Last week my friend Steve Hall from the fabulous Adrants marketing blog published a paid post about new homeowner tax credits that had nothing to do with advertising.
In fact, it didn’t even mention the sponsor’s advertising strategy, AND it included a corporate video so dry I had to stare at this for 12 minutes just to re-inspire my will to live.
I respect Steve, his snark and his blog. I also respect the dude needs to earn a living and is trying new things. However, I increasingly ask myself if the ease of muddying down good blogs for the sake of blogola can really be the future of social media? It’s something we’ll be talking about at my SXSW panel in March.
Did you know Perfect Porridge frequently gets propositioned, bribed and bullied to accept payment to post things? Oh yeah, all the time. Let’s try an experiment, shall we?
One of the more legit companies that sends these propositions is Buzz Paradise, with whom I must’ve signed up with forever ago and requires disclosure. Recently they offered me more than $100 to post a dancing baby YouTube video for Evian. I passed.
But being inspired by Steve and the prospect of selling out just once to see how it feels, I thought I’d try one of their more recent requests — this one for Alicia Keys, whom I cannot stand and would never write about on Perfect Porridge unless I was being paid.
The following is a paid post (well, we’ll see if they pay me for this):
Apparently Alicia Keys, whom I don’t like as a performer, likes to wear Carrera sun glasses, which I would never wear because I’m a dude and also because I wear glasses.
In this video for “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart,” you’ll see Keys wearing Panamerika 1 sun glasses from the Carrera Vintage collection, which (I’m told to tell you) are inspired by the style of the 1980s and draw attention because of their unique metal frame in form of a tear which makes them recognizable at once. I assume they also hide your tears while watching this video.
What you won’t see in the video is that the anagram for Alicia Keys is “Alike As Icy.” That’s a little free bonus right there for you.
And here’s the disclaimer code that lets them track you reading this:
Hmmm…it was so easy to sell out just now. So easy to abuse your trust in me as a writer. So easy to prostitute myself beyond a curator of “good” music to pimp formulaic crap produced to sell millions to the mouth-breathing public.
This is one of those experiments that makes me want to take a 45 minute hot shower to scrub the filth off, but at least I have a bit more perspective for the discussion at SXSW.
I can only hope the next company to pay me for blog posts sells soap in bulk.
You are right the homebuyer credit thing had nothing to do with advertising. The reason I decided to take that offer was quite simple. Most people in advertising, like most people in every other industry either own a home, are selling a home or plan to buy a home. That's a lot of people. I just thought it would be of interest to many of the readers.
Yes, I didn't comment on their advertising. I could have and maybe should have though the video was just an informational sort of thing.
The paid post thing is definitely in a gray area. When it arose several years ago, I vociferously trashed it. But as the world of advertising continues to change, I decided to at least realize there will be many new forms of advertising. This is one of them. It may not be perfect but one thing's for sure: the old way of advertising is dying on the vine.
You are right the homebuyer credit thing had nothing to do with advertising. The reason I decided to take that offer was quite simple. Most people in advertising, like most people in every other industry either own a home, are selling a home or plan to buy a home. That's a lot of people. I just thought it would be of interest to many of the readers.
Yes, I didn't comment on their advertising. I could have and maybe should have though the video was just an informational sort of thing.
The paid post thing is definitely in a gray area. When it arose several years ago, I vociferously trashed it. But as the world of advertising continues to change, I decided to at least realize there will be many new forms of advertising. This is one of them. It may not be perfect but one thing's for sure: the old way of advertising is dying on the vine.
Sweet post Greg. You must follow up on what kind of response you get from Carrera, er, Buzz Paradise?
I just recently began taking some marketing courses at a local college, and the first day the instructor commented on how rapidly marketing in social media is exploding, unbeknownst to all the old timers who've been teaching for decades. I snickered. There's a lot of desperation out there.
Sweet post Greg. You must follow up on what kind of response you get from Carrera, er, Buzz Paradise?
I just recently began taking some marketing courses at a local college, and the first day the instructor commented on how rapidly marketing in social media is exploding, unbeknownst to all the old timers who've been teaching for decades. I snickered. There's a lot of desperation out there.
Hi Greg,
I’m Mario Criscuolo and I invited you to take part in this campaign.
The members of BuzzParadise can either choose to participate or refuse to participate to our advertising campaigns.
When you decide to take part in a sponsored-post Media campaign, in exchange for your payment, you commit yourself to write a post.
We do not want you to lie about the product or the service, we only want your objective opinion about them.
This means that you are free to express yourself.
The only requirement is that you respect the campaign brief that is given to you in your member space.
Last but not least, you will be paid for your post on the Carrera campaign because you have respected the guidelines of the brief.
The sponsored post is just a new way of advertising in the web 2.0.
Hi Greg,
I’m Mario Criscuolo and I invited you to take part in this campaign.
The members of BuzzParadise can either choose to participate or refuse to participate to our advertising campaigns.
When you decide to take part in a sponsored-post Media campaign, in exchange for your payment, you commit yourself to write a post.
We do not want you to lie about the product or the service, we only want your objective opinion about them.
This means that you are free to express yourself.
The only requirement is that you respect the campaign brief that is given to you in your member space.
Last but not least, you will be paid for your post on the Carrera campaign because you have respected the guidelines of the brief.
The sponsored post is just a new way of advertising in the web 2.0.
Thanks for the note, Mario. This will make a phenomenal example for our
panel discussion at SXSW in March, including the fact you followed-up with a
transparent, well-written comment.
Thanks for the note, Mario. This will make a phenomenal example for our
panel discussion at SXSW in March, including the fact you followed-up with a
transparent, well-written comment.
Hi Greg,nnIu2019m Mario Criscuolo and I invited you to take part in this campaign.nThe members of BuzzParadise can either choose to participate or refuse to participate to our advertising campaigns.nWhen you decide to take part in a sponsored-post Media campaign, in exchange for your payment, you commit yourself to write a post. nWe do not want you to lie about the product or the service, we only want your objective opinion about them.nnThis means that you are free to express yourself.nThe only requirement is that you respect the campaign brief that is given to you in your member space.nLast but not least, you will be paid for your post on the Carrera campaign because you have respected the guidelines of the brief.nThe sponsored post is just a new way of advertising in the web 2.0.n
Thanks for the note, Mario. This will make a phenomenal example for ourrnpanel discussion at SXSW in March, including the fact you followed-up with arntransparent, well-written comment.