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Blogland will be buzzing tomorrow as the new FTC Guides take effect, clarifying rules for disclosure of material relationships between bloggers and brands.  We talked to blogger members of our MomSquad to get their reaction to the guidelines – what the rules mean for their blogs and what advice bloggers have for brands.

“I couldn’t be happier about the new guidelines,” says Jill Notkin of Work at Home Mom.  “Over the last year, everybody with a computer has jumped on the ‘blogwagon’ and the saturation is making it difficult for serious bloggers to maintain a reputable face.  Maybe this will bring more respect back to blogging.”

“I am now including a disclosure statement at the end of each post – I either add my own verbiage or use verbiage the brand supplies,” explains Mom’s Favorite Stuff’s Jodi Grundig. “Brands should be up front with how they’d like bloggers to handle disclosure on products they supply.  If the brand and blogger isn’t in agreement with how disclosure should be handled, it’s probably not a good fit.  I do think some companies have been going a bit overboard with disclosure, however.  I’ve been asked to write, ‘this recipe was supplied to me for free from xx.’  I really don’t want to see blogs become all disclosure/no valuable content.”

“In order to give an honest review, you must try products and put them to the test.  It’s no secret companies offer products for this purpose and your audience will not think less of your opinions when this is disclosed,” comments Julie Gerber of The Gerber Babies Blog (not that ‘Gerber’).
“I think brands should look at the sites first and find the blogs that are a good fit for them,” advises Anisa Raoff of Kidoinfo. “Do they want to send their product out to whoever will review it or does it matter who the blogger is?  Do they want to align with certain blogs because of the content on their site?”  Great questions.

“Brands need to cover their own ‘behinds’ – there are plenty of review bloggers who take [the FTC Guides] seriously and work professionally and there are others who do not,” adds Posh Parent Clarissa Nassar, also a Glambassador for Glamour magazine.

“I just wish the rest of the media world was held to similar accountability, especially celebrities,” says Mommy Niri Nirasha Jaganath.

And on that note, the FTC guides do go beyond bloggers, extending the same rules of transparency and disclosure to third-party experts utilized as spokespersons and celebrity endorsements – and that’s a good thing.  We’ll have much more on this topic in the December issue of the 360PR MomSquad Trendletter. Meantime, some good resources are Blog with Integrity and the Council of PR Firms’ Code of Ethics. Love to hear your comments!

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Digital PR, Marketing to Moms, Social Media by LauraTomasetti - 4 Comments →

I had the pleasure of moderating an informative panel of leading brands and bloggers in the parenting space at last month’s Marketing 2 Moms conference.  We’ve edited the two-hour session down to a 13-minute podcast, packed with tips and insights – worth a listen as you’re building your 2010 campaigns and considering how to initiate or extend your work with bloggers.

eMarketer reports that there are 34 million moms online and that may very well be a conservative estimate – we’ve seen numbers as high as 40+ million moms online.  And as parenting books such as Child, Wondertime and Cookie have ceased publication, hundreds more mom bloggers have begun posting.  There’s no denying it, blogs are a legitimate part of the mom media mix today – especially if you want to reach the connected, influencer-moms who have the power to word-of-mouth your brand.  But with more bloggers and brands jumping in, the environment is cluttered, and communications needs to be on point to break through and resonate with bloggers and their readers.

Moreover, with the FTC Guides taking effect 12/1, brands need to be diligent with their monitoring – making sure what is played back is accurate and any material relationships are clearly disclosed. We all have lots at stake – brands, bloggers and, most of all, readers.  Here’s what the experts at M2Moms had to say:

“Blogger relations should be about “quality over quantity…what [bloggers] say is more important than the numbers.” – Lesley Hettinger, General Motors Corp

“The intimate conversations are so much more valuable…it’s not about building an army, but an influential group of advisors and advocates…you really have to look at the long tail.” – Jeannine Harvey, PBS

“To me, it’s always about the added value…brands need to be able to provide added value” when working with bloggers and their audiences. – Kristin Brandt, Manic Mommies

“Blogs are such a personal experience for the reader…it’s really important that everything on that page be reflective of who we are.” – Liz Gumbinner, Cool Mom Picks & Blog with Integrity

“We want to get to know moms on a 1:1 basis.  We’re always reading blogs and looking at what bloggers are talking about on Twitter.”  - Marcia Hansen, Allstate Insurance Company

“I feel better about a brand if they have a presence on Twitter.  But the most important thing is to have someone monitoring…you have to have someone interacting with your customers.” – Beth Blecherman, Silicon Valley Moms Group

For more, listen to the M2Moms Brands & Blogs podcast below. A BIG thanks to Kristin Brandt for recording the session and to Susan Getgood for her masterful editing!

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Marketing to Moms, Parenting, Pitch tips by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

For the past 48 years, The Hatch Awards, hosted by the Ad Club, have been New England’s premier creative awards show.  Over 1200 entries are reviewed by a dozen judges - high-ranking creative executives from outside the New England area.  Awards are presented across 32 categories including every kind of media possible.

As part of the Ad Club’s PR Committee, 360PR attended the show on Tuesday night…and was blown away (props to Boston University’s drum corps)!

Hatch Awards 2009

I serve on the Ad Club PR Committee and one of the things we try to do is to cast a light on the young, diverse creative ad biz in Boston – the industry has moved well beyond the bygone “Mad Men” era.  This year, we invited some special guests to attend — some leading bloggers from the Boston area.  As we all know, mom bloggers are the movers and shakers of the world — they can topple brands or create success stories in the blink of an eye.  In fact, U.S. moms say 80% of ads miss the mark (via M2Moms).  But experts say that we can improve those results by using social media to create online communities and brand advocates. 

We also set up a hash tag for bloggers and members of the Hatch audience to follow.  Over the course of the evening, there were over 70 Twitter status updates using #AdClub.  The following local bloggers in attendance driving the conversation were:

• Christy Matte, More than Mommy (http://morethanmommy.com/) 
• Nirasha Jaganath, Mommy Niri (http://www.mommyniri.com/) 
• Susan Getgood, Marketing Roadmaps (http://getgood.com/roadmaps/) 
• Jennifer Leal, Savor the Thyme (http://savorthethyme.blogspot.com/) 

Some of the gold bowl recipients were Arnold’s picturesque FootJoy print ads (something any golf fanatic would love) in the Consumer Magazine Spread category, Mullen’s hilarious Boston Bruins national TV spots (my personal favs), and Hill Holliday’s sobering Liberty Mutual TV spots.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Boston, Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, Marketing to Moms, Social Media by MikeRush - No Comments →

It’s been awhile since the Beatles instructed the world to “come together,” but their message of peace still resonates today. Whether it’s joining Facebook with your blog, the FTC setting guidelines between bloggers and marketers, or the ongoing battle of the sexes, elements of social media rarely stand alone. This week, we’re taking a deeper look at online relationships, whether they’re between two social media services, or a government agency and a nation of product-reviewing bloggers. We’re left wondering: can’t everyone just get along?

Mashable “HOW TO: Integrate Facebook With Your Blog” - As the article’s author points out, integrating your blog’s copy with your personal Facebook page (or fan page) is a great means of exposure for your content. And really, who isn’t looking for more bang for their buck? There are several ways to cross-promote your posts, so if you’re looking to publicize your work, this piece is for you.

The Forrester Blog for Interactive Marketing Professionals “The End of Marketer-Blogger Relationships?” - There’s been a lot of buzz in the past few months surrounding product reviews, pay-for-play, and the issue of bloggers being bombarded by companies looking to get in front of niche audiences, sometimes through questionable and unethical means. On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission announced that relationships between marketers and bloggers must be fully disclosed, in other words, if a blogger receives a free product, or is paid to write a review, they have to say so. What are the implications of the changing guidelines? We’ll have to wait and see.

Brian Solis “In the World of Social Media, Women Rule” - Sorry, boys. It’s a girls’ social media world, and you’re just livin’ in it. According to a recent study published by social media guru Brian Solis, women are more active than men on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, Yelp and other similar sites. ‘Women Rule’ was even a recent Trending Topic on Twitter. No disrespect to our male colleagues, but here at 360PR, we’re all about girl power!

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

With all of the digital news articles online and print, and with social media itself (Facebook, blogs and Twitter) spreading facts and rumors like wildfire, it sure is difficult to keep a secret these days. This week, we’re joining in the online version of ‘telephone’ to bring you the social media scoop. Below, learn the ins and outs of Facebook and how to avoid a blogging blunder. Oh, and Twitter’s set to receive $100 million dollars from seven separate sources. From who, you ask? It’s a secret!
AllFacebook.com “10 Less Known Facebook Features” - Sure, you’ve been poking people since back in ‘04 and throwing sheep at them since ‘07. But did you know that you can group your cartoon animal-receiving friends into groups to easily send invitations and messages?
Mashable - “Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How To Avoid Them” - Blogs are a dime a dozen, but there is a way to break through the clutter and stand out among the crowd. This piece tells you how to get people talking about your site - in a good way.
AdAge - “What Should Twitter Do with $100 Million?” - If past 360PR blog posts haven’t convinced you of Twitter’s tenacity, this article may be the clincher. As the old saying goes, money talks. And the Tweeple have spoken. Expect improvements in the service over the coming months, as the green is expected to be used for the benefit of Twitter users. A business deal where everybody wins is a sweet way to start your weekend.

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

The Summer issue of our MomSquad Trendletter is out and I keep meaning to post the link here in case you’re not a Trendletter subscriber.  It’s a particularly good issue if I may say so, with a great line up of content and contributors, including:

• What’s happening with Dad Blogs, a piece contributed by Christy Matte of About.com’s Family Computing blog and her own blog, More Than Mommy;
• Boston Mamas’ Christine Koh’s report from BlogHer with tips for brands interacting with bloggers;
• Going beyond blogs to forums such as the Mom Bloggers Club to reach powerful networks of influencers, by Clarissa Nassar, a.k.a. The Posh Parent; and
• A look at what’s on the mind of PTA moms as back-to-school time approaches, written by PTA Mom Anisa Raoof, editor at Rhode Island-based Kidoinfo.

We’d love your feedback if you get a chance to link over and read the current issue!

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Marketing to Moms, Parenting by LauraTomasetti - 1 Comment →

We’ve returned safe and soundly from Chicago and BlogHer 2009 was a big success.  Its biggest turnout to date, the five-year-old conference morphed into a true tradeshow format with major brands turning out to grab the attention of bloggers across the country.

Elaborate booths, impressive swag and even celebrity sightings (Tim Gunn, Paula Deen and Carson Kressley), are a testament to the fact that brands know how important bloggers are to their success; and are willing to put the resources and funds behind social media initiatives to get in the bloggers’ good graces.

Social media is a force to be reckoned with; and is certainly gaining lots of attention in the industry.  Issues with the FTC (see Laura’s recent post), Blog with Integrity and the recent announcement of the PR Blackout Challenge all point to an obvious truth: new media is calling and is here to stay. By the looks of BlogHer 2009, brands have taken notice.

From national brands like Pepsi Co and Walmart to non-profits such as Safe Kids to the unexpected presence of Pork (touting themselves as the Real Pork Bloggers of Chicago), the brands at this year’s conference ran the gamut.  Also, our Safety 1^st client was in attendance to introduce its new Complete Air car seat with Air Protect Side Impact Technology.  Stay tuned to view our Flickr page with all of our booth visitors in front of the Chicago skyline!

See you all next year in NYC for BlogHer 2010!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Social Media by BrittanyWelch - 3 Comments →

Guess what the first and last topic was on the first day of Blogher? Right. That FTC stuff. Disclosure was the main message from the Blogher founders.  Blogher requires its network of 2,500 bloggers to aggregate product reviews to a separate review blog and note that reviews are sponsored.

But is disclosure enough?  Do we need or, let me rephrase, want “compensated reviews”?  If a product or service is truly break-through and relevant to the audience, and the outreach is well timed and appropriately targeted (if I can put in just a small plug for PR), reviews get written and for the right reasons.

There was a lot of discussion throughout Blogher Business about how bloggers “add value for marketers.”  But most blogs weren’t started as a marketing platform, and even as they’ve collectively evolved to be a viable channel for advertisers online, the audience needs to come first.  If it doesn’t, we all lose.

A group of bloggers we have a heck of a lot of respect for launched an initiative this week called Blog with Integrity, inviting bloggers to take a pledge of a code of conduct - totally voluntary and completely about raising the bar back up in the blogosphere for mom bloggers and all bloggers.

So what about us PR peeps?  Almost a decade ago, The Council of PR Firms set forth a code of ethics by which members firms (including 360PR) agree to conduct business - to help ensure PR with Integrity.  ”In communicating with the public and media, member firms will maintain total truthfulness and accuracy… the sources of communications and sponsors of activities will not be concealed,” reads an excerpt.

Social media, and PR’s prime-time role in social media, have raised the stakes.  We need to strive to be authentic, accurate and transparent in every interaction with bloggers, journalists and analysts every day.  What would our moms say?  Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.

What are your thoughts?

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Internet, Marketing to Moms, PR Industry, Social Media by LauraTomasetti - 6 Comments →

Call it a stunt.  Call it desperation.  MomDot issued a challenge to its community of bloggers last week calling for a PR Blackout for one week in August.  (Just so happens that’s the week everyone’s on vacation anyway, haha.)  The ironic thing is the announcement was the most successful PR move ever for MomDot, accidental or not.  The Wall Street Journal was the latest to cover the news, in today’s edition.

On the one hand, I don’t blame MomDot.  Bloggers, and mom bloggers in particular, are over-saturated with PR pitches.  We get calls daily (truly daily) from brands wanting to dive in.

I often think of our mom blogger friends on the inevitable receiving end.  Step into their world for a minute.  Unlike journalists, most mom bloggers don’t work full-time. They’re balancing blogging with their other passion - family.  And some of the pitches, no scratch that, MOST of the pitches they get are just awful.  Read Bostonmamas Christine Koh’s recent “Bad Blogger Outreach” series.  Delete, delete, delete.

The good news is blogs are now widely recognized by brands as a legitimate channel in the mom media mix.  And there are brands and PR firms (wink, wink) that get it.

It’s important to look at blogs individually and not as one big mom blog bucket.  So much of good blogger relations is about content mapping. What’s the blogger’s focus?  What value does the brand bring to the discussion?  How can you be a true resource to a blogger and not a source of exasperation?

For more, look for 360 at Blogher Business this week, and if you’re not headed to Chicago, keep an eye here and on our tweets (@Laura360, @C_Pierce, @BWelch).

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Internet, Marketing to Moms, Pitch tips by LauraTomasetti - 12 Comments →

If you thought your High School graduation signified the end of the rat race for popularity, you were mistaken. This week, the focus was on maintaining a “cream of the crop” social media status, whether you’re a blogger, avid Facebook user, or intern relegated to delivering the daily dose of java for the office. Check out some of the following articles for some pointers on excelling in the digital space.

Copyblogger “The Real Secret to Becoming a Popular Blogger” - These days, who doesn’t have a blog? Many infants do. So do some canines. But how many people are actually reading your blog on a regular basis is what really matters. How do you become part of the blogosphere’s inner circle? According to Johnny Truant at Copyblogger, your need to be interesting, smart and relatable. Sound similar to the dating scene to anyone else? C’est la vie.

Mashable “Dunkin Run Automates your Coffee Breaks on the Web and iPhone” - “America Runs on Dunkin.” At least the Northeast does, that is. But when everyone in the office is working on deadline, in a meeting, or on a call, it’s tough to facilitate that mid-afternoon caffeine pick-me-up. With an ingenious new application from Dunkin’ Donuts however, you can collect a list of orders before you head out the door. Coffee’s never tasted so sweet.

AllFacebook “How To Get Your Facebook User Name Back From a Squatter” - After reading our post about Facebook Vanity URLs, and CNET’s article on the same topic, you might’ve scrambled to secure your personalized URL. But if you waited to make your claim, you might be out of luck. Check out this article from AllFacebook before you fret. Note however, that if you can’t prove your URL is your livelihood, it might be time to consider a legal name change.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

The third annual BlogHer Business conference is taking place on July 23 in Chicago. This year, 360PR is proud to sponsor the event, which brings together brand marketers, pr and communications pros, social media consultants and, of course, bloggers. The day-long conference serves as a course in the most effective ways to reach women online - a rapidly growing and extremely influential demographic.

360 has attended in the past and found the sessions to be very valuable and the overall event to be fantastic for networking. The event brings bloggers from across the country together to meet in-person and engage with brands and each other - can’t get much better than that!

We’d love to see you there! To register, visit the BlogHer Business website here.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Events and Conferences by SkyeMcIntyre - 1 Comment →

Bloggers and marketers have new common ground: the proposed FTC regulations that, if enacted, will hold bloggers liable for product reviews.  That could have some bloggers skittish about accepting your next product sample for review.

Blogger X says the product cleans your house, picks up your kids and puts dinner on the table.  If the product doesn’t work the same way when you try it at home, you now have someone beside the product maker to blame - that nice mom blogger up the street, who, by the way, was just expressing an opinion, not writing a product manual.  Check out NJ Mom Blogger Liz Thompson’s comments on the subject.

There’s something, no wait, there’s a lot that bothers me about the idea of mom bloggers like Liz having to hire legal counsel.  But things may not be as bad as they sound.  The proposed regulations are primarily aimed at curtailing pay-for-play posts - separating editorial and advertisement, as traditional media have historically done (though things do seem to be murkier every day with “advertorial” copy and product placement, not to mention celebrity endorsements).

The new regs would also hold brands liable, requiring brands to ensure information provided to bloggers is 100% accurate - and PR people don’t embellish the pitch beyond what the product truly delivers (not a bad thing, truth in advertising, truth in PR).  The bigger challenge for brands would be traversing the blogosphere to make sure information delivered is accurately translated, as reviews are posted.  No small task.  Perhaps an opportunity for social media monitoring services, such as Radian6 (which we use) and more advanced tools, such as Trucast.

One positive that could come from all of this is the demise of pay-for-play agencies that promise to deliver XX number of positive reviews in XX days.  They can guarantee the reviews because they’re buying them.  I’ve been surprised at the level of brands who have subscribed to these models.  Why not be transparent and just place real ads on blogs and at the same time earn the editorial and endorsements?

Some networks, like BlogHer, have put in place their own standards - requiring bloggers participating in their network to place advertising and editorial on different pages - and sometimes different blogs altogether (many bloggers have separate blogs for product reviews, though their readership is not always as strong as their main blog).  That policy is meeting with mixed reviews, as some bloggers say they don’t want third-party groups controlling their blog.

I’m headed to NewComm Forum to join Susan Getgood on a blogger relations panel Monday, where the FTC regs promise to be a hot topic.  Stay tuned for more here and keep an eye on Twitter #sncr for the discussion.

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Marketing to Moms by LauraTomasetti - 3 Comments →

Our 360PR Stop & Shop team hit the road last week and headed to the Frog and Peach Restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The reason?  To meet some of the great New Jersey mom bloggers and chat with them about what Stop & Shop can do to help their families eat nutritiously, while still sticking to a budget.

Our good friend Liz Thompson from This Full House co-hosted the event and spread the word about it with her fellow Jersey (or Joisey as she calls it!) mom bloggers.  We had a really nice lunch with some great new friends, including Deb from Jersey Bites, Vanessa AKA Chef Druck, Hilary of Mrs. Mo’s NJ, Baby!, Monica from Paper Bridges, Bay from Queen Mother Blog, Cecile of The Shopping Duck and Kate from Growing Up in the Garden State who even celebrated her birthday with us!

Bringing together communities of bloggers for in-person events is always fun. Many of the bloggers at the lunch knew each other in the online world, but just “met” for the first time. And it sounds like great things will come out of that. The bloggers we met are especially committed to helping their communities through their blogs. Started by Deb at Jersey Bites, bloggers across the Garden State participated in Blogging Out Hunger, a holiday-timed campaign that raised $7,000 for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and showed the power of blogs. Stop & Shop was able to get involved by pledging a $1 donation for every comment Liz at This Full House received in response to her campaign post.

Now that we’ve been formally introduced (and broken really good bread!) with these New Jersey bloggers, we definitely look forward to more events and collaborations like Blogging Out Hunger in the future.

Stop & Shop’s New Jersey Blogger Lunch introduces new friends: Cecile from The Shopping Duck, Deb from Jersey Bites, Kate from Growing Up in the Garden State and Liz from This Full House

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Cause-Related, Events and Conferences by VictoriaBreglio - 3 Comments →

Yes, you read that correctly - the recession (the dreaded ‘R’ word that seems to come up more times in any given day than we can stand) can suck it. So say the folks at Mekanism who led a crowd-pleasing, laughter-induced presentation to a ballroom full of marketing and PR professionals at the fourth annual MI6 conference last week.

Some of the fun game industry facts that were presented on just how the recession can suck it included the following highlights from 2008:

• Dance Dance Revolution was incorporated into 765 physical education classes around the U.S.
• World of Warcraft (and, believe me, I hate including this as we represent arguably, the #2 most successful MMO, The Lord of the Rings Online ) announced 8.5 Billion (yes Billion with a capital B) guests since launch in 2004
• 26% of Americans over 50 years old played games in 2008, up from 9% in 1999 (and I, for one, can back this up with my parents actually asking to play Wii games at my house over Easter weekend)
• 100 Million Sims games sold, making it the most successful PC franchise of all time
• And, finally, playing games, according to 32% British males, is better than sex (and that number jumps to 72% when sex is compared with a new game release). Yes, you read that correctly.

Couple these stats with the cold hard cash earnings from leading games retailer, GameStop, which recently touted an increase of 22.4% in Q4 sales, along with the fact that the industry reported record growth 11 out of 12 months last year (as reported by the US President of Future publishing in his opening address), and maybe we’re onto something here.

[Read more →]

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Events and Conferences, Media and Press, Social Media, Video Games by StaceyClement - 1 Comment →

I’m heading to the West Coast next month to the Society of New Communications Research’s annual NewComm Forum.  Besides being excited about tagging on a weekend in wine country, I can’t wait to sit in on the conference sessions. 

I’m joining Susan Getgood on her panel covering Blogger Relations, along with other SNCR award honorees from the blogger relations category.  NewComm Forum 2009 will feature sessions on the culture of Facebook, a social media measurement “master class” with Katie Paine, a “Twitterville” session with Laura Fitton (a.k.a. Twitter/Pistachio), a social media crisis communications session, and roundtables on social media management best practices and other hot topics.

Check out the full agenda.  SNCR is on the cutting-edge of all things social media - I learned a ton going to their fall conference in Boston.  If you’re budgeting time out of the office and travel this year, NewComm Forum is one of the best tickets to keep on your short list.

You can also participate in SNCR’s annual Tribalization of Business Study on the use of communities and social media in business.  All who participate get an early, free copy of the results.

Filed under: Blogger Relations, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Internet, Measurement, Social Media by LauraTomasetti - 3 Comments →