Whatever you blog about, chances are you’ve been approached recently by a big brand looking for coverage.
And although I’ve heard about this happening across the city, it isn’t just a Manchester thing – witness the Midlands based mom blogger Linda Jones’ recent Disney-funded trip exclusively for bloggers.
Such a non-press press trip for a major holiday company would have been unthinkable just a few years ago and is a clear example of a shift in marketing strategy that I’ve a feeling we will see more of going forward – afterall what better way to engage with a well-defined target audience than through niche publications such as blogs?
(I have contacted the Disney press office to ask what made them decide to handle the trip in this way and to see how they will gauge its success. Hopefully a comment will be forthcoming.)
It’s an issue that has promoted some interesting conversations in recent weeks about the ethics of taking freebies in return for words. It’s an issue which journalists previously had to deal with – a fine line between product trial and advertorial. (Although, as I’ve posted on here previously, for some reason press trips to exotic locations often seem to skip happily under the radar!)
As there’s no guidelines on these sort of issues (and long may that remain the case), it’s a matter for each individual blogger to develop their own ‘code of conduct’ . I’m regularly asked to try out food products and have developed these rules of engagement;
1. The relationship is fully disclosed in the blog post – the company that has provided the product named plus the fact the product was supplied for free.
2. If I don’t like, think it’s poor, over-priced or whatever – I say so. Just because it’s free, doesn’t buy support or favour.
I’d be interested to hear any thoughts on these, or from any other blogger who has attempted to draw up their own personal code of conduct in these matters.
It’s a topic that’s currently under discussion within the Manchester Bloggers group – join us on Facebook here.
A PR company is hoping to sponsor a future meet up in return for being able to engage directly with bloggers who have a music based audience – isn’t that what used to happen with press briefings for entertainment journos? Changing world indeed!
But proving the tried and trusted inducmenets are still the best in the new world, free alcohol is the offer for bloggers at what is being billed as a “blog launch” for the Cutting Room Experiment happening on Thursday evening at 6-7:30 at the Bay Horse, Manchester. Read more about that inititiative on The Manchizzle blog here.
Dim Sum Digital 
Sarah,
Interesting, my only question is why has it taken so long for big brands and PRs to cotton on? Or am I being unfair?
Rob
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There’s definately been a shift recently – maybe reductions in marketing spend have sharpened minds to look at what proves most cost effective? Maybe more people subscribe to blogs and so now feel they are credible? Maybe heavily reduced staffing in newsrooms has made it more difficult to get stuff reviewed? Be interested to hear from PRs on this.
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I’m doing something wrong..no one is offering me anything.
But agreed – all you can do is behave honestly. I’ve turned down some adverts that although not a huge amount of money it would have represented quite a lot to me seeing as I am a volunteer in a developing country living on a basic allowance.
In the end I’d always feel a little bad and a little like I had let myself down – perhaps I am too much of the Bill Hicks school of product endorsement
“You do a commercial, you’re off the Artistic Roll Call forever. End of fucking story.
“You do a commercial, you’re another shill feeding at the corporate trough. There’s a price on your head, everything you say is suspect, and every word that comes out of your mouth is like a turd falling into my drink.”
I can never get that quote out of my head.
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Oh and when I was the Newcastle Evening Chronicle we got around the issue of reporters and freebie holidays – the editor took them all and she didn’t count them as holiday.
Yes – a dozen years on and I am still bitter.
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@ourman the Chron experience sounds like a very familiar story. I often wonder whether the travel companies realise how their invitations are treated in newsrooms? Love the Bill Hicks quote 🙂
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@Sarah – thanks for the mention, since the Disney trip I have been working on a new blog which brings together posts from other ‘mom’ bloggers. I’ve started to spread the word about it a little and have had a fair few offers from other PRs. Most notably, the PR for Butlins was on twitter the other day recruiting parent bloggers to a launch of a new hotel. I think the points you list there are more than fair – I don’t think they are always followed by journalists or bloggers (and I am both.)
For me it actually, in a twisted way, seemed a ‘problem’ that we had an amazing time – but I have built up a relationship of trust with my readers and that meant I had to tell them that even a miserable old bugger like me was blown away.
One element of an on-going discussion that compares the views of bloggers with those of journalists is an inference as I have seen, that so-called ‘mummybloggers’ aren’t as expert as journalists, well in the subjects they write about, yes they are. On a personal level, it really pisses me off that anyone should think my views are any less valid as a ‘mummy blogger’ than they would be as a journalist contributing to national publications, which I do, as an agency director, which I am, or whatever. The lines are blurred. It was a privilege to meet the other bloggers with me on that trip, they are amazing women and fantastic writers.
The PR input was that they realised bloggers had a key role in spreading word of mouth. Some of the earlier posts from some of us would have made them wince but we all posted about what an amazing time we had, albeit free. Since then comments and discussions on blog posts, facebook and Twitter have kept our trip in people’s minds.
@ourman – yes and I grew up with Denis Skinner in my head: There’s no such thing as a free lunch! In my days on a regional paper the press trips we got handed were the ones someone higher up the chain didn’t want.
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Hi Sarah,
I was one of the Disney bloggers on that trip, people around me have been astonished at the lack of expectation by Disney – no word count to write to, no specific amount of blog posts, we really did, and still do have complete control over everything we write.
I think as long as it remains this way then it’s a fine arrangement 🙂
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Hi Sarah,
I, too, was one of the ‘Disney 7’ and have since written about Disney’s expectations and the increasing power of Mummy bloggers for the Times (not out yet). I agree with Littlemummy’s points entirely. Incidentally, of the Mummy bloggers on the trip, who were certainly not selected for their journalistic experience, I think only one had not had articles published. In a Mummyblogger, a company gets a nice package -someone who has proven writing ability, a platform, an audience and a specialist subject all rolled into one.
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Another ‘mummy blogger’ from Disney here – and also a professional journalist and author. I was incredibly suspicious of this offer when it first came in and my very first question was ‘Can I write whatever I like?’ to which the reply was, ‘Yes, providing it’s doesn’t involve libel.’ You can’t get fairer than that.
I pointed out that I hated theme parks, was allergic to rollercoasters and loathed Disney – but they still said I was welcome to come along. If you check out my posts from Disney you will see they are less than fulsome at the beginning.
I actually think it was a very clever move to take people who were not ‘sold’ on Disney….and a really REALLY smart move to take bloggers rather than journalists (though a few of us were cross-overs as it happened). We weren’t preaching to the converted – far from it. But I, for one, was amazed that I actually had a really good time.
In the US this is common practice – I echo your first commenter – not sure why it’s taken the UK PR industry so long to catch on.
Given that it’s nigh-on impossible at the moment for freelancers to get paid travel commissions, turning to bloggers seems logical.
Should there be guidelines? No more so than for press trips….. Nobody bats an eyelid at free trips for journalists so why for bloggers?
I actually think the blogging community is far more sussed than the readership of most national papers – they will sniff out a PR puff a mile off………and will vote with their feet.
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Well, the problem for me is the same as that for @ourman – whereas the Disney 7 got a freebie trip to Florida, all I got was a bloody vacuum cleaner!
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