Big Brands Are Wooing Lifestyle Bloggers

PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, skippered by Ken Read from the USA at the finish of leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, from Cape Town, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, UAE.

There’s more anecdotal evidence this week of large companies getting increasingly engaged with ‘social media’ marketing initiatives, but are they picking the right people to engage with?

The motor industry embraces bloggers and influencers.

Auto journalist, Jack Barath for The Truth About Cars (TTAC) rails at the appearance of social media influencers in his sector, and in this case, at this week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

We all ran by them this morning on the way to the (Ford) Fusion introduction. Two signs. One sign said, "FORD PRESS EVENT". The sign below it said "SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS". The arrow pointed a different way. Who are "social media influencers", anyway?

In particular, he complains about the way the car manufacturers have their own teams of bloggers experiencing carefully choreographed events.

General Motors and Ford both spent obscene amounts of money to fly "social media influencers" to Detroit from all over the world. The way these bloggers experience Detroit is very different from the way the TTAC crew did. They are herded from place to place, given talking points, and relentlessly groomed to Tweet and blog only the most flattering and sponsor-centric information. "Insider events" make sure that the GM bloggers, for example, didn't see the plug-in Fusion — and the Ford bloggers were nowhere in evidence when the new Hyundais hit the ground. Instead, a group of mostly young, handsome, and gregarious PR people ensure that only the most profitable news reaches the ears of their impressionable charges.

The clothing industry takes bloggers to see ocean racing

Meanwhile, according to Mashable, Puma – the sports clothing brand, has taken 10 Tumblr bloggers and Instagram users to Abu Dhabi this week to meet the Volvo Ocean Race (previously called the Whitbread Round the World Race) competitors and soak up the stopover atmosphere. Puma is sponsoring one of the boats and is the official apparel supplier to the race.

Puma says the sponsored bloggers will have ‘free reign’ to cover and document what they wish, and the trip reflects the growing mainstream recognition and validity of bloggers' influence over public opinion and what is considered hip or interesting. They will also document their experiences via Twitter and Facebook.
"The idea is to fly in these prominent bloggers and Instagramers and just have it be known that they're there because of Puma and because they deserve it," Andrew Schmidt, Puma's manager of digital media projects, says.
Both Schmidt and Sullivan (one of the bloggers) say that they expect the brand-backed-blogger coverage model to become more common as bloggers continue to gain traction and credibility as public tastemakers.

They may be right, but are brands picking the right influencers? Generally accepted wisdom among travel editors is, that unless you specifically want the all too usual dull copy, peppered with newbie clichés about ‘splicing the main brace’, the ’19th hole’ or John Wayne, you never sent virgins on sailing, golf or horse riding trips. Only use experts.

What do you think? Should big brands cosy up to general lifestyle bloggers & influencers, or stick to specialist bloggers?

Image: PAUL TODD/Volvo Ocean Race