Product Marketing and the Mom-Blogs: What have we learned from #Nestlefamily?
12 Comments by MidwestMom on October 21st, 2009
This week, I’m spotlighting an issue in Mom-and Dad-blogging that has erupted and calmed several times in past months: the delicate-but-growing relationship between parent-bloggers and corporations. It is not an easy relationship to define, or even to write about with clarity. But bloggers, including BlogCatalog bloggers, are giving it their best shot.
For many of us, the September 30 twitterstorm that pitted bloggers, breastfeeding proponents, and social justice advocates against Nestle corporation, was an eye-opener. It began when Nestle hosted 20 bloggers for an all-expense paid visit to intensively market the Nestle product and thus gain a share in the increasingly vocal mom- and dad-blogger social network.
The company created a twitter hashtag (#nestlefamily) to help panelists tweet about the event and to enable the tracking of information related to their PR efforts. As the event began, bloggers concerned with Nestle’s corporate practices in the developing world made their voices heard with numerous tweets under the same hashtag. They spoke specifically about nutrition concerns, Nestle’s violation of World Health Organization guidelines for the marketing of infant formula, the company’s ties to repressive regimes, and the use of child slave labor in cocoa production. As a result of these complaints, Nestle products have been subject to boycott on and off since the late 1970's.
Nestle officials (and the mom- and dad-bloggers involved on the PR panel) were caught off-guard by the speed with which the #nestlefamily criticism took off. The demographic they were trying to reach was being turned against them with the same social networking tools Nestle sought to exploit. The response from many mothers was immediately critical and several exchanges got ugly. Still, weeks later, Nestle is trying to do damage control.
In the days after the #nestlefamily controversy, BlogCatalog mom-bloggers sounded off about the controversy itself, the uses of social media in mom-blogging, and most importantly, lessons learned. And now, quietly, the issues that were important enough for bloggers on both sides to do battle over have calmed again.
But I wonder whether the big issues have been resolved...
Do we know more now about how to manage the relationship between our role as writers and good parents and the large corporations and small businesses who seek us out to market their products?
Product review is an increasing share of the mom-blogger post count, so questions about what responsibility a blogger takes on when speaking for a corporation are valid and important. Bloggers, especially parent-bloggers, are no longer just grappling with issues involving which advertising platform to use. Instead, we are promoting each other with javascript badges and blogs dedicated solely to promotion. We attend marketing conferences. We enter contests and host giveaways as a way to get something we don’t have – something we’ve convinced ourselves we so desperately need. A new washer & dryer. A cleaner clean. A whiter white. The Clorox Toilet Wand (for crying out loud!) And traffic. Lots of traffic.
We are selling ad space and using our writing talents to market products. Why?
Is this what we started out to do? Is this why moms blog?
What are the trade-offs of going from mom-blogger to marketer and back again? And how does one navigate the web of expectations (even the unspoken ones) when dealing with corporate sponsors?
Please weigh in and share your experience. It's time to hash out these issues without the heat or a hashtag.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 07:00 am and is filed under Spotlight. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
jennyitup says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 08:07 am
More and more I am feeling like I just want to blog. That's not to say I won't take opportunities I feel are a good fit, but I'm passing on things I used to say "yes" to just because I thought I should be honored to be asked. But really, these days, I just want to write, share my life, and take care of my family.
MidwestMom says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 10:38 am
Thanks, Jenny.
I have heard other bloggers talking about marketing gigs as opportunities, too. Or feeling a sense of gratitude that their voice has weight because they're being sought out. I can understand that desire to be heard in a different way.
But I also understand the strong pull to write about your experiences as a mom. Motherhood is more than a demographic to me, and I am more than my purchasing power.
thompsonclan6 says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 10:39 am
Personally, my blogging philosophy has changed very little, since I published my first blog post 6 years ago; learning, writing and sharing stuff that perhaps makes life for other families (like mine) a little easier.
Today, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone to use their blogging powers for good.
However, you are absolutely spot on in thinking that web expectations have changed.
Evidenced by the #nestlefamily event, there is a great deal of information being shared and, unfortunately, not unlike most communities IRL, no matter how large, or small, there is very little room for bad behavior.
Yes, I was caught off guard by the Twitter storm - not so much by the differences in opinions (I respectfully agree to disagree) but, by the folks who chose Twitter as their platform and made me feel like a scab crossing over some imaginary line drawn on the blogosphere.
Being restricted to 140 characters leaves A LOT of room for misinterpretation, not to mention, gross misinformation.
I don't know of anyone who enjoys having their character and/or ethics decided for them.
Like Jennyitup, I just want to write, share my life and take care of my family. I also enjoy getting to know the companies and brands that find their way into my house.
Finding how to balance both, without being judged to harshly, not so much.
Hopefully, we can move on and focus on building a stronger community, rather than feeding off of controversy and/or someone's personal agenda.
Then again, that's what blogging is for.
Thank you for allowing me to engage in the conversation, here (long as it is) and, yes, I still believe that there were many lessons learned from #nestlefamily and I am glad to have been a part of it, sort of :)
MidwestMom says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 11:43 am
@Thompsonclan6
Thanks for sharing your perspective here. I'm wondering: what responsibilities do you think mom-bloggers take on when they start to engage in marketing? When the lines between personal writing and product testimonial cross over, what burden is carried by the blogger?
DaneMorgan says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 12:06 pm
@MidwestMom - Excellent article! Very well presented. I didn't even know about the "firestorm" until I read this, but it's a great case study in social media marketing and how it really works. I'll be spending some time with your links and doing some searches to really get into this one.
@jennyitup -- That to me just sounds like you are maturing as a blogger. As we get a following, if we mature, we will naturally make more selective decisions in the interest of our readership. Keep up the good work!
MidwestMom says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Thanks, Dane. I hope you will -- there has been some insightful writing on this issue from a variety of perspectives.
sugarmamabakingco says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 06:53 pm
GREAT POST!
The issues Mommy Bloggers are dealing with are nothing new at all; they are the same issues journalists dealt with and why there are now laws and accepted ethical standards for the industry. Until those same standards are set for bloggers--either by law or self-imposed--these issues will continue to rear their ugly head as corporations continue to try and exploit this group through products, trips, "sponsorship" and ad dollars.
I am concerned for Mommy Bloggers who lack the media ethics and journalism background; certainly free vacations and such are lovely--but-- they are ethical and legal problems for reporters for a reason.
I'm probably blabbering on...but...I am very glad to have found this post, and even more glad that the discussion is taking place.
Theresa111 says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 06:59 pm
Learning about this drama after the fact is still fine, in that I have been mulling over the reason Nestle keeps buying up land with fresh water, in other and poorer countries. then they bottle it and sell it at an inflated cost. Why do they feel they should buy the fresh water rights as they have been doing? Shouldn't the Earth's water be free for everyone's consumption and use?
Very worthy subject and a well written post.
texasholly says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 08:02 pm
Whew. Even without the Nestle firestorm (which I didn't know about until twitter), I have been more and more against crossing my family blog with any sort of endorsement. It isn't that I mind when other bloggers do it, it just isn't for me. I find that these companies are extremely demanding and expect a ton for very little in return. I end up frustrated and resentful and for what? A small product? A few dollars on a gift card? Not worth it when they are taking my time away from my family and my writing. I would love to make money blogging, but haven't figured out a way to do it that I enjoy.
husdal says:
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Following up on texasholly above, making any kind of brand endorsements on your blog is a two-edged sword, particularly if it is a brand that has had a troubled past, as in the case of Nestle. While a brand may be held high in esteem one day, it could suddenly end up being the victim of public resentment for valid, and sometimes, not so valid reasons. Which then makes your blog open to vile attacks on whatever brand that you decided to promote, turning a branded blogger into a branded blogger (there's pun here, if you get it?).
As always, a great post from Julia, reminding us of the responsibility we have as bloggers, writers, and sometimes underpaid marketers, to strike a balance with what we write.
I wonder if I should have that cup of Nescafe now or not?
RecycleCindy says:
Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 11:33 am
A very interesting and informative post. I had not heard about this twitter storm involving Nestle. It is becoming increasingly clear to me that blogging, marketing, and causes are beginning to clash over perspectives and promotions.
It's just like the pink overload that many of us are facing with October's breast cancer awareness. It's a great cause but some companies are just using it to cash in on the pink market. People such as myself who have faced breast cancer, feel overwhelmed by all the marketing and commercialization of the campaign. It is important to remember that everyone has different point of views concerning the delicate balance between selling a product and supporting a cause.
MidwestMom says:
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 09:17 am
@sugarmamabakingco - Thanks for your comment. You're right that there is overlap between blogging and journalism. I think that's why the FTC has come into the picture in recent months with an attempt to set (if not necessarily enforce) standards of disclosure for blogs and bloggers.
@Theresa111 - Thanks. An interesting fact to note: Nestle recently tweeted about a contest they were sponsoring to fund groups who can find and implement strategies to increase access to fresh water in the developing world. One can interpret an initiative like that in a variety of ways.
@Texasholly - I think many parent-bloggers are coming to a similar conclusion. Nevertheless, there is a relentless nature to the way some bloggers are pursued. My most recent offer involved a large company sending a chauffeur to my home at 5 in the morning to drive to Chicago for an all-day product roll-out. I would have returned home with a trunk-full of swag late at night. At first blush, such an offer could seem great -- a day away from the grind of motherhood and products galore. But it comes with the unspoken presumption that I would write about my fabulous day and the fabulous products... Which turns me from a parenting blogger into an infomercial. That's not why I do this, so I turned it down.
@husdal -- Thanks, Jan. Yes -- branded blogger -- good one! :) But I see what you mean. There was a time when it was a good thing to endorse Exxon or Union Carbide... or Nestle. (For some, it still is.) Endorsement is a sword that cuts both ways, to be sure.
@recycleCindy -- I read your post on Breast Cancer awareness and agree with you 100%. There is something deeply unsettling about the fact that marketers are using our understandable concern over something as serious and life-altering as cancer to sell a water bottle, a vacuum, or a pair of sneakers. There is a balance between showing solidarity with a cause and cashing in on it.