Comments on: Would I Have Blogged With Integrity?

By: Allie

Allie — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:03:24 +0000

On the green site, we have an if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all review policy, so when people send us stuff, they know it’s not a guarantee of a mention. And we don’t feel pressure to say good things about products that don’t make the cut. But we are talking about smaller freebies. I’m guessing GM wouldn’t be thrilled to shell all that out and not get a mention one way or another. Although, I’m also guessing they wouldn’t open themselves up to blogger criticism with a product they didn’t believe in.

I do think being given something alters perception a little Years ago, I lived near a second run theatre and could go to the movies for less than two bucks. I liked everything I saw there. Even an eh movie is worth two bucks. Most things are worth free. But I think most people realize that when they read a blog post.

By: headbang8

headbang8 — Sun, 23 May 2010 18:46:19 +0000

I suspect that, generally, saying nice things will help you get more sponsored blogging gigs. They don’t even have to be nice things about the product.

Now, if you were a car expert, or ran an influential motoring magazine, GM would have to submit itself to your hard-nosed scrutiny whether they like it or not. And be prepared for the consequences.

But you were more a representative of the likely buyer, than of the motoring community.

I suspect that Buick was delighted that you wrote about how kind they were, as much as about what the car was like.

From a commerical point of view, blogger outreach is the purest, and nicest form of PR. Just be good to members of the general public, and the karma will pay off–someday, somewhere, in ways you can’t directly account for.

I applaud the fact that Buick PR got back to basics, and didn’t let calculated cynicism get in the way.

Hey, companies can get bad publicity for free. Good vibes, though, are precious–more precious than a whole lot of blah about the virtues and advantages of the car.

By: wendy

wendy — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:24:24 +0000

So…did you get her to “do it” in the back seat?

who won that negotiation? that’s all I care about!

By: Danny

Danny — Sat, 22 May 2010 00:34:22 +0000

It was way easier than I thought it would be, helped by the fact that I truly was gaga over the luxury LaCrosse which was like riding in a heavenly cloud compared to my poor old 165,000-mile Honda Civic with no air conditioning. I couldn’t do such posts if I didn’t like the product, I think our insincerity would be quite evident. I did mention my one complaint about the LaCrosse (the narrow back windshield) and I got the impression that GM wanted to hear about the stuff we didn’t like. If only all experiences in corporate America could be that pleasant. Go to classic films all day and drive a gorgeous new car? Twist my arm!

Now, when you start writing rapturous posts about guns, diapers, or cleaning products, I’m going to get very suspicious…

By: caron

caron — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:11:27 +0000

I wouldn’t be as concerned with how the companies respond to honest criticism, I’m wondering how you really felt writing those posts. You’ve only told how others responded. I know this is an issue you’ve wrestled with a lot, and I have to say I had an anxious feeling for you when I read them ’cause it seemed like something you didn’t really want to do. Though I thought the first part of that post didn’t feel as authentically “neil” as usual, you certainly made up for it by the end – which made me feel better for you.

So maybe the question now is, was it easier or harder to write than a regular post? Would it cause an existential crisis every time you wrote for a sponsor? As long as your “Neilness” shines through and, you don’t have tacky flashing adds with automatic music (shudder) I’ll be here.

By: Rock and Roll Mama

Rock and Roll Mama — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:06:25 +0000

Neil, great question. And I love you for questioning yourself on this, as opposed to a simple hop on the gravy train.

But my experiences with brands over the past year have been that more often, they prefer my feedback and insight than a specific shill of pimp of their product. (Or at least, they’re kind enough to not tell me to STFU and write on my lil blog.:) But by building those kinds of relationships, I’ve felt pretty satisfied (and well-compensated,as opposed to come opps. where ethically and FTC wise, I couldn’t accept money.) I hope your shenanigans keep taking you in whatever direction you want to go- I love to watch them.:) Holla!

By: Kanani

Kanani — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:55:55 +0000

Well, I noticed you looked very good in the Buick LaCrosse.
But I didn’t notice whether or not you had integrity. This escaped me altogether. Perhaps you should have had a “Check Box” on the screen as you were filming in the car. “Does Neilochka have integrity right now? Rate 1 – 10.”

By: Nat

Nat — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:52:27 +0000

I was asked to review soap to clean sports clothing. It said it got the residual stink out. I found it didn’t and was 18 times more expensive than what I was using… and I blogged about it.

I reckon as long as readers know that you were given free swag, and that you were asked to write about it… it’s all good.

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:38:07 +0000

It can be done but whether it will or is depends on the blogger.

By: Neil

Neil — Fri, 21 May 2010 16:26:34 +0000

Caitlin… I should note that they didn’t ask me to review the car or expect me to do anything. Of course, I knew they wanted me to do it. But I think v-grrrl is right. It was more important to them to have brand identity than a car review. By me talking about classic movies and classic cars, it hopefully associated the word “Buick” with the terms hip but classic.