Oh my God. That's awesome and completely stupid. I wouldn't read her blog anymore if I was already a regular. If people don't like her sponsored posts they're going to like getting yelled at even less.
Blog Advertising, Sponsored Posts, Celebrity Endorsements, Product Placement: Why and When You Choose to Care.
Every day athletes and celebrities are offered endorsement deals where they are paid millions of dollars to sell products that they have never tried and will never use.
But you don't care.
If you believe that Shaquille O'Neal actually drives the Buick LaCrosse he endorses, then quite frankly, you are living in a naive bubble of unawareness.
But you don't care.
Does it bother you when looking at a print magazine, likely more than half of the pages you flip through are ads for products? Do you also know that those magazine editors and writers get "freebies" from companies and brands to "push" in articles as "best new products to try" in addition to the full-page ads for the product?
Nope, you don't care. You still buy the magazine. Even though they don't disclose any of that information ever, you still enjoy reading the magazine and will inevitably buy those products.
Because that's advertising.
Did you stop watching The Colbert Report last night when Stephen announced that "Occasionally they have sponsors, and tonight it's Cadillac" then proceeded to promote the brand for the remainder of the show?
What if I told you I did a sponsored review for L'Oreal BB cream that ended up getting pulled, but I still use that BB cream every time I put on makeup because I actually like it?
You might care.
Did you care that when I was an actor in the 90's, I booked a commercial for Burger King, wherein I played an employee of said establishment... but would have never actually applied for and/orworked at a Burger King, let alone eat at one? #sorryImNOTsorry
Nope, you didn't care.
What if I told you that in 1994-95, for about 4 hours of work one Saturday morning, I netted over $60,000 after that BK commercial aired day after day, month after month, when I was just 17 years old... living with a single mom who could barely afford to put food on the table, in somebody's guest house for free, sharing a room with my 11 year old brother?
Would you have done it?
Yes you would have. And you would now too.
Did it matter that a few years later, when I was booked as the lead in a Secret Deodorant commercial, I didn't actually use Secret Deodorant because I didn't think it worked for me? Did that keep me from accepting a job as an actor in a commercial for it?
Nope. It didn't.
And I bet you wouldn't care about it either.
Just like you don't care when you see Sarah Jessica Parker on a hair color commercial when you KNOW she gets her hair done by a professional. She doesn't use a DIY box of hair color she bought at the local drug store for $6.99, and she for sure didn't do her own hair for that commercial.
But you don't care.
You still buy the product. You still think your hair is going to look just like hers, even though every box of color you've ever tried at home has turned your hair some variant of orange, you think that it's going to be different this time because SJP said so.
Because that's advertising.
And did you get upset and angry with SJP when your hair turned orange again, when hers looked like such a perfect combination of wheat and chestnut on the commercial?
Did you stop watching Sex and the City because of it? Did you send a letter saying you're going to UNFOLLOW HER AND STOP WATCHING ANYTHING SHE DOES EVER because your hair didn't turn out like hers?
No. You didn't do any of that.
Because you don't care.
You also don't care when a celebrity is gifted a handbag, jeans, or a gown from a designer or brand, then purposely uses it in public where they know they're going to be photographed with it, just so YOU think it's cool enough to buy. But they don't have to tell you that. They also don't have to tell you when they make upwards of $20K just to show up at a party and act like they just non-chalantly decided to go, in full hair and makeup, wearing whatever product that party is promoting. If you actually believe that they're on some random red carpet with a wall of branding behind them all holding or wearing the same exact product because they want to be there?! you are living in a naive bubble of unawareness.
But You. Don't. Care.
Celebrities and athletes alike aren't forced to tell you when they're getting paid to promote a product or whether they use it or have even tried it. But as bloggers, we are. According to FTC Disclosure Guidelines, ..."truth in advertising is important in all media – including blogs and social networking sites"... but apparently, not in television.
Hmmmm, I thought television was included in "all media" but I must be mistaken.
Still, you don't care.
Everywhere you look in this world, there is an advertisement for something. You could be standing on a cliff, overlooking the ocean and a blimp could float by with a banner ad flapping behind it selling any number of products. And if you haven't noticed, the internet is run the exact same way. In fact, the internet is almost solely run on advertising dollars for profit. As bloggers, we too make a living via some form of advertising on our blogs. And it's not just us little guys either, it's every single blog, news and web site on this world wide web that you get to visit whenever you want, FOR FREE.
So why is it so different for us bloggers?
FTC Disclosure Guidelines states: "...if an endorser has been paid or given something of value to tout the marketer’s product – the ad is misleading unless the connection is made clear. The reason is obvious: Knowing about the connection is important information for anyone evaluating the endorsement."
And I agree completely, 150%.
So we do. Well, the honest bloggers do. Because WE don't want to mislead you. WE aren't trying to sell you a product, WE are trying to make a living. And advertising in some form or another is one of the only ways to do so in this arena.
But you don't care.
You want to get ANGRY at bloggers who post a sponsored post on their blog, even if it's only once or twice a month, even if they tell you at the beginning, middle, and end, that it's a sponsored post...
Because for some reason, YOU CARE.
EVEN IF a blogger tried the product, liked it and DID truly recommend it, regardless of the pay, you DO CARE when bloggers do it. SOME OF YOU CARE A LOT. So much so that you'll get downright upset that you had to get all dressed and get in your car, sit in traffic, and pay good money to look at a blog.
OH WAIT... you don't have to do any of that just to look at a blog, my blog, or anyone's blog for that matter.
* Because they're free.
We bloggers work hard and offer free content day after day after day AFTER DAY as entertainment and enjoyment for YOU. FOR FREE.
So AM I going to throw a cupcake party with my family after finishing a big project and drink cranberry juice because they paid me $1000 to do so? HELL YES I AM because I'm a product now too, just like the juice is, and if a company thinks there's a good ROI for them if they pay me to talk about their product on my blog, them I'M GOING TO DO IT, just as I would as an actor.
And you know what, you would too.
Is blogging all about money? No, not for one second. But do you want to go to your job every day and work for free? I didn't think so. Ads and sponsored posts are how we bloggers make a living to be able to continue offering content to you for free. But if they offend you so much, why not just skip the sponsored post days? But you know what too? We/I turn down a LOT of offers for products that I wouldn't use or that don't fit my lifestyle, every day. In fact, I turn down more review opportunities than I accept, and I am honest in my review posts. I tell you if I don't like the products, because again, I'M NOT TRYING TO SELL YOU THAT PARTICULAR PRODUCT... I am just the vehicle, just like the actors in the commercials, voice-overs, and product placement in TV shows. The artistry is just trying to continue making art, and the only way they can sustain their practice, is through occasional endorsements.
Unless you want me to make this a paid subscription only space, I suggest you enjoy the free content or get in your car and go elsewhere.
Also, if I were considering sponsoring her posts I would never do it now.
So AM I going to throw a cupcake party with my family after finishing a big project and drink cranberry juice because they paid me $1000 to do so? HELL YES I AM because I'm a product now too, just like the juice is, and if a company thinks there's a good ROI for them if they pay me to talk about their product on my blog, them I'M GOING TO DO IT, just as I would as an actor.
i don't read her blog, but it is insane that this was her response to negativity. a normal person says, look, the blog uses up a good majority of my time and resources. having sponsored posts every now and then helps to offset some of the cost and i do not/will not post about any product i don't truly love and recommend. thank you for your continued support. end. not, screw you sweatpant-wearing losers!
I jsut read the blog post and maybe I'm missing it...but I don't see that quote in there at all...?
She edited it out. Apparently there were also a few choice comments about specific people/readers who had voiced negative opinions of her sponsored blog posts; those were also edited out after the fact.
I only read that post and her "about me" section. She sounds like a bitch.
Does anyone know the backstory with her and her H? She mentions that he was married when they met and alluded to some drama. Did they have an affair or something?
The lead must be the girl who stinks until she puts on deodorant, and she's more important than the guy who picks her up for a date and is happy that she doesn't stink.
Or maybe she's the girl with no white streaks on her black tank top. Don't try to diminish the lead role in commercials, SMACE! She's an actor!
while i agree with her that people are somewhat stupidly "i loved your blog before it was cool, man" about sponsored posts, i'm like, um, holy fuck about choosing to wig the hell out on everyone.
Ads and sponsored posts are how we bloggers make a living to be able to continue offering content to you for free.
Um yeah, but you know what, Maegan, you need the page views to continue to get the ads and sponsored posts and thid just guaranteed that I will never go to her blog again.