DISCLOSURE AND BEAUTY BLOGS

February 18, 2008

On January 31, 2008, the NYT published an article entitled Skin Deep, about beauty blogs and the women who write them. Only 2 years ago, the cosmetics industry treated them as an annoyance. Blogs about beauty are now seen as influential and reach a wide audience.

Lipgloss

Who do you trust?

Gradually over the past ten years, the marketplace (consumers, us) has transferred its trust away from conventional advertising. We have come to resent being marketed at and manipulated with sales pressure and enticements. We put our faith in experts, or the people around us whose experience seems similar to our own.

Because bloggers feel like both authority figures and friends, they have some sway over our purchasing decisions. There are blogs that enjoy 100,000 readers each day and some have many times that.

These websites have substantial power to influence people because visitors to the site give their attention freely and develop a relationship of trust with the blogger. Ultimately, your attention and your trust, freely given, are what advertisers want most. Every marketing expert is aware of it, not just in the cosmetics trade.

Are bloggers in it for the loot?

The first few paragraphs of the article summed up what I’ve just written. The body of the article details the quantity of “swag” that big name beauty bloggers are offered as gifts. I expect that the extent of the “appreciation” shown by cosmetics companies surprised many people, myself included. Its mention was appropriate.

What mystifies me is why journalist Kayleen Schaefer chose to emphasize it so strongly. She excluded so many things that I would have liked to hear about. For example: how do they find a topic to write about each day and do they buy everything they review personally? How do the cosmetics companies decide who to lavish with gifts? Is it based only on the amount of traffic to the website?

Or are they sincere as consumer advocates?

Visit every blog mentioned in Skin Deep, and it is clear that the writer is earnestly working to present the products and industry events fairly. These bloggers see themselves as serious beauty correspondents using a new format to communicate with their readers.

I might disagree with some reviews. I might not share their taste in Lancome Pixel Pink lipstick for everyone. I certainly am not impressed by the goings-on at fashion shows or on the red carpet at the latest awards show. But I do recognize that much of her audience will care about these things and I respect her right to express her opinion.

I do not believe that her only motivation is the kickback she will receive when the UPS truck pulls in to the driveway. Your blog is your baby. You care for it, for its image and its content. It represents you in a very fundamental way. These women love their blogs and won’t cheapen them with untruthful content.

Why do they only say good things?

It is uncomfortable to receive gifts and then say something bad about the gifts or the person who gave them to you. It’s a subtle twist of the psychological knife. Most bloggers therefore choose to ignore a product they dislike, so it seems as though they only say positive things.

There are far more products out there that I would not use, than products I would consider buying. It seems pointless to bother mentioning all the products I dislike. The exception would be where I think a product misleads women with promises or claims that it completely fails to deliver.

Taken out of context

I can see why the bloggers were testy. Here is a quote from the article:

There is no reliable way to count the number of beauty blogs, said Julie Fredrickson, a founder of Coutorture, a network of 240 beauty and fashion blogs and Web sites; she estimated there are thousands. …“Most of the bloggers call themselves beauty addicts, and maybe they were, but that girl quickly realizes that this is about notoriety and freebies,” Ms. Fredrickson said. “Maybe before people started sending out products, it wasn’t, but that’s not something we should romanticize anymore.”

The response on the part of the bloggers mentioned in the article was outrage and confusion at having their meaning altered. It is worthwhile to read Kristen Kelly at Beauty Addict’s well- spoken response, as well as some of the 66 comments. This woman is obviously intelligent.

Kristen Kelly is the Beauty Addict

Here is an excerpt from her article:

1. I have never “begged” a beauty company or a PR firm for free product.
2. Lastly, I am NOT in this for “notoriety and freebies!” Come on, when I started this blog nearly three years ago I had no idea that the possbility to receive samples and gifts even existed. I love beauty products, I love writing, and most of all, I love being able to connect with other product junkies like you to dish on beauty. That’s what keeps me going!

Spinoffs

I believe the NYT article misrepresented the motives of the bloggers. The positive spin-offs for the beauty bloggers are undeniable and many people would gladly trade places with them. In their responses to the article, the beauty bloggers were forced to clarify their feelings about gifting. Readers may see a few more negative reviews in the future.

Nadine Haobsh writes the blog Jolie in NYC . The link to her site and the navigation never work well for me. If you can access the blog, you can find the article in her Archives from January 2008, entitled “Beauty Blogs in the Times : all about the swag?”.

With the attention that the NYT article has brought to beauty blogs, Nadine has decided to stop accepting gifts that could be perceived as skewing her opinion. She still accepts samples for review, however. No blogger could afford to purchase all the products they write about so accepting a product for review is permissible, as long as the review is honest.

Many people have no idea what a blog is, so this was an opportunity to learn about something which might be valuable. The publicity that the subject received was tremendous for all of us. I am certain that their readership stats improved dramatically in the week after the article was published.

The bloggers had the opportunity to clear the air, enhance their credibility, and have readers better understand how the business of blogging happens. People wonder about these things, and so they should.

I feel that the advent of blogs is a good thing. New communication channels are opening at a phenomenal rate. Blogging really is at its best when it is one huge conversation.

Posted by Christine Scaman | Filed Under Makeup, Skin Care

Comments

6 Responses to “DISCLOSURE AND BEAUTY BLOGS”

Elke on February 19th, 2008 8:09 am

Hi Christine, I read with interest your article about beauty blogging and the products we receive. As the founder of the Beauty Blog Network, and a beauty blogger myself with my own personal blog, I wrote a response to the author of the NYTimes articles on my network blog over the absurdity of it, but what I found so ridiculous was the fact that beauty writers and editors have been getting free products, gifts and incentives for years and what they write is highly orchestrated by the advertising dollar in their magazines. I saw no mention of that, yet when we receive products for review and give our very honest opinion, it’s considered gossip and something to write about. I feel the bottom line is the reader and their views and feelings about what they are reading. With magazines loosing their subscribers daily, and beauty bloggers gaining readership, it’s nice to see the honest opinion and review get noticed finally for a change.
Carleen Pruess on February 19th, 2008 10:17 am

Thank you for this insightful look at the New York Times article. I think this is the best presentation of the issues raised by the article that I have seen yet. You certainly have summed up my own thoughts on the matter very acurrately and more completely than I ever could. Thanks again!
Shannon Nelson on February 19th, 2008 10:20 am

Very well written.

I too, started my blog a few weeks after Kristen started Beauty Addict. It’s hard to believe that I have been doing this for 3 years now. In the beginning I never received anything for free, when people began to pitch me I found it interesting, but always gave an honest review–and I still do as I know my readers trust my opinion. I also only write a “bad” review if I feel a product misleads or is overhyped.

All magazines, newspapers, TV etc. have an editorial calendar. All products they write about/talk about are “given” to them by the brands themselves or their respective PR firms. So in a sense, they too receive swag. Although, I honestly do not consider receiving free product to test and review swag.

I think Kathleen over emphasized a small minority of beauty bloggers receiving trips, etc. and generalized it across the board to all beauty bloggers. This is far from the truth. While most of us receive products to review, no one is carting us all over the place on extravagant trips. Although it does happen–it is not all of the time and only happens with a select few.

Beauty Bloggers receiving products is based on many levels–many brands and PR firms pitch those with a good Google PR (3 or higher), high traffic (both unique views and page views) and for their level of respect in the blogosphere. However, I don’t deny that there are plenty of firms that will pitch just about anyone with anything. I can’t tell you how many ridiculous pitches I get for things that have nothing to do with my blog.

There is a small ounce of credibility to Kathleen’s story in that a handful of new blogs starting are in it for the free product. A few of my PR friends have told me stories of newbie bloggers demanding product and threatening a bad write up if they don’t receive anything. Brands/PR firms are nervous–no one wants bad press, so they don’t know how to handle these “rouge” beauty bloggers. It’s unfortunate that it gets generalized to the rest of us.
Christine MS on February 19th, 2008 4:53 pm

Hi, everyone,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write such thorough comments. The honest voices of the beauty bloggers themselves is ultimately what will allow the public to have insight into the value of blogs.
As I said in the article, I am perplexed about why the journalist chose to expose this area in such a sensationalistic way. I know that making it emotional and inflammatory will gain readership, but that’s a cheap way to go, especially for that publication. There were so many other approaches she could have taken…unless perhaps she didn’t understand the subject matter well…but from the responses of the bloggers that were interviewed, it seems as though she chose to misrepresent them. I’m not sure what was in it for her to make that choice.
Armine Abrahamyan on February 20th, 2008 2:03 am

Hi,

It was a very nice analysis of beauty blogging.
Being myself a beauty blogger, I feel comfortable analyzing and writing about beauty items and cosmetic products.

Sometimes I feel it is hard to read a lot what others say and feel about a certain product and keep myself unbiased, but I find it is really interesting.

The most interesting thing is that as soon as I write something, I find myself interested in this item.

There have been many times when I wrote about something and was glued to my computer screen trying to find this item online in order to order it.

But the peak of pleasure is when you get responses from people who have used these items or who have tried them

So much fun!
-armine
Michelle Nicoletti on February 21st, 2008 1:11 pm

In such a competitive industry like Beauty, there are so many product choices for the consumer to consider. A Beauty Blog is one of the best resources available to find honest information from real people who have actually tried the products. Though some products are given for free, we are not spokespeople for any one brand or manufacturer. Most bloggers purchase items themselves and want to share their evaluation, or spread the news about a great new find. We write about things we know and are enthusiastic about. Our honesty is what makes us so popular.