I wanted to post this wonderful thread of comments on the whole topic of PR and Mommy bloggers that relates to the original post I did here.
The post that I was responding to is here and was written by Jessica Smith (who works for Fleshman-Hillard). And then Jessica commented on my post and the comments that follow are the back and forth. I also urge you to go and read the comments that Boston Mamas wrote on Jessica’s original post – they are valuable. So is the Mom101 comment.
As evidenced by the posts/comments there is a very diverse view of PR, bloggers and social media marketing.
Thanks for engaging in the conversation with me. I am not saying you shouldn’t share who the client is or the general idea behind the campaign.
Case in point: When EA SPORTS approached me and asked if I was interested in working with them for their launch of the Wii virtual fitness game EA SPORTS Active, I said yes, thinking that I was going to get an advance copy of the game to review.
It was after this initial engagement and commitment that I then found out I would be attending a blogger trip with the other challengers involved in Santa Barbara with Alison Sweeney and Bob Greene.
My point is…if it had been shared with some bloggers that this major trip was involved from the get-go, do you think some would have just said yes for the trip and the celebrities involved?
07.18.09 at 6:04 pm Hi Jessica,
Thanks for your comment. I just have an issue with the post itself and the old way that PR views bloggers. This seems particularly to be the case when it comes to “mommy bloggers.” I count myself as one by the way because I’m a mom and have been on the Web since 1995 and have blogged since 2004. I think too often the “mommy bloggers” term is getting quantified in a disparaging way among PR people. And it seems there is a tone that mommy bloggers are just sheep for brands, when quite the opposite is true. Many of them are blogging because they’ve chosen to stay home after career-mid-career-college-degrees etc. but are highly attuned to what they want in the world and manage to blog about it as well.
There should be complete transparency in engaging any blogger on behalf of any event, or brand collaboration. In your comment it sounds like you are thinking it’s ok to leave out information to bloggers. I don’t think that is respectful of them and don’t think that starts out a good collaboration. And honestly, I think the bigger question is not, “Do you think some would have just said yes for the trip and the celebrities involved?” but rather, “Why it is that PR people seem to think that if you just throw some freebies at bloggers they should be happy to do your bidding however you feel is best.?”
I don’t think this takes into account that bloggers are by all rights driving the brands to their readers, not because the majority of them hope to get to go to some celebrity trip, but rather because they want to feature the best things for their readership. Bloggers will be here long after some of these brands implode and the readership depends on them to be as honest and authentic as possible.
Also, more and more people don’t look to “sponsored bloggers” to find out the real scoop on B2C products, because that blogger might not be as unobjective as another one who is not being sponsored or going on a celeb trip.
Looking at bloggers as simply a “mass of messengers” waiting for PR firms to come and discover them and then help them get more visibility by selling an associated brand or product, I think is a very small-minded way to view them. I also think bloggers if they so choose to help a company get a brand out across the Web should have the ability to get paid, and have the right for anyone engaging them to be upfront and honest about the possibilities.
Again, it should all be done in an honest, forthright manner at the onset.
07.19.09 at 2:41 pm Hi Nettie, I just left a long comment over at the original Jessica Knows post if you’d like to check it out – it links over to a post I wrote following a very troubling thread re: PR and blogger relations and this so called mystery element.
best, Christine
07.19.09 at 7:23 pm “why it is that PR people seem to think that if you just throw some freebies at bloggers they should be happy to do your bidding however you feel is best.”
Lord woman, I want to kiss you right now. I think there’s a challenge right now in that PR isn’t sure how they want to engage with bloggers – are they press? Evangelists? Consultants? The lines are blurred and everyone is confused which is what leads to dashed expectations and probably, “mystery” outreach.
You should edit your post to add your excellent comments.
07.21.09 at 11:29 am Hey Mom 101!
That means the world to me. Thank you so much – I’m so glad it was valuable and I love your comments!
Nettie
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To be fair, I started at F-H last week and have been blogging since last year and have my fair share of experience being on the other side.
I am a big supporter of being transparent…I’m not talking about not sharing necessary details, I’m talking about being strategic in waiting to share all of the details. This is not solely for the benefit of the PR firm, in fact, in the long run, it is for the benefit of those bloggers who truly want to engage with the brands and are genuine evangelists.
In an ideal world, yes, bloggers want to write about products, services, ideas, and advice that will benefit their readership. But the reality is, not all bloggers have that is there priority.
Do blogger relations need improvement? Absolutely.
Is that a two way street? You better believe it.
I, for one, do not see bloggers as a mass of messengers…would love for you to read back further on my blog to get some context around my point of view…
Bottom line: when I say “element of mystery” I am not saying anyone should be dishonest. On the contrary…an element of mystery can keep things honest on all sides. And in fact, at the blogger event Boston Mamas is talking about…the point was made that F-H would not be presumptuous about all of the bloggers wanting to be involved in the campaign. In fact, it was clear that they could go home and think about it before making a final decision.
I’m sorry that you understood my post to mean something that I did not intend to communicate. Hopefully, I’ve cleared that up.