So, I was going through my inbox when I found This article "Approval by a blogger may please a sponsor" in the New York Times. The article discusses the rising use of samples and giveaways certain companies are using to receive positive press on blogs.
As a blogger that has received some free stuff, and reads many sponsored reviews it intrigued me. However, I don't see what the big deal is. I really enjoy blogging and reading blogs and hearing what people think about a product, but I do believe this platform is very different than say if The New York Times was given a free sample to try and write a glowing article about, or even different than a doctor being paid by a pharmaceutical company to write a juried article on a medication. Bloggers are real people with opinions. Not respected experts. Beyond that, most people indicate what was free and what was not. (for the record, only POM and OIKOS have been free for me, I still haven't reviewed OIKOS). However, for the most part, I feel like bloggers are just sharing what is helpful and what is not and what they enjoy.
I know I would be disappointed if the Federal Trade Commission came down too hard on advertising through blogs. Even when I'm not the recipient of the sample, it's good to hear about new and interesting products that may not have the same financial might as the leading members of the Grocery Manufacturers of America.
Check out the article and let me know what you think.
5 comments:
I look at it as smart advertising. It's good, cheap PR. May indicate good customer service as well.
I'll never get contacted because I turned off the search engine for my blog for personal reasons. The only people I want finding my blog are fellow peeps getting healthy. So I know I'm out of the loop because no one would find a review on Google from my blog.
I hope they just leave it alone.
you know I count on word of mouth a lot more than I do the TV and magazine ads. I also know it's hard to draw the line if something is an ad and the blogger hasn't really tried the product.
I agree that it's a smart move on a company's part to put samples in the hands of bloggers who would write about the product. I've been contacted only once, for a product I wouldn't use (special pajamas for menopausal women with night sweats) . Not that I don't think it could be a great product, but because I'm no longer having night sweats and I don't wear pjs (I'm a nightgown kinda girl).
I also think it's much more likely for bloggers to give an honest review of an item, and I've seen a few items rated poorly by the bloggers who were sent the sample.
I'm all for it as a practice. Now the whole idea of pay per post or pay per product mention kinda galls me, if the blogger is not honest with their blogging. There's a difference between pumping out post after post of honest product reviews and pumping out post after post of advertising.
I also know a lot of people want all blogs to be ad free, and object to google ads or BlogHer or other advertising. I kinda figure if I'm blogging anyway and they want to pay me, let them. I really have a lot of problem believing that too many people click through google ads, and I know for a fact that they're not doing it on my page ;). If Google wants to send me a check one a decade (OMG they pay awful) let them.
I never get contacted because I never go to the mailbox to get a sample, even if they sent it. I dunno. At the end of the day, someone might TRY a product once, but never buy it again if it sucked. Just like anything else.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments guys.
I received the POM and Oikos too (yeah still havent done the reviews!) and think that having those of us in the weight loss blogging community review products such as these is great cheap advertising. If one of us likes something and discusses it, there's a good chance the readers are going to at least take a second glance! I know I do when I read someone elses reviews.
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