Sponsored Blogging – The Oprah Phenomenon
Jeremiah Owayang, Sr Analyst at Forrester Research has documented (real time) the release of a K-mart paid for blog posting. Jeremiah talked to the blogger who posted it (he got $500) and the company that offers the service called Izea. I bookmarked the twitter posts following Jeremiah. Reading the microblog, it is interesting to watch the story come together. Jeremiah talks to the blogger, talks to Izea, and responds to his his followers on twitter. Jeremiah then follows up with it on his blog check it here:
Understanding Izea’s Sponsored Blogging Service
MediaPost Publications also covered the story here:
Kmart Enlists Bloggers To Get The Good Word Out
If companies are going to get popular bloggers to pay attention to thier products, more power to them! Who doesn’t like free stuff, especially if the product is high quality. The only person who gets hurt in this scenario is the blogger. If I read someones blog and they started doing product placements, I would tend to gloss over them. The only person who has been able to pull this off is Oprah, but her brand is so strong that people look to see what she has to say about products. We should really call this trend the Oprah phenomenon (patent pending!)
What do you think?
I wonder if I can get Volkswagen to sponsor my blog and give me a free car!?
“The only person who gets hurt in this scenario is the blogger. If I read someones blog and they started doing product placements, I would tend to gloss over them.”
So obvious yet such sage advice — bravo! The reason Oprah does well is because they ARE sponsors (not paid posts). For example, Oprah does a “I love teachers” program and becuz teachers are so under-appreciated and so underpaid they get a free car. Or she does a favorite things segment where SHE picked the fave things and then the audience gets them. Or she does a “get healthy” segment and teachers her entire viewership tips and techniques and the audience gets a book. But everyone gets value.
But when you have an entire post about a product–that is not a sponsor and does not “complement” the post, it’s a post that’s 100% paid–even if the blogger doesn’t like all that the company has to offer. The blogger didn’t think up a “program”, they’re just tailoring their content to fit the company that’s paying the bill. Thus, trust is at stake–and I don’t find the content too compelling.
glad to know of your blog now
Just go and test drive all the models! And make sure you only do things that you, the “average” person would do. Go to shows, get your groceries, etc. I am sure eventually you would get picked up.
When I get annoyed from corporate sponsorships, I chill out by enjoying the zesty flavor of Cool Ranch Doritos®, the chips with the crunch you love!
Amen brother!