Don't Try To Use Your Blog To Extort A Pair Of Crocs
Here's a story that will teach you a little something about how not to behave. According to George Smith, who does online marketing for Crocs, a blogger at the BlogHer conference in Chicago tried to extort him out of some shoes. This is not a good idea.
Crocs guy says:
Anyway, it was about mid-afternoon when someone came up to me. I'll call her generic mommyblogger because I couldn't pick her out of a lineup if I tried.
"Are you the Crocs guy?" she asks, timidly.
I look up and smile. After all, it's nice to be recognize and it's a sign that I'm doing my job right.
"Yes, I am."
We continue with small talk. She says her name but, while I probably caught it at the time, it slipped out of my memory as the events of the next couple moments transpired. She asked how I was doing at BlogHer. If I was having fun. How it felt to be one of the only men there – all those typical questions that were being asked of me. Then her demeanor changed completely. She mentioned how she didn't get any shoes at the SocialLuxe lounge. I apologized, saying that we provided what we could but it's hard because we didn't know everyone's shoe size. She nodded but I could tell that wasn't the answer she wanted to hear. Then she says something that I couldn't believe.
"Ya know, if you don't give me shoes – I could totally write something bad about you on my blog."
"Excuse me?" I asked – hoping she would laugh or give me some indication that she was just joking around. Nope…
"It's just a pair of shoes. It's a lot easier to give them to me than deal with the negative press I could make."
Meanwhile, Valleywag says that there is no shortage of freebies at BlogHer, including, yes, Crocs, as well as makeovers and gift cards.
Do freebies influence bloggers? We can't really say, other than to note that Consumers Union, our parent company, doesn't allow them.
The Low, Low Price of a Blogger's Soul: A Pair of Plastic Shoes [Valleywag] (Thanks, David!)
(Photo:largeprime)
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Comments:
That reminds me of when I used to write for a now-defunct music blog/site and when I'd describe it to friends, I'd jokingly say, "I'm kind of a big deal."
Needless to say, some of them didn't get the joke and genuinely thought I was a doucheblogger.
@pecan 3.14159265 (100% more snark!):
We have that problem in the insurance industry. As an independent agency, we're constantly bombarded by carriers that want us to write more business with them than with their competitors. They're always giving out swag, tickets to things, and the like. Despite all of that, we try to steer our clients to carriers that have competitive premiums and good claims service. If a carrier can deliver that, they don't need to "bribe" agents to push them.
I am on twitter, and follow a lot of mommy bloggers since I am somewhat in that rank. There was a time when everyone was tweeting to get free crocs. And now, the fallout of Blogher has been insane. I really wanted to go to Blogher next year, but after the nonsense of this year I wonder if I should. I guess I am one of the few who could care less about the free stuff, since I wouldn't use most of it. I blog about cloth diapers, not kid toys and cameras etc.
Welcome to the seedy underbelly of Mommy blogging!
"Ya know, if you don't give me shoes - I could totally write something bad about you on my blog."
Haha! I love how blogs have the magical ability to inflate anyone's sense of importance to the point that they think they matter.
People go crazy for free stuff. Ever been to the Detroit Auto Show? I've seen people stand in line for an HOUR for a free bottle of water. Nothing special - just a free bottle of water. I've gotten the evil eye for showing a certain brand of car key from other patrons and getting to go to a swank lounge (in their mind - it was just a place to sit for me).
From said lounge you could see people who were collecting every piece of swag imaginable from companies. Brochures, bags, buttons, bumper stickers, water bottles, cup cozies, etc. And then getting PO'd when luxury car manufacturers don't want to pass out their expensive brochures (the super heavy card-stock, multiple pages, 6-ink, meant for potential buyers) to someone who already had 50 brochures that they were "collecting."
People who feel like they've been left out of free stuff go nuts - even when they don't really want the free stuff that much. Or have we forgotten the long lines for free Grand Slams?
What bad could she possibly say about Crocs that hasn't already been said?
If you're going to try something like this you at least to have something juicy...and a target who actually has something left to lose.
She must be really hard up on cash, because the last time I heard, Crocs are relatively inexpensive footwear. Mind you, I have no first-hand experience with them, because I would never wear those atrocious looking things.
What a Croc! (Sorry, had to).
@Quilt: People like getting things for free, didn't you know? It doesn't matter what it is. If it's free, people want it.
meanwhile at the Denver Airport they're free for the taking at the unattended Crocs kiosk:
Shame there wasn't a nearby escalator whirring nearby that the Crocs marketing manager could have fed Blogzilla's toes into.
I wish I worked in an industry where bribes were handed out regularly.
So you guys can't get freebies anymore? That stinks. :(
"You know the economy is taking a shit when:..."
...someone tries to extort some Crocs. Yeah, Crocs. *Rimshot*
If you're going to extort something, it should be something worth taking heat over. She sounds like the type of person who should have met her match with that person from the Urban Expressions story you guys posted. That guy/lady didn't give a shit about "e-warrior[s]" which made for plenty of LOLs.
The very concept of an event like "BlogHer" both perplexes and frightens me. If a "TwitHer" convention pops up, consider me gone from the interwebs. I'll be living in my bunker with a transistor radio, thank you very much.
Also, get off my lawn and back in my day, yadda yadda.
I've been relayed stories from a friend of mine who is in a "mommies" group for a nearby metro area. Some of those women are completely vindictive *censored*, if you know what I mean. Not all of them by any means, but there are a select few who want what they want, and $deity help you if they don't get it. Crazy stuff.
@pecan 3.14159265 (100% more snark!): I think it's one thing to review things that are sent to you.
It bothers me when I see bloggers who ask for copies of things to review, especially after they've lamented not being able to afford the thing normally.
"Gimmie free stuff just because I'm popular and promise to name-drop you" is how it comes off to me. I admit that it's a pet peeve, so I'm probably taking it too seriously, but it just seems like nice, professional, organized begging.
Extortion, plain and simple. She should be excoriated in the blogosphere.
@Quilt: There are people who think that if something is being given away for free then that means that they are entitled to it regardless of any time or supply limits.
I'm extremely happy with the Crocs folks right now. I bought a pair from an eBay seller who has sold me genuine Crocs in the past, but this new pair is obviously counterfeit for many reasons. I disputed the transaction, but PayPal refuses to get involved unless I perform the following utterly ridiculous ritual:
They told me I must go in person into a local authorized Crocs retailer (how should I know who's authorized or not) with my counterfeit goods in hand, request someone to be pulled off the sales floor to examine my shoes against a genuine pair in stock (assuming the pair that they might or might not have in stock is really genuine in the first place), then request the store to incur possible legal liability by typing a letter on company letterhead (handwriting is not permitted, according to the rep) that includes the mailing address of the company and the full name and contact information of the salesperson who typed the letter. THEN PayPal will "investigate," and possibly refund my payment provided that the totally unrelated third-party store is a Better Business Bureau member and that they can verify the letter by contacting the individual who wrote the letter (assuming that person isn't fired for doing such a questionable thing). Whether the seller is ever disciplined is evidently "not my business."
So I called Crocs and pleaded for help. They've got a smart gal working on it. She verified, based on my description, that the pair I have is bad, and she's trying to get a letter put together for me. Crocs is having a terrible time with knockoffs. Frankly if they're as horrible as you say (taken a look at the site lately?) then they would hardly attract so many knockoffs, you think?
@Stephmo: A friend of mine who does computer conferences like E3 once told me "You would absolutely not believe the things grown men will do to one another over a free T-shirt."
Funny: just about everyone on the receiving end of freebies claims they don't influence them, but a lot of research (nicely collated by Robert B. Cialdini in several of his books - it's his life's study) into the psychology of influence says otherwise. It's just human nature.
What's particularly insidious about it is that we're also really good at rationalizing why we're not influenced by it. Say... by citing an example where we got a gift and then did not engage in the desired behavior. The reason this is insidious is that we fool ourselves into thinking we're immune to it in general, rather than recognizing it doesn't work all the time.
The fact that she even thinks her blog is going to ruin him is just halarious... and I know it's been said, but Crocs? Seriously? Well she sounds like the type who already has 10 pairs to match her various frumpy seersucker shirts (these pairs will include all of the various shades of pink Crocs produces, plus the beloved and much searched for Uggs meets Crocs combo... the Mammoths!)
The major issue here is that if she knew what she was doing, she probably could cause a few headaches. People are very trigger happy when reporting about bad companies and are especially sympathetic to women, and moms. If she were to post
"Croc's Hates Mothers", even if she only has a small following (1-5k) that could spread, and get picked up by a blog like the consumerist assuming it was a believable story (remeber, it doesnt have to do anything with not getting free shoes).
We have seen stuff like this on the consumerist only to be proven wrong a few days later, but for those who dont read the follow up the first story is truth.
While having the ability to say what you want o the internet is great, big blogs need to be especially careful about what they repeat and take as fact.
Also, I want to know who this was, I wouldnt be surprised if she was a "blogger" who has a daily following of <100 readers...which is pretty much nothing...if she is a major blogger, Id like her name to be published so her readers know exactly who that person is and how she treats people.
@Quilt:
Yeah, they are ugly as hell, but great for yard work, gardening, walking the dog in the rain, etc. Rinse them off and let them dry; start over.
@hungryhomer: "Be careful, I'm a blogger!"
I work for a popular website and receive threats via email all the time from bloggers regarding comment moderation. "I'm going to post on my blog that you're a bunch of fascists! Now I know what it's like to be censored like the Iranians!"
I just have to laugh. And click the delete button.
Why would anyone commit blackmail for what could possibly be the ugliest shoes ever created?
At least try this for a Marc Jacobs bag or something.
@Wombatish: If they were popular and taste-making, they'd already be getting the free stuff to review -- a lot of places hand it out like candy, and niche publishers (say) will actively go after even pretty small websites that hit their niche audience. I think you're taking it just seriously enough. :)
@tungstencoil: And all a blogger or other writer has to do is write, "Product Y received for review from Company X" and everybody's open and above board and classy -- and the readers can decide how affected the blogger is by the freebie. People get so wound up about something so simple.
Boy, this lady needs to take Ethics 101 again.
@tungstencoil: The psychology of reciprocity is well documented, and very real, as you said.
In college, we were doing a study on reciprocity, so we made up a fake survey with some BS questions and stuck them in student mailboxes. Remarkably (and predictably) we got twice the response rate when we attached candy to the surveys, versus the students who didn't get candy. They felt indebted, even though they didn't ask for the candy.
This kind of thing is where the idea that blogs and citizen journalism can/should totally replace the "useless" professional MSM hits a big ol' snag for me. Not saying professional journalists are always squeaky-clean (I know there's plenty of swag floating around traditional newsrooms), but there at least is an ATTEMPT to codify some standards/ethics and teach them to people entering the field. This woman clearly has NO idea that her request is ethically problematic. And why would she? No one's ever told her otherwise.
@Wombatish: Exactly, because it IS nice, professional, organized begging. And the problem with that is that you can't actually know whether the reviewer's recommendation of the item (ie, telling you something he/she got for free is worth YOUR money to purchase) is legit or if it was unduly influenced because ZOMGFREESTUFFRULZ.
I would have gotten the woman's name, and said "I'll keep an eye out for your article so I can tell everyone how you tried to extort me." Then again, she had the gall to threaten, so maybe she won't mind being shown how petty she is.
@pecan 3.14159265 (100% more snark!): Amazon Vine FTW. If you are lucky enough to be selected for this program (you'll see a link for it on your Amazon home page), you get to choose a couple of itmes from a selection of free stuff once a month to review. I've gotten everything from philosophy books to novels from obscure authors to a free GPS. I've seen stuff available costing around $200, all they way down to a bottle of some bizarre Hibiscus beverage running less than a buck.
I'm not surprised. I'm an online seller on another site, and bloggers often visit the site forums asking for free stuff in exchange for a good review on their blog, and when sellers refuse or question the motives (would you trust a review on someone who was bribed), they sometimes will say bad things about those... shall I say, smarter, sellers.
In another twist to this unethical practice, I've seen a lot of not-so-popular sellers loose a lot of money giving freebies to blogs, expecting that their review will help their sales. More often than not, it doesn't help.
Blogs shouldn't equal online power.
Wow. A frikkin freebies lounge? At the same event where these bloggers are trying to portray themselves as professionals? Amazing.
When I used to edit videos for kiosks in Walmart and Toys R Us, I was given 2 samples of everything. It was great when I had a Nerf spot to do cause they sent me 2 of every product they made. It came in four 5 foot tall boxes. I'd have to say I spent more time making their ads jump out. I like bribery and so did my nieces and nephews.
BLOGGING
Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.
That's from despair.com
@Wombatish: Yeah, but in my case, I had to request items because we weren't on any studio's list. It's weird, especially if you knew what company I worked for. It's not obscure. But I had to request stuff, it wasn't automatically sent to me.
If you're extorting another blogger for a pair of freakin' Crocs you need to reevaluate your life's purpose...
@b.k.: If being your friend meant that I had to watch (and remember!) Will Ferrell movies, I can deal with not being your friend.
Dear 99% of the people with a blog:
The life that you think is so exciting, so full of things to report to your fans on the web? It sucks, and when described in your awkward "I got a gold star for writing in 6th grade" writing style is even worse.
To the 1% of blogs that are actually interesting...nice job.
When will people realize that no blog, no facebook account and no amount of twitter effort will make a boring life that no one would want to know about anything other than what it is?
My office used to get freebies for review all the time. In fact, I have several books and DVD sets that had been sent to the office from studios and publishing houses. Advanced copies of some things as well. I used to review things and when I would request a copy for review, sometimes I would get the item and a letter saying thank you, or contact info for their media department. One time, I got the product itself in three different versions and a licensed merchandise like hats and t-shirts. But it didn't keep me from saying the whole thing sucked because..well, it sucked. I don't know if they were going for bribery, but freebies don't sway me.
I could see how they would sway others, though, because some people develop a working relationship with the studios and providers of content...and some pettiness on the part of the studio could mean getting shut out of events if they perceive you to be unfair (even if you're not) and they think they'll get bad press regardless.