Much of what I've been writing about over the last few weeks has been about the clout that all the mommy bloggers have been gaining. This is particularly true when it comes to the way they are beginning to be wooed by big corporations. It was recently reported in an LA Times article that some mommy bloggers, like Andrea Deckard, who has the MommySnacks blog, are even being lured into all-expense paid travel by these corporations.
Deckard is just one of many who are getting perks in exchange for what the company hopes will be good blog reviews, which will then translate to an increase in sales. This year, for example, Frito-Lay flew her, all expenses paid, to Los Angeles, where they pitched their latest snack campaigns to her.
Similarly, Taco Bell wooed a group of bloggers this past spring, by footing the bill for them all to attend a California retreat, where they spent their time whipping up new burrito and taco ideas for the company.
While this may seem wonderful to the mommy bloggers, it does raise some ethical, and albeit legal, concerns and questions. As discussed before, the laws are now requiring that bloggers disclose in their reviews if they received free items from the company they are reviewing.
Will this diminish the effectiveness of their review? Will more mommy bloggers start touting products to gain the attention of corporate marketing departments? Time will tell.
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