Great. This is just great!
A while back, I blogged about the Maxis iPhone and bloggers thing. These bloggers are saying that “wah, for RM9,000 I get the iPhone for free!!!”
Today, a few of them blogged about how Maxis is overcharging the iPhone with their packages. So have they come to their senses?
FUCK NO!
They say that because DiGi is paying them to write an advertorial for their new free phone plan thingamajig. They are now saying that the iPhone is expensive and that it’s not worth the money at all.
Exactly two months and they are contradicting themselves already. Great job my friends, GREAT JOB!
Please, does integrity mean nothing to you fuckers?
DAMN I HATE THESE BLOGGERS!
The first entry, I was not happy about Maxis pulling Apple’s credibility down by PAYING bloggers that know shit about the iPhone to blog about it and how “affordable” Maxis’ iPhone plans are. This entry, I’m just angry that they fucking come to their freaking senses because of money. Is money EVERYTHING to you guys?
I’ve been blogging for a while now (yes, I have an old blog under a pseudonym) and blogging is not the same anymore. I admit that blogging is a very good side income but PLEASE HAVE A BIT OF FUCKING INTEGRITY!!!
No one blogs for the sake of blogging these days, no one. (Except a few, like Erna and Huei)
P.S. I am talking about the ones that wrote advertorials for both Maxis AND DiGi. If you’ve only wrote for DiGi (like KimCun), I’m fine with that because the package is affordable and I disagree the Maxis iPhone plans all along. This entry is directed to those who shamlessly follow where the Dollar sign is!
P.P.S. I won’t call names here but if you read blogs like I do, you’ll know who these bloggers are.
CHIP Malaysia
myMacBUZZ
hehe speaking of integrity i’d like to point out about dignity too. some really can go at all lengths to do embarrassing stuff just to standout to advertisers. i can really notice from the amount of ridiculous requests to emulate those embarrassing stunts by the latter. i thought it’s supposed to be an opinion piece, not product whoring. i hope those bloggers would stop because it will eventually render our opinions irrelevant. when that happens, what’s the point in engaging bloggers to write advertorial anymore? sigh.
hahaha figures! they do that all the time! that’s y I hardly read blows anymore! they’re alltel same!!! full of ads! oi! 10am edi where u? :p
sorry I mean all the same
Well said my friend. Blogs are no longer what they used to be. Bloggers are no longer who they used to be as well. This is a classic example of why vendors/clients should not PAY bloggers to write an advertorial. What does it say about that blogger, and the article that he/she wrote for your brand. Its really obvious that it was paid for, and most probable vetted through by you before it was published on their blog. They can do it to Maxis, then can also do it to DiGi the moment the next telco comes along with the right amount of moolah.
Integrity, dignity, professionality (is that a word?) are very much lacking in most (not all) bloggers today. Like they say: “Money makes the world go round!” In this case, the cyberworld.
Not commenting on the bloggers – which I pretty much agree with your comments.
But on the companies’ side, its amazing to see the flaw in deciding which bloggers to engage. I’ve said this since I first saw advertorials for MAS and AirAsia on the same blog.
Surely, having a process to engage with people that are likely to be authentic advocates for your brand is more important than just making a decision based on TRAFFIC count.
I agree, and attribute this to the maturity of social bloggers and readers in the country.
Blogger engagements is not a new thing. However, in “mature” places the bloggers are expected to blog their opinion about the topic/product, not so much pushing the product on their blog. These bloggers are targeted because their opinions are respected and (therefore) widely read.
Here, these bloggers are targeted by companies because they have a base audience. And it will be this audience who will decide whether this blogger is worth reading / following over time, based on what they write, their position, and ultimately their integrity.
Companies need to get their message out, by whatever means. If bloggers have a captive audience (however the audience base is obtained) then companies will engage them. They only have one (or set number of) thing to sell. At least that’s the (only?) consistent part!
Well made point. The good news is that blogs are no longer that influential as the eyeballs have moved on to other social media tools.
Big companies do not understand what is happening and they are advised by incompetent people from their own Corp Comm team and outside PR consultants. That always keep them a few steps behind the wave. Also they always assume that their money and stature will automatically get them what they want. Bloggers unfortunately fall for this hook line and sinker and in the end they end up damaging their own product (as in their blog). When that is damaged beyond repair, these companies move on to hot new entrants. Another word to describe this is prostitution.
bugger like these are spoiling the market.
thank god the automotive market isn’t that bad.
The problem is the companies not the bloggers, so far Nokia has been the only brand that openly encourages opinions not regurgitated press releases.
The rest, they only want positive, they might let a few minor negatives in but no real constructive criticism.
Until the companies give us the freedom to write what we want (and believe me we are fighting for that) there’s not a lot we can do (if we want to stay on the gravy train).
Like we discussed on Twitter, mags/papers don’t contradict themselves because they are bought out by advertising sales and that dictates what they write.
Everything gets a 7/10 or above and is at very minimum ok.
Which also lacks integrity IMHO, but generally journalism is low on the agenda in Malaysia and making money is high on the agenda.
Same goes for blogs, it’s just a sign of a developing market both economically and in terms of less tangible traits (integrity, transparency, consistency etc.)
Agree with what Kim said, especially about the product whoring, hard-sell tactics. Very pathetic. A super huge turn-off.
Nice post!
I think the best thing about advertorials is that it reflects the blogger behind it. What the blogger’s writing style (or what he/she is likely to do for “regular” posts) will carry over to the advertorial.
I agree with ST, complete freedom to write is the way ahead.
Kim: I have the OPPOSITE problem. I have videos and photos rejected coz they were too “controversial” or “does not fit with the brand image/target audience”. LOL!
I
Kim: I have the OPPOSITE problem. I have videos and photos rejected coz they were too “controversial” or “does not fit with the brand image/target audience”. LOL!
I try to sneak them in anyway.
It’s fun!
Like ST said, it is a constant struggle to try to send that message across to clients on how blogs operate and how hard selling is not part of it.
We are trying to do “the right thing” but like the whole magazine situations, it is very hard be even just neutral when they always expect super glowing review that are exactly the same as other paid posts.
In many situations, we are looked at as mere actors or a black ads page on a magazine where we are to be dictated and painted in whichever way they please. It is something that is hard to change but some do get it right (aka Nokia/Text100) and a very few brands.
It probably takes time and a few more advertorial rejections or hardline stands to mature this market. It is further made complicated by a few “notable” bloggers who are very eager to do the whole hardselling dance, so, it takes time.
Takes two to tango. It’s not just the bloggers who are being greedy and stupid, it’s also the media agencies – the people who buy ad space for the brands.
These folks, together with the brand’s ad agencies, are the ones who basically pick where the ads and sponsored posts go.
To be fair, there are probably some media and ad agencies who actually know what they are doing, but to be honest, most of the people that I’ve actually met from media agencies usually have completely no fucking idea what’s going on.
I’ve talked to a few of them. Their decision-making process, as JLow addressed in her comment, is usually wrapped around the idea that, the more famous the blogger is, the more eyeballs they can get. It’s that simple. Why are you running that banner ad on Kenny Sia’s blog?
“Because he’s the number one blogger, ma.”
Well written, some would sell their soul for the sake of getting a few bucks from the company that wants them to write.
On the company’s side, for the sake of wanting people to see them in a good light, they go all the way to get the bloggers to write good things about their services, do the bloggers they approach actually use their products or services in the first place?
Don’t know how they determine who should write about their products and services and how much to pay and all that but for goodness sake, do the right thing! If there’s a flaw in your product/service and someone write about it, by all mean take it in good light and improve it.
companies won’t go anywhere by just bribing people to write positively about their services and products. The product/service will eventually just become bad, in this time and age, people do check around and not just read what one or two people write.
Didn’t nuffnang and advertlets do that for all everyone that is willing to sell their souls for money in their blogs?
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Shaolin is right about staying on the gravytrain.
I always insist on disclosure that it is a paid post, and have completely trashed my ‘client’s’ products on a paid review at times because I was brutally honest.
Guess what, I haven’t had anyone pay me for a review in more than a year. No surprise eh?
At least my readers never have any reason to doubt my motives – ever 