The Trust Factor
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 10:43AM As many of you know, I have an interesting perspective on the whole marketing-to-bloggers thing. Being a PR/Marketing person by trade, I straddle the fence and can truly understand both sides of the coin. {Apparently I can also write sentences that contain multiple cliches - now that's talent!} I can see why brands and companies want to align themselves with bloggers, engage with bloggers and work with them. And being a blogger, I can tell you that it's really exciting when you are pitched to review a product or attend an event put on by a cool brand.
A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to attend Bloggy Boot Camp in San Diego. For those of you not familiar with this conference, it's a one-day symposium aimed at helping female bloggers learn more about blogging, refine techniques and gain new ideas to reach their maximum potential. One of the points of topic that left me thinking was the concept of the Trust Factor: do you trust bloggers' opinions?
As the popularity of my other site, the SDMOMfia, continues to grow, this is something I've been thinking more and more about. Right out of the gates, we attracted the attention of local businesses and large brands. I won't lie - it's extremely flattering. When you get an email from a restaurant you love, a gym you've been wanting to try, a spa that wants to treat you to a free massage, you go for it.
But here's the thing. The PR person representing the brand sought you out because they feel that you fit the criteria of their "ideal customer." And since you are a person they want to impress, the experience on a whole is probably better than it would it be for the average Joe on the street. As a senior PR pro, with 12 years of experience (including having the world's largest producer of consumer electronics as a client), I can tell you that the PR person has two goals. The first: to make their clients look good. The second: to impress you.
Does this mean that the bloggers are not being honest in their reviews? Not at all. What it means is that we were wine and dined; all the stops were pulled out. If anything, we are posting an honest reaction to what may be an above average interaction. It's like having people over for dinner. You straighten the house, use the "good china," trade in your sweats for jeans and prepare food that is probably a little higher brow than what you normally would serve. Basically, you're not serving the Kraft Mac 'n Cheese off paper plates. And it's not just bloggers that get this treatment. This is the same treatment professional journalists have been recieving for years. You don't think that when Auto Week reviews the new BMW they send out the base model - no, the reviewer gets the top of the line version with all the bells and whistles. Same with food reviewers.... they are given the best bottle of wine to compliment the meal, they are given multiple dishes to taste and the every item on that plate is perfectly arranged.
Being in the realm of "mommy bloggers" means that brands and businesses want to reach out to me, and they want me to experience what they have to offer. In return they hope I write about them and tweet about them, thus encouraging others to experience them also. We are a voice - the voice of the main household purchaser, the main decision maker (sorry guys!). But when are we, as bloggers, crossing the line of trust with our readers? At what point do our words mean less because it's unclear if we are just saying what the PR people want to hear or if we really feel a particular way?
It's a very fine line. And one that I hope I don't cross. As a blogger, recently I've had the chance to do some really fun things. I've had free lunches, met interesting people and even gotten new hair. But I do strive to always be open and honest. If I write about something, it's because it's sparked something inside me. I aim to write about things I bought and paid for myself and places that I discovered on my own, as well as the ones I am asked to review. Yes, you will see things that were pitched to me, but I also hope that you know me well enough to trust I'm being honest. Because this is my reputation, both as a blogger and as a professional, and this is my person that I put down for the world to see, and while I may not share every thought that goes through my head, the ones I do share are true.
Bloggy Boot Camp, Mom Bloggers, Trust in PR thoughts 
Reader Comments (9)
Just wanted to say that I thought this was a great post! Should be required reading for bloggers.
APPLAUSE! You said the magic word -- reputation. Too often, both PR companies forget their reputations these days. Or, even worse, they don't care. It's a churn and burn, get what I can while the getting's good attitude.
As a marketer/blogger, I know exactly how that line straddling feels, and how both sides of those coins look. Heck, in my day job I actively work with bloggers. And I STILL don't have a 100% grasp on how I handle it on my blog.
But I see both bloggers and PR& Marketing folks making big mistakes, things that ding their reputation, and I cringe. Like Amy said, churn and burn, I'm gonna get mine SHOWS. And each of those dings creates a little more erosion of the trust--both for blogger and brand.
As readers get more savvy, and as bloggers get more exposure, this issue is just going to grow on both sides of the business model. And I think that both sides are going to have a really firm grasp on what they're doing if they want to continue to be successful.
Great post! I agree with Danielle, this should be a required read for bloggers.
I am careful about what I review and, like you, always give the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm not a cheerleader for a brand; I want to write helpful, educational, hands-on pieces about what I use, like and come across.
I also think (and see) that readers are smart. They can smell a fake from a mile away.
Too many bloggers either don't understand the difference between a review (which is an honest, unbiased AND UNPAID assessment of a product or service) and an endorsement (which is just that, and is usually paid for by the brand with either cash or free stuff). And of course there are those bloggers who do know the difference, but either assume that their readers don't, or who flat out lie about their relationships with the brands. There are plenty of brands who are doing interesting things with transparently sponsored content (full disclosure: I write for two sites that are run by major brands), but for every blogger that's putting a little thought into how they can work with brands in an ethical way, providing content that's a bit more than blatant advertising, there's one who's just in it for the swag.
This isn't just a issue for moms who blog; sadly, more and more dadbloggers are throwing their credibility out the window by shilling for any and every brand that comes their way. Sadder still: the dadbloggers who've taken to begging for attention from brands on Twitter and their sites. Unfortunately for them, most readers aren't stupid; they know a tacky infomercial when they see one. (And, as it happens, neither are most PR firms - the FTC is watching, and they're not going to go after the blogger who makes $120 a month on ads. They'll go after the businesses that are enabling this kind of nonsense.)
Thanks for the comments - I seriously went back and forth on this post for the past week...but I think it's sooo important. Something we all really need to think about!
Just another reason I love you. It's about keeping bloggers honest. Yes, we all want to be "wined & dined", but we also want to find matches to the blogger we are. I have turned down many opportunities b/c I want to be an honest blogger. I want my readers to trust me. I do see what you are saying about uneducated writers. I hate saying this but as a writing major, and someone who has been writing for a long time, bad writing is a huge turn off. I have stopped reading a blog b/c of bad grammar. I can also see the "blowing smoke up your ass" posts that are clearly written to appease the company that "wined & dined" them are very apparent to me. Maybe that isn't to everyone reading those blog posts. Authenticity is key in the blogging world, and it's lost to so many bloggers. In other words I love you for writing this.
I love you for commenting, Candice! :) It's a luv fest.
Great post...a wealth of information and it gives us as bloggers and readers a lot to think about in terms of how we write and what we accept as genuine. Thank you!