Monday, August 11, 2014

Overdrive Tries to Start their own Holiday

Mother and girl holding E-book reader at home

When you are the most financially successful company in the digital library space, an inflated sense of ego generally occurs. Overdrive is trying to start a new holiday called “Read an eBook Day” and is giving away a number of free tablets and e-readers just by visiting their site.

Read an eBook Day is a new program that Overdrive hopes to draw attention to their various verticals. Patrons can borrow a digital book from their local libraries (as long as its an Overdrive supported one)  or they can buy eBooks (from a company using Overdrives WhiteLabel Bookstore system).

Overdrive is trying to start a holiday that basically shills their own products and services and makes no mention of Amazon, Kobo, B&N or competitors such as Axis 360 or 3M Cloud Library.  They should have called it “Read an Overdrive eBook day.”

A corporate holiday centered around a specific company and not a movement is disingenuous. Trying to leverage readers and enveloping them into your own ecosystem is considered by many, to be a hostile act. What is next? A “Celebrate Life Day” with Aquafina? “Keep your Lawn Preety Week” with John Deere?

Overdrive Tries to Start their own Holiday is a post from: Good e-Reader

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