Washington Post: Why Dinesh D’Souza was able to manipulate Costco and Google to boost ‘America’

Washington Post ^ | 07/11/2014 | Alyssa Rosenberg

[SeekAndFind]

As Dave Weigel reports in a tart blog post today, conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza recently managed to pull off an impressive marketing feat.

D’Souza and his lawyers claimed that despite the hit status of his new book and movie, “America,” Google was deliberately downgrading the project in its search results and Costco had removed the book from shelves for politically motivated reasons. The result? Google bumped “America” up in the rankings and Costco restocked the book.

Of course, as Weigel explains, “D’Souza’s book, like his movie [which made $2.75 million in its first weekend], is no runaway hit. According to Nielsen’s Bookscan, which tracks sales, D’Souza’s latest has sold 23,000 copies. That’s not bad — my publisher would call it a win if my upcoming book sold that much in a month — but it’s 139,000 fewer copies than Ben Carson’s latest, ‘One Nation,’ has sold.”

D’Souza can get away with this not just because claims of political oppression work – neither Google nor Costco wants to be on the receiving end of conspiracy theorizing – but because it has become increasingly hard to define what constitutes a hit in any area of pop culture.

It is one thing to say that a monster blockbuster like “Avatar” or an absolute runaway best-seller like “Fifty Shades of Grey” is a hit. It is quite another to figure out where the border lies between hit and modest success.

[stanne]

Manipulate??

Costco didn’t manipulate?

[FlingWingFlyer]

I think that the little princess, Alyssa, has confused D’Souza with Hillary Clinton.

[VRW Conspirator]

Re-writing history is typical of the left leaning commentators of Wash-Po. It was the many customers of Costco that changed the companies directive.

[Responsibility2nd]

Meanwhile Hard Choices continues to plummet costing the publishers millions.

Customer Reviews
(1,308) 2.2 out of 5 stars 5 star 333
4 star 45
3 star 33
2 star 48
1 star 849
See all 1,308 customer reviews

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[Balding_Eagle]

Yes, Costco opened the door, started the game. Dinesh D’Souza is smarter, faster, and had enough fans to slam the door in Costco’s face.

Nicely played!

We need more masters of this art.

[stanne]

Dinesh doesn’t care what his detractors say about him and his work.

Republicans could take a lesson.

Paging Rick Perry

[Viennacon]

Wasn’t it already states that America is in the top 10 best performing political documentaries of all time. Yeah, thats a hit, Compost

[Resettozero]

Re-writing history is typical of the left leaning commentators of Wash-Po.

All the lamestream media are lying about daily events on-the-fly, much less re-writing the history books.

I was not alive during 1937 through 1940 but all this getting in line behind whatever the government says reads like news reports of certain Deutschland regime of that time. Very much so.

[stanne]

Don’t forget to post Amazon reviews for:

America:

278 Reviews

5 star:
(240)
4 star:
(9)
3 star:
(4)
2 star:
(2)
1 star:
(23)

Here are some one star comments:
‘I just heard about this book, haven’t had an opportunity to see/read it yet. But judging from the overview on Amazon, it sounds like the author is simply traipsing down the same tired conservative road of tirade and conspiracy talk against Obama, what Fox and Tea people keep pumping out, false as it is. That is truly sad, to say that America is worse off now given that GW Bush blew everything out of whack.’

‘Maybe it got better in the second half, but I had to stop.’

‘if you already hate the President despite all of the good he is doing, you will love this hardbound slop of a book’

‘My husband has a phD in history and teaches American history at a prestigious private college. He says this book is so full of “it” that it is laughable. I am inclined to agree. Don’t waste your money on purchasing some malarky written by a convicted felon.’

[Boogieman]

Sure, Costco did, but the google claim was just hogwash.

[cynwoody]

I think that the little princess, Alyssa, has confused D’Souza with Hillary Clinton.

https://twitter.com/AlyssaRosenberg

[FlingWingFlyer]

LOL! Dang! That’s the biggest front tooth I’ve ever seen!

[gaijin]

Nice formula:

If they smash you and out of pure dignity you do NOTHING, well…you stay smashed.

If instead you fight back?

Ah, well, NOW you have pulled off a MARKETING TRICK..! Much stinky chicanery…!

See?

I say it’s best —best not just for Dinesh but for the whole country— to go for MAXIMUM CASH.

They prefer the “silent dignity” route, where you stay poor and unknown.

Dinesh is correct —the REAL reason why they’re having a tizzy is not really the book; it’s the MOVIE that reaallllly bugs them because for over 50 years The Left has been totally unchallenged, there.

“FILM IS **OURS***” —this is the view of the left.

[kcvl]

Alyssa Rosenberg is the Features Editor for ThinkProgress.org. She is a columnist for the XX Factor at Slate, and a correspondent for TheAtlantic.com.

*ThinkProgress - Its President and chief executive officer is Neera Tanden, who worked for the Obama and Clinton administrations and for Hillary Clinton’s campaigns

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

It doesn’t have the same cachet as “Banned in Boston!”; but, “Banned by Costco” probably didn’t hurt sales.

[fhayek]

Oh dear. How unfortunate.

[kcvl]

JournoList - David Weigel

On June 28, 2010, Weigel did a segment on Keith Olbermann's show, which was followed by Olbermann's announcement that Weigel had joined MSNBC as a news contributor

In 2000, Weigel voted for Ralph Nader, and served as a Delaware college elector for Nader. In 2004, Weigel voted for John Kerry

In 2008, Weigel voted for Barack Obama

[stanne]

The google claim?

Whether it was or wasn’t, Costco can manipulate but D’Souza can’t...Why?

When conservatives quit bringing knives to the gunfight, the truth will come out.

I don’t suppose you read or saw Dinesh’s movie

[EinNYC]

Alyssa Rosenberg is the Features Editor for ThinkProgress.org. She is a columnist for the XX Factor at Slate, and a correspondent for TheAtlantic.com. *ThinkProgress - Its President and chief executive officer is Neera Tanden, who worked for the Obama and Clinton administrations and for Hillary Clinton’s campaigns

In other words...a leftist tool.