showcase" with some of our favourite bands, its' FREE. No guestlist, no wristbands, no bullshit, just come if you like checking out music, we've got rockabilly, rock n' roll, electro, punk, thrash and MORE!!!!!"

Misplaced apostrophes aside, this is the kind of thing that Vice does, and I think it's why they are as appreciated as they are. This is an authentic sentiment - maybe not one that the people involved in NXNE (including a whole bunch of musicians, entertainment types, and sponsors that Vice has worked with in the past and will have to work with in the future) want to hear, but still.

The result? This week we got a retraction e-mail from Vice that read like this:

"Oooops. We accidentally sent out this email which we should have censored, but didn't (happens when you get your interns wasted). We saw it and we were like "uhhhh, hope no one read that one!". Well, lots did and the truth is we go to a lot of NXNE shows and to the free booze parties, so it was a lame move. Plus a bunch of friends (like a lot) who we love are playing the festival so, SORRY, our mistake! So once again....its' NXNE time and we're doing a NotByNorthEast party. It's free, no guestlist, no wristbands; we've got rockabilly, rock n' roll, electro, punk, thrash and MORE!!!!"

I'm not sure which I think is the bigger mistake. The first e-mail could have some serious ramifications. A lot of Vice's customers like NXNE, and will be at a bunch of the events. A lot of the corporations Vice works with will sponsor or somehow be involved in NXNE, too. And, frankly, it's not that big an industry here in Canada. It may not make sense for Vice to piss these people off: at some point, someone involved in NXNE is going to make a decision that will have an impact on Vice's bottom line.

But maybe that doesn't matter: maybe the whole thing about being Vice is that you hold to your opinions, no matter who it pisses off. Which makes the second e-mail more problematic: the last thing anyone wants out of a brand with a don't-give-a-shit attitude is that it suddenly starts caring that someone's feelings may hae gotten hurt. Will people appreciate the fact that Vice recognized that they were wrong about something, or will people be pissed off that they did an about-face? This might be a lose-lose situation for Vice, and that's the bad news. The good news? After a week of relentless music industry partying, the likelihood is that no one will really remember anyway.