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!

Ahem:
Content and good writing are very important to me.

(Have not read the full thread) responding to your OP, surely for the same reason drug companies sponsor lunchtime sandwiches for doctors meetings, pay for them to go on conferences, or give them free pens. They think it makes them more likely to recommend their products, and it probably does.

Loving DMBLB40's passive aggressive new posts following this thread!!

Nice to see her finally being open about her paid collaboration with M&S.

I had to unfollow in the end. The indignation about how if something was an ad then she would have said, and obviously we had been told this before but she's going to say it very s l o w l y this time because clearly there are some people not listening at the back of the class, got to me in the end. I'm out.

On a different note, the link that botemp posted before was a very interesting read. Such a sad story though. I felt a bit sad when I saw thebodycoach having a junk food binge after starving himself for a photo shoot!

I tell you when I decided to unfollow the blogger in question. It was a few weeks back when said blogger went on holiday. I have to say I enjoyed the pictures, I like seeing sun when it's gloomy here, as well as seeing new places to travel to & reviews. Pictures were tagged with the holiday company, the hotel group, the hotel & the pr company.

Someone dared to ask, is this an ad?

The answer was "No, I paid for this". Until a few days later when this was added.....I am working in collaboration with the two hotels & Destinology, I have not been paid, I have a discount in return for reviews and allowing them to use pictures.

To me discount/paid/vouchers it's all much the same and needs to be mentioned at the beginning of a post, not blurred. You see you can get away with anything (within reason) as long as you are honest.

The person who asked (there were a few) were called jealous, on the feed. So I unfollowed. Not just one person but a few (I was fed up with everyone posting Bicester Village 'buys' without owning up to receiving free vouchers. I'm surprised that I have starting buying magazines again, I feel I know where I stand.

I am really surprised that bloggers don’t think it’s necessary to say when something is gifted, or the price is cheaper for them because of who they are.

If you’re blogging about products you like, you’re implicitly saying that you like this product, you think it’s good value for money and that you’d buy it.

But if you’ve not bought it then how can you possibly be a good judge of whether something is value for money? If you’ve had to fork out for it then you are more conscious of how many times you wear it, how well it washes, how long it lasts etc. If it’s something someone has given you then you’re not the best person to be advising others on whether to buy it or not, are you?

If you’re a business, like these more popular bloggers are, then you should ignore criticism at your peril. If your followers are telling you they don’t like something then thank them, tell them you’ll take it on board, then actually take it on board. Don’t try to patronise them, insult them and then get all your mates to join in a slagging off session. If your currency is your followers, then it’s a massive mistake to be scornful towards them.

I've barely looked at Instagram this week. Mainly due to the bad taste left by the reaction to this thread on certain posts.

I think the thread has pushed a lot of buttons, well done OP.

I think we need an instagram-style like button .

wishwish I saw those comments too.

JaniceBattersby I absolutely agree, this is a nice gift is not at all the same as I spent ages looking for a really good xxx and this is what I think of it.

heather I think you might be right, I have been following some of these fashion bloggers less and less as they seem to be more about sponsorship and free gifts than the real life, real person's style.

OP here (waves!)

I just want to say again I had no intention or desire to "push people's buttons" in asking my original question. I was (and am) honestly curious how this all works from a business perspective. Hence my focus in return of investment - posh dinner for bloggers v increased sales (or otherwise).

It's turned into an interesting discussion. But I've got nothing against bloggers making the most of whatever opportunities that come their way (I wouldn't turn down a discounted holiday!). Yes there should be disclosure and some are better at that than others. If this debate has changed the way some bloggers approach the issue all well and good. But this isn't why I asked the question in the first place!

Home I completely agree, I was curious too. In just asking how it all worked you've actually gone beyond that and people have started to look for more transparency.

It's a good thing

Its a bit bizarre how some people are acting like a really good friend invited you round for a dinner party and tried to sell you a timeshare.

These bloggers are not your friends, despite their chatty posting style - which I suspect is just how they talk in real life. They don't really owe us anything.

The whole of the media (social and print) is used to advertise/promote new things, or all time favourites, which are usually a brand's bestsellers.

I have to laugh when some people have said they'll go back to magazines for because at least they know where they stand. Yes, magazines will say if its a paid for full-page feature, but they have beauty items, gadgets and clothing 'land on their desks' all the time. Journalists receive hundreds of press releases and email pitches every week.

Being media savvy is important, but don't all act like a good friend has let you down because they haven't told you about everything that goes on in their industry ALL THE TIME.

In term of how it works for brands to invite people to events - its just another arm to their marketing budget.

Bloggers with a high readership are influential, as we know. Getting your brand featured in a glamorous setting and a positive light and being seen by lots of your potential customers - its worth it to them.

I also suspect they invite a lot of 'movers and shakers' from other media outlets to this kind of thing, its not just bloggers!

Gosh that's really petulant and rude. How disappointing that DMBL40 is responding like this. Such a shame, i did enjoy her posts.

I think you have totally missed the point, restofthetimes. The vast majority of bloggers didn't start off selling stuff and they weren't originally part of any industry. They were just another person logged into blogger and posting on mumsnet. They started off sharing cool stuff, replying to your message about how nice their hair looks that day, showing you pictures of their renovation and how their children are getting on at school.

They then got drawn into the marketing industry because they had a lot of followers and started trying to promote stuff without telling you this was what they were now doing, and the brands were happy for them not to tell their readers they were promoting stuff as well.

So its not THEIR industry, bloggers are being used by the marketing industry as an easy, cheap route to consumers.

If someone you think you have some kind of connection with - you have the same trainers, you like the same style, you shop in the same shops, she replied to your message about how nice she looked with kisses on the end once, then tells you that this travel company provides the best advice and can work out the best itinerary then you probably will trust them to give you good advice, and may look that holiday company up next time you are planning your family holiday. You trust them more than if you read about the same holiday in a magazine, written by some faceless travel editor.

You do know where you stand more with magazines. You pay your £3, a beauty writer tells you this product works well, you decide whether you want to try it. There isn't the same emotional element to it.

You only have to read the awful haters comments to see the emotional connection - how dare you pick on my friend! If someone said Grazia was shit (I actually say this a lot myself), no one would give a toss.

Hence my comment about being media savvy. I would never believe anyone like that was my friend, or had a personal connection with me, whether they like the same trainers as me or not. I might admire them or their style and possibly try to copy it, but emotional - no.

Fair play It has, Grazia really is shit. I would also point out there's more out there than the known glossies. The independent magazines (ie. magazines set up with the purpose of being free from advertisers influence, usually in limited numbers and a higher purchase price) have really been flourishing over the last few years in terms of reach, influence in the industry, and ambition. The Gentlewoman (bi-annual) has those ambitious editorial credentials that Flo and I mentioned being important to us. It comes at a high purchase price because the advertisers aren't cushioning that price. Vestoj has really become the place of critical thinking. They're both what I consider to be true fashion magazines as they are concerned with fashion, not clothes. Granted more for your fashion interested rather than those trying to understand what to wear this season.

The brands wouldn't give out free trainers if it didn't work. You only have to see the virtual air kissing that goes on in the fashion blogger world to see that there are emotional connections, and probably real life genuine friendships, that are being formed. That's not a bad thing, just an observation about how this all works, IMO.

I agree they're not our friends but that works both ways. Bloggers should respond to feedback in a professional, business-like way and not carry on as if their best friend has stabbed them in the back. It might help all round if they dropped the 'followers' nonsense. We're customers - this isn't a cult.

I also agree that advertisibg has permeated magazine content to an unhealthy degree. I gave up on them for that reason but the difference for me is that they're better written. I also prefer the wacky photo shoots and I like it that the clothes are unaffordable because it means I can't just click and buy - I have to go and hunt down a cheaper version. In short, a magasine is more likely to make me think about fashion and doesn't get in a huff when I do.

I don't mind Grazia, they are what they are and honest about it.

I'm interested in the role of the agencies in all this. Another poster - I think it was Bo? - was musng about the timing of it all a few pages back. If DMB is still posting about this a full week later then I think it's safe to conclude that Gleam has - at the very least sanctioned - her actions. I think maybe it's time I acquainted myself better with some of the Gleam brands.

Bo thank you for those magazine tips - I'm off to Google them too!

Yes, I'm the proud tinfoil hat wearer Flo. Gleam continually comes up whenever there's a thread, yet we know nothing about them but I feel it's safe to say they're present regardless. It doesn't sit well with me.

I think the Gentlewoman should be right up your alley. It's beautifully made, quality paper, oversized so you have to actually sit and take your time with it, not merely browse it on the tube. That's another thing I like about magazines (but independent ones excell at it) they know their graphic design, it's not some generic template they're using, they truly own their own aesthetic. I keep those magazines on those grounds alone and it's lovely to go back into them years on. Blog content is completely disposable in contrast.

Coincidentally the newest issue of Vestoj coming out December is titled 'on authenticity'

On the Vestoj site you can also purchase the back issues for half price as an ebook. I do tend to view these independent magazines like buying a book, as that's where they're priced it and they're annual or bi-annual usually. I also really enjoy Cereal but that's more a travel and style focus, gorgeous photography and a very pronounced aesthetic. There's also Kinfolk the most famous independent magazine success but I'm not as enthused about it as much as others are.