The demise of bin Laden from a marketing perspective

Interesting conference at the Foreign Policy Institute this afternoon on the implications of the shooting of bin Laden.  Unfortunately it's in America (Philadelphia).  But it's an event I would like to have attended since it will be looking at a world-changing event in a sober and considered way. Almost every commentator is rushing forward to say "this is not the end of the war on terror". Personally I think it is.   Looking at the demise of bin Laden from a marketing perspective, I think it will be difficult for al Qaeda to recover from this set back without investing in a huge PR event, and it is unlikely they have the resources, imagination and leadership to do this. The 2001 attack on the World Trade Centre achieved for al Qaeda several key objectives in terms of communication - visual impact (with dramatic live television coverage); establishing the identity and perception of al Qaeda; recruiting followers worldwide etc. Despite the horror and human tragedy, the actual damage done to America as a collective whole was slight. The value to al Qaeda of the 2001 atrocity was in terms of publicity, and this was personalised in the figure of bin Laden. By shooting bin Laden this PR myth has been neutralised and al Qaeda has been branded "losers". Unlikely they will be able to recover from this. More about the conference:  http://www.fpri.org/