Bloggers and brands

[homebythesea]

I love blogs, YouTube, Instagram etc but sometimes do wonder what's in it for the brands especially regarding blogger events.

Straight up reviews of things they get sent I totally get- they try things on/ use a face cream, wax lyrical about how great the thing is, people click through and buy said item. Straightforward advertising. No problem with that at all.

But when a blogger is invited to a dinner, or night away at a hotel, or a movie premiere by a brand I just don't get what is worth the expense? From the blogger perspective they get a night out and a goodie bag and maybe even paid to attend. But what does the brand get in return? A brief tag on an Instagram pic, some photos of beautiful place settings at dinner......but not necessarily sales?? These events must cost thousands to put on.

Hopefully someone with some knowledge about these things will enlighten us!

(I’m a lecturer in marketing, so i’m really interested in this stuff.)

i'm new here, and find this thread very interesting. transparency is the key issue here.

surely any blogger who garners a following, and goes on to create a client base on the back of that following should engage in two-way dialogue when queried about gifts? building an audience and following requires some degree of authenticity to begin with, so why not be authentic and transparent about gifts, sponsorships etc? basic business principles involve professionalism and accountability

After some thought, I can see where you are coming from about transparency.
I do feel like Kat tries however, perhaps, there is potential for more openness on all
blogs and Instagram.

judy although that post you linked to has a disclosure, it's right at the end of a hugely long post.

So in fact I would have read the whole post assuming the blogger has paid for the holiday themselves, and only found out at the end that it was a freebie. And then I'd have been a bit , no wonder you were raving about it quite so much.

And if I'd only read the top few sentences/photos, and then thought "gosh, that looks marvellous, I'll go and google that holiday company right now" without scrolling right to the bottom, I'd be none the wiser.

So, why not put that disclosure right at the start of a post? So that everyone knows straight away exactly what sort of post they are reading?

auntpol she says it in the title of the post - “five nights in Lisbon with (company name)”. I can’t actually remember who it was.

ALifeToStyle always puts at the end of blogs about gifted items "I was gifted xyz but all thoughts are my own and I wasn't obliged to write about it. There is an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog" (or words to the effect). I think this neatly summarises the relationship between blogger and brand and reminds us that bloggers need some income to enable them to run websites, cover costs of doing the trade shows/ new season launches etc.

Judydreamsofhorses i don't know much about marketing but the blogger/brand nexus is topical for sure, this thread being a good example!

the whole "social influencer" scene is interesting, with brands 'strategically' partnering with bloggers/personalities "to spark organic conversations and seduce their followers" [quote].

hence the need for transparency...

busybee I am 100% for transparency and full disclosure - I’m sorry if that wasn’t clear from my posts!

The gifting/partnership thing for PR purposes has been going on at a different level forever - for example, designers and jewellers dressing celebrities for the Oscars - it’s just at a much more accessible level now. I guess people feel more of a personal connection with bloggers than they do with Hollywood stars, and feel rightly pissed off if they’re being disengenuous.

Judydreamsofhorses yes! i'm gradually becoming more clued up about it, and how advertising is now tacitly embedded in apparently general banter!

busy I am going to be pedantic here and say it’s not “technically” advertising, as it’s theoretically open to the blogger’s interpretation and they may not say positive things (advertising Is a controlled, guaranteed message using paid-for media space) but it does feel more and more like it as things evolve!

Judydreamsofhorses i see...if its down to bloggers' interpretations of guidelines then it will certainly be interesting to see how things evolve further, in light of discussions like this. not sure if its coincidental but I've noted two bloggers today who have clearly acknowledged gifted items! public/consumer opinions and feedback should be taken on board (i think so anyway)!

I would just counsel that the "authentic" voice of Midlife Chic is as carefully crafted as anything - in real life, she is not at all nice. It's shtick for building her platform, plain and simple.

beebee a bit unnecessary that. People have mentioned midifechic in the context of disclosure which is what this discussion has developed into. I'm not sure your assessment of her really furthers that aspect of the debate

The holiday to Mauritius was when I unfollowed DMBL40. People who go on holidays that they've paid for in full out of their own pockets don't mention and tag hotels and travel agents and PR companies in every post multiple times a day. So it was pretty obvious that this wasn't just family holiday pics she was posting to social media. It took her until day 3 of the holiday to come clean on the discount she'd been given. When bloggers do this (not necessarily just referring to DMBL40), it's almost as if they're trying to get away with it and hope that nobody asks too many questions. But someone inevitably calls them out and then they backpedal and have to clarify what the arrangement is. It's the complete opposite of transparency.

As for the claims on today's Instagram post comments that we're all just jealous haters. No actually. I can afford my own holiday to Mauritius thank you very much...and guess what....if I was there I would be be doing it on my terms and not beholden to some PR deal to spend half my precious family holiday time with my head stuck in my phone. Thanks but no thanks.

judy but to me, that title “five nights in x with x” just means “I’ve gone on a holiday using x company”. It doesn’t scream “x gave me this holiday as a freebie”.

I just think, if you’re going to make the disclosure, don’t hide it. Make it obvious. Otherwise, it looks like you’re making a token effort and hoping that people don’t really notice.

Like PPs have said, I don’t give a toss whether bloggers are getting stuff for free or at a hefty discount. Good for them. But I’d like to know, because yes, it does affect the way interpret what they’ve written.

Because I’m sorry, when they’ve been gifted a holiday, or a £2k handbag or whatever, I just don’t believe that what they write about it is necessarily going to be entirely unbiased, despite their best intentions.

but to me, that title “five nights in x with x” just means “I’ve gone on a holiday using x company”. It doesn’t scream “x gave me this holiday as a freebie”.

^ Yes this!

There's one who's fond of the phrase "I was a guest of [such and such] hotel". Isn't everyone who stays there a guest of the hotel? That phrasing doesn't tell me whether it was paid for or a freebie and therefore whether the [almost always positive] opinion has been bought.

beebee I'm interested to hear your take on Midlife Chic. Why the caution?

Beebee that’s just the kind of personal attack that this thread should be trying to avoid. It doesn’t matter if bloggers are or are not “nice”, which is subjective anyway, but whether they are open and transparent about their advertising and gift acceptance. If you believe Midlifchic is being less than honest then come back with some actual examples.

I agree with home and Sir. I don't care if they're nice - they're not my friends. And we're clients, not followers.

Somewhere along the way, there's been a real blurring of lines and I imagine it's deliberate. Because once you have a personal connection, you're less likely to question anything and if you do, it's easier for them to throw a wobbler and in all the hoo-ha, the original question gets lost. It's the oldest trick in the book.

but to me, that title “five nights in x with x” just means “I’ve gone on a holiday using x company”. It doesn’t scream “x gave me this holiday as a freebie”.

But why would they need to mention the company unless it's some sort of promotion?

I don't go on holiday and caption my social media photos with "Flew to bla bla with British Airways" because they aren't paying me to!

I don't think it's conducive either to be targetting bloggers on an individual basis. They, as a group of digital content creators, will all blur the boundaries WRT transparency to a certain extent, some more than others. It's a sad conclusion that those that had the opportunity with an independent and novel platform are so traditional in their monetising model. Even if money isn't exchanging hands it's become a quid pro quo model. Bloggers are in effect all freelancers ie. an overly flattering post will continue to nourish a working relationship or could be considered solicitation for future work. It reduces the following to mere number to pitch to employers and determine the salary rates, and with it, it devalues the relationship of the blogger with its followers.

I think it's far more interesting to discuss things like the ASA and why the platforms themselves (Insta, FB, etc.) are struggling so heavily to enforce any sort of regulations surrounding native advertising. What's their gain in not getting a cut of that ad revenue whilst providing the platform for free? Native advertising is highly regulated in all other forms of media, why is social exempt?

I too find the workings of it all far more compelling than I do any blogger, although I think their reaction to negative feedback is interesting because it always follows this same pattern.

I'd also love to know what mainstream PR makes of it.

I get why they insist on blurring the boundaries (companies and bloggers alike), any whiff of money being involved that may influence the influencer (ha!) and the message is lost to the audience. SM marketing thrives in the diffuse. Hence, the disproportionate reaction to accusations of not being transparent, the smoke veil needs to be held firmly in place or the entire financial model collapses like a house of cards. Honesty, being familiar, and being down to earth are the currency of the blogger over other forms of media, without it they're worthless, it needs to be maintained at all costs.

I’ve just read the comments on kats imstagram post. It really is a world of bigging each other up on instagram. Can’t help but feel that all the posters were missing some of the valid points of this thread, and just calling everyone in here haters and jealous. Even Chloe loves to shop commented to say the mn thread was jealous dickheads.

Actually that's a little unfair - It sounds like some do respond to feedback in a professional manner. But it does seem to follow this pattern a lot of the time.