What Brands Can Expect After BlogHer

by Fadra Nally on August 16, 2011

Megan, from Golin Harris, embodied the brand she represented. Can you guess which one?

I’m fresh from BlogHer, the largest women’s blogging conference in the world. San Diego played host to 3500+ attendees (numbers vary depending on the source) and a whole slew of official and unofficial sponsors. Compared to last year, the types of brands represented seemed different. I saw more technology vendors and start-up companies represented and less of the traditional female-oriented type brands (think cleaning and clothing).

It wasn’t better or worse. It was simply different. I also noticed that the brand reps seemed to be more in tune with bloggers this year. They seemed to understand who we are and what value we can add to a brand’s reputation and visibility. And those brands that were unsure of that were quick to admit it and open the floor for discussion.

By the time the conference ended, I was loaded up with swag (more product samples than I could count) and a slew of business cards. And then I kept wondering what to do with all of this stuff. More importantly, what were brands hoping I would do with all of this stuff?

I’ve never had the opportunity to talk to a brand rep in detail before they have attended a major blogging conference. If I did, I’d ask questions like:

What do you hope to gain from this conference?

Are there specific bloggers you want to connect with?

Are you prepared to talk about how your brand works with bloggers?

What do expect to happen after the conference?

I’m not saying that brand reps haven’t given this thought. I’d just love to honestly know what their expectations are. They give away a lot of free product during conferences like BlogHer. What do they expect will happen?

In a perfect world, bloggers fall in love with the product because it’s incredibly fabulous, because the brands reps were so incredibly personable, or ideally a combination of both. And when they get home, the love carries over to their blog where they make a mention or even write a review.

It’s never asked. It’s never even implied. But bloggers and brands both know how this works.

Some brands seemed a little new to the game. Or perhaps a little oblivious. As I was waiting in line for my foot assessment and custom insoles for Dr. Scholl’s (a rather nice piece of swag), I was introduced to some of the other Dr. Scholl’s products: high heel inserts and Fast Flats come to mind. As they were being handed out, I asked for a pair in my size. I was greeted with a cold response, “They’re only for bloggers. Are you a blogger?”

I felt a little put back. But in all fairness, I was wearing a McDonald’s branded lanyard and could have been mistaken for a vendor. I explained that I was a blogger and had placed my card in the bowl. When handed the pair of Fast Flats, we were told, “We’d really like you to blog about these.”

We’re bloggers. We blog about everything. If it feels authentic.

Lesson for Dr. Scholl’s? Make me fall in love with you: the people that represent you, the products you share and you’ll never need to ask me to blog about it.

Hot Wheels was another sponsor that had a missed opportunity. They hosted a branded suite, a place for more intimate connections with bloggers. I walked in to a sparsely decorated room promoting their new product, Wall Tracks. I was instantly mesmerized but never could get anyone’s attention nor did anyone seem remotely interested that I walked into the suite.

I’m not trying to pick on Dr. Scholl’s or Hot Wheels. I think they both have great products and working the trade show floor can be exhausting (I know, I’ve done it). But if you’re hoping for word of mouth buzz on your products, you need to engage us. If we love you, we’re probably going to love your product.

Other brands did everything right and it didn’t even matter what they were giving away. Janis, a brand rep for Imperial Toy, was one of the vendors at the The Big Toy Book Sweet Suite Event, a privately hosted party during the conference. Her enthusiasm for toys and for truly engaging with bloggers was so magnetic that not only did I include her in my video review, but so did Kate of The Guavalicious Life and Claire of The Halfhearted Housewife in their BlogHer recap posts.In fact, Kate and Claire mentioned some of the same brands that I did. In some cases, it’s because the product was fabulous but in others, it was simply the brand experience we had at the conference.

Another brand that seemed to do it right was Knorr. While they were there promoting their new homestyle stock product, they brought in celebrity chefs to cook with bloggers. Christa of c. jane create was selected to cook onstage. She clearly had a blast, learned a thing or two, and even took her product and knowledge home to try out on her friends and family. As if that weren’t enough, she wrote a full recap that almost looked like a Knorr product placement ad (it was that good).

Other bloggers, like Ann from Coupons, Deals and More, were really more excited about the coupons for free products (although to be fair, Ann is a coupon blogger). Nobody will say no to a free product coupon and it fits nicely in our carry-on luggage.

Even the smallest brands handed out samples of something with a business card or label attached saying “Contact me. We’d love to work with you on a review or giveaway!” The emphasis was on the blogger connection and I felt it much more this year.

Looking for another brand perspective on this year’s conference? Check out Consumer Bell for their wrap up by CEO and Founder Ellie.

If you are a blogger than attended BlogHer11, I’d love to hear your reactions (if any) on your blog to some of the products you received.

If you are brand that was represented at BlogHer11, I’d love for you to chime in as to how you feel your objectives were met with your presence at the conference this year (whether measurable or not).

Tagged as: blogher, blogher11, product giveaways, swag

Ann

Exactly right about the missed opportunities for vendors, Fadra. I understand a pitch, but few vendors, outside of yahoo and red plum, really seemed to care about building a relationship with me. While free is very nice (we all like free), I’d rather build something with a company that will benefit both parties. I need to “feel” right, and this felt off.

Anonymous

Yes, Ann. The swag was nice. But I felt much more connected and more likely to blog about a vendor like The Mother Company or Sapphire Technologies because I felt true engagement (and the most I walked away with was a DVD). As for the Scrubbing Bubbles toilet cleaner? I’ll be happy to use it but I probably won’t talk about it. Except for right here (whoops).

Kate, aka guavalicious

Hot Wheels was a HUGE disappointment to me. Before BlogHer I tweeted several times about how disappointed I was that their bio and marketing campaign markets their toys as being for boys. Since my girls are big Hot Wheels fans, as was I as a kid, I wanted to know why this was. My tweets were picked up by several much larger bloggers and retweeted hundreds of times. Hot Wheels didn’t respond at all.

So I went specifically to the suite to talk to them. I had much the experience you did. While I was able to speak to a person they had no interest in talking to me beyond an “oh really? that’s weird.” I believe she was another blogger. There didn’t appear to be another person blogger, PR person or brand representative in the suite. There were also not takeaways beyond a one sheet with minimal information.

They brought an innovative, cool product to BlogHer and I think they could have started a sensation with it (people flipped over the Instagram pic I posted.) Instead they had people walk in and walk out because nothing was going on. Why did they even get a suite? They would have been better off with a booth in the expo.

Anonymous

Thank you for reinforcing my point about the missed opportunity. I, too, was a Hot Wheels fan as a kid (although, to be fair, I gave them names and personalities and love interests). I expected a lot more out of a “big” brand especially since they took the time and money for a suite.

http://theheirtoblair.com Beth Anne

Dear Philosophy reps, please do not look at me like I am dead lice on a rat. Thanks.

Anonymous

I didn’t stop by that booth and hearing comments like this from you (and from others) makes me kind of glad I didn’t.

http://www.musingsfromme.com/ MusingsfromMe

I stopped by the Philosophy booth but didn’t “get” what it was. I thought it was a website for girlfriends. I saw the skin care line, but didn’t see the connection between the skin care side of the booth the poster with the friendship messages. I remember asking about what it was. The rep told me to go to the website. Not helpful.

http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

what’s strange is that I had a great experience at the Philosophy booth
but I use the line regularly & suspect the booth reps weren’t
prepared to deal with women who are new to their product line

Alena

I walked up to the Philosophy booth and couldn’t get anyone to talk to me. I stood there and they didn’t even acknowledge me…and when I went by they weren’t busy. Such a bummer because I hear that they have a great product…but the reps were less than welcoming.
Cynthia King

I have a feeling that some brands just hired “pretty people” to talk about their product, but not to interact.
http://notsuperjustmom.blogspot.com Miranda

I had a great experience at the Philosophy booth, too. I think this was partially because I was there in the morning on Friday, before the Expo got too crazy. For what Philosophy wanted to do, which WAS show their product (an assumption I’m making based on my own visit) and talk about their upcoming fan-club/frequent-buyer program, they were in a really bad location next to super-high traffic booths like McDonald’s and Dr. Scholl’s. I think the space got incredibly overwhelmed with traffic and the reps maybe buckled under the number of people crowding into their tiny little space.

Jill

Yeah, what was UP with Hot Wheels? That seemed like an incredible waste of money and space on their part. You know who I thought did it right? Hallmark. That suite was inclusive and comfy and lovely. Their reps (who I’ve worked with in the past on other things) were actually there and were kind to everyone who came in.

I also have to agree with BethAnne that I was really turned off by the cold shoulder I got at Philosophy. Even if there are only 2 brand reps working the booth and there are 5 bloggers there, either a. learn to speak to a larger crowd while still addressing individuals or b. at least look up, MAKE EYE CONTACT, thank the blogger for coming to visit, and let them know you’ll be with them in a few minutes. Time is precious at Blogher. If I have to wait 5 minutes to be acknowledged at your booth, I’m moving on.

Anonymous

Thank you for mentioning Hallmark. I think their suite was not only lovely but they had a really creative and innovative way of sharing their product. I actually sent a blogger at BlogHer a card for pick-up. They “get” how we use social media and really incorporated it well into how they presented themselves.

So clearly Hot Wheels and Philosophy might be good brands for me to go after for some consulting work?

The funny thing is that you and Beth Anne would be huge assets to any brand but I’m sure many of them had no clue.

Nanette

I agree. I think Hallmark did a great job and made each blogger that stopped in feel welcomed and engaged in a discussion. At least they did with me.

http://keithprivette.com @keithprivette

I have never attended. this is a good recap. this reminds me of a discussion on Arik Hanson’s blog about only targeting mommy bloggers & how many have no idea what they are targeting or what they are trying to accomplish. It seems to me many of these companies are setting up booths just like taking an ad out in the yellowpages. Just get as many eyeballs and blog posts out of it as you can and the NEW customers will com rolling in…..WRONG! At a smaller event I got the same reaction when talking to a SM Manager from Select Comfort about their RV beds. I had asked about one for our RV trips, but it seemed a little spendy for half the bed that we had in our house (no platform needed for the RV)…..her first statement me was “Are you a blogger?” Really? No I am a potential customer that may want to try one out and buy. I am a paying customer…..I told her no and walked away and never purchased one. I figure she thought if I was she would give me a free one and I would blog about it every other day and give her free impressions. You are spot on that the vendors at this conference should have a plan, target, and treat everyone as a paying customer not a blogger…..

Anonymous

Keith – I would tell you that overall, the vendors seemed more blog-savvy this year. But those that weren’t, really missed the mark. And it’s for exactly the reason you said. There didn’t seem to be a plan other than “let’s show up, give away some stuff, and hope everyone talks about us.” Free PR is never free. You have to earn it. And the truth of the matter is that most of the things I talk about come from my consumer experience, not my blogging experience.

http://twitter.com/thehhhousewife Claire

I had an issue with Hot Wheels too. I walked around their suite for several minutes without anyone even looking at me. I wanted to scream, “I have three SONS! Your target demographic by your own admission, talk. to. me.” (You’ll be happy to know that I did not) I ended up just walking out of the room, without hearing a single piece of information about what might have been a cool product. One that I might have been buying for birthdays and Christmas. Alas…

Anonymous

Hello!!!! Target demographic here too!! Especially with my son being 4, his toys are not always what HE picks out. It’s what MOM thinks is cool. I thought this was cool, but like you, I walked in and walked out with nothing but a picture of the tracks.
Nanette

Yes Claire, sadly Hot Wheels was one I was anxious to talk to as my son has way too many Hot Wheels and his love for cars is everlasting I think but no one there was interested in really having a conversation just a pitch then walked away leaving me to simply walk out.

http://twitter.com/beccabernstein Becca Bernstein

As a brand, it’s so good to hear your thoughts, Frada. And you’re right, trade shows are HARD work. But to invest all the time, money and resources and have prolific bloggers walk in and want to know more. What a lost opportunity! I’m curious to hear what others have to say.

Anonymous

Thanks for giving a brand perspective. Yes, trade shows are hard. But having worked them, I know to put on a smile because you never know who you are talking to. I once had a long product demo with someone who turned out to be a major executive at the Tractor Supply Company (no small potatoes in farm country!).

http://twitter.com/Mofthesea Maria del Mar

This was my first BlogHer and I came armed with business cards and media kits and pricing scales and plans. Yet it seemed that most booths were manned by “minions” who were there to pitch a product, not to consider investing in blog advertising.
I enjoyed the experience, brought home a lot of swag, and am slowly giving some of it away in my blog. All the media kits ended in the bin, and next year I will not even bother with them.

Anonymous

I will admit to having had some good networking opportunities but it never involved blog advertising or media kits. It’s such a busy atmosphere, exchanging business cards is about the most you can hope for. I think it helps to target a few brands BEFORE you go and make it a point to make a few strong connections. And lastly, FOLLOW UP with brand reps you met. You were probably a blur to them at BlogHer but your email will stand out.

And yes, minions usually do the dirty work at trade shows. But you at least hope that they are in a position to intelligent discuss how they work with bloggers.

http://twitter.com/quirkyjessi Quirky Jessi

You weren’t the only one that was turned off by Dr. Scholl’s. I do love their products, but their booth was not friendly. The representatives were grumpy, snappy, and I overheard rudeness more than once.

I understand they’re tired…and dealing with a lot….and ya know what, their booth wasn’t in the greatest place to deal with the huge line for assessments, so I’m sure that was overwhelming… but come on, you’re at a blogging conference and people are going to be talking about you. Fake it ’til you make it. Put on your best marketing grin and at least pretend you’re not miserable and rude. Gah, not cool.

Anonymous

Jessi – I couldn’t have said it better myself. If you’re there to give out product and create buzz, THEN DO IT! And yes, plaster that smile on and when the expo hall closes, crack open a bottle of wine, take your shoes off, and talk about us all you want. But while we’re there, treat us with respect!

http://amillionboxes.com Amy @ A Million Boxes

I agree that the Dr. Scholls reps were cranky, but I have to say that I totally understand why. The blogging community did not represent well there. So many people came to their booth just wanting “the stuff” and I personally watched 3 people refuse to give a business card when asked. “just give me the stuff” and the Dr. Scholls people handed it over.

http://twitter.com/mommaneedsbeer Kelli MW

I couldn’t agree more with everything you said Fadra… as well as every one of these comments so far. There were booths that were really engaging, the people working knew their stuff and made me WANT to work with them. But there were a few booths I walked up to, where the people working clearly didn’t care about me, or their brand. I do have to give props to a couple of the workers at the Best Buy booth, they had an empty booth & actually sought me out when I was finishing up at a neighboring booth because they loved MY brand & tagline that happened to be on the shirt I was wearing. I also liked that I only saw women working at the Best Buy booth — and that they really knew their stuff. On that note, was it just me, or were some of the men working the booths a little condescending?

Anonymous

I didn’t stop by the Best Buy booth so I’m glad you shared your experience. Nice touch to have women working in the booth and I especially liked that they approached YOU. As for the men? Yes, I think there is still a long way to go in terms of educating the general public about women bloggers. Frankly, I found it a little funny that Kudos had several male models handing out their bars. I was really tempted to go engage with them for the fun of it but never quite had the chance.

http://twitter.com/mariadiaz maria diaz

I’m from the EdenFantasys booth. This was our first time at the expo hall, and our goal was to meet as many bloggers as possible, and get our name out there. We did pretty well on both sides . While our main goal was to promote our blogger outreach program, no doubt did we also want to meet potential customers, which is why there was no “are you a blogger” business from us. We worked hard not to make any assumptions about anyone coming to our booth.

Anyway, it helps that in Eden’s case, everyone who works in blogger relations (and our affiliate manager, who was also there) is a blogger. We know how things go, and what motivates us to post. I really think companies who want to be in this space need to hire people who are *active* bloggers to truly make it work.

I’ve said this in other comment threads but if anyone has any feedback or questions about our booth or programs (and this can be purely informational), please email me at maria@edenfantasy:disqus
s.com

Anonymous

Maria – I think the crowd around your booth said a lot and you have strong roots in the blogging community. Having blogger awareness and a social media reputation ahead of time probably had a big impact on the impression your company made. I, for one, was glad to meet you even if ever so briefly!

http://twitter.com/mariadiaz maria diaz

Fadra, it was great to meet you, too! I hope we can talk more at other conferences. And Eden definitely keeps social media and blogger outreach as one of the pillars of our strategy at all times, not just during conferences.

http://www.musingsfromme.com/ MusingsfromMe

Overall my experience at the Expo Hall was 100 percent better than last year. Last year the Nick rep was very much over the whole booth experience by the time I showed up at 3 p.m. on Saturday. He couldn’t have cared less about my questions. I finally got his colleague to help me out. Many of the booths were closing down by 4 p.m. last year. It was offputting and not to mention unsafe to walk by a booth that was being taken down. I complained to the Freeman Rep (the company that managed the Expo Hall space) walking the Expo Hall in NYC that I thought it was poor form to have vendors closing down shop early.

This year the booths were open until 6 p.m. as promised. It was a hoot when the lights flashed. All the vendors cheered. I guess it is a long day to have to sit at a booth from 8-6 p.m.

I think that vendors were visiting each other’s booths too much…just my opinion. The Dr. Scholl’s rep may have been tired of vendors stopping by for free shoe inserts.

I’m a little distressed about all the pickpocketing. Does anyone know if anyone was caught? Did these pickpockets just waltz on over to the Expo Hall and buy a pass? I know that I kept my purse underneath my swag bag to protect it from theft.

Jill

I forgot about the booths breaking down early last year! That was such a turn off. I couldn’t make it to the Expo at all until the last couple hours on Saturday and it was so annoying to feel ignored just because they were already (!) packing boxes and just done. I complained to Blogher about it in the after conference feedback survey. I guess they made it clear all booths were to stay completely open the full time this year.

Anonymous

I agree completely! We have to milk every last minute at BlogHer and sometimes our only time to visit the Expo Hall is during the very last hour of the conference.

Kudos to the vendors for sticking to the schedule and/or kudos to BlogHer for enforcing it.

Anonymous

I’m glad to hear you had such a good experience this year! It is one of my pet peeves to shut down early, especially at BlogHer when you’re trying to cram everything into every second of the day. The pickpocketing was a little distressing and makes me wonder if they really checked for the passes.

http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

Dear Hallmark, I’ve tried tweeting at you a few times… radio silence in return, tried to visit your booth at blogher11 x2 but you were really busy, too busy to give me 15 seconds of attention.. that’s cool, geeks don’t need no stinkin greeting cards anyway

Kate, aka Guavalicious

I am disappointed to hear that Jean. I have always had a great experience with Hallmark. Are you using @Hallmarkpr? I know that their booth was very popular and people tended to engage their reps for a long time. Hopefully they will see this and reach out to you!

http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

yeap, tweeting at @Hallmarkpr also stopped by their booth x2, guess I’m not their cup of tea & that’s their prerogative

Jill

Jean, I have the direct email to one of their reps. He is super nice and responsive. Email me- jill at babyrabies dot com – and I’ll connect you both.

Anonymous

Everyone definitely has a different experience. It’s tough to know that you don’t have an isolated incident. For what it’s worth, I think I myself as a nerd. But then again, I simply walked in and mailed a greeting card!

http://brainfoggles.com/ ConnieFoggles

I didn’t attend BlogHer this year, but we are very good at distinguishing the brands that do their homework and those that don’t. Along with your questions to brands, I’d add – are you hiring people that are willing to reach out to bloggers?

Anonymous

Connie – you’ve hit on a good point that really has me thinking. Brand employees vs. Brand reps (i.e., from PR companies). That could be a huge difference and I’d love to explore the checks and balances that brands have in place to ensure they are being properly represented.

http://twitter.com/FrugalNavyWife The Frugal Navy Wife

I too had the same issue with hot wheels and they had very little info on the product avalible! i also did notice the people at Dr schools a little distant. I loved the halmark, jimmy dean, PG and allegra reps they stuck out in my mind.

Anonymous

Glad there is always good with the bad. Yes, in terms of personality, I love the reps at Jimmy Dean and Allegra. Sometimes that’s what makes the biggest impression!

http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

I really like the P&G home this year, lol, the big potty, the Charmin Bear were great, plus the reps working the home had great senses of humor.

Jenn Satterwhite

Loved the P&G home tour. They made it so fun!
http://www.magpiemusing.com magpie

I also really liked that P&G wasn’t handing out any product at all, but would send you a box at home if you signed up. Less schlepping for everyone.

Anonymous

That’s a great suggestion for MANY brands. Plus your product won’t get lost in the SWAG!
http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

yes! brands that made arrangements to ship product to me get huge kudo’s, that type of consideration says a lot about a company will treat us in a working relationship IMHO.

Anonymous

For the second year in a row, I got very overwhelmed at the P&G booth. I cuddled the puppy briefly and then left because I didn’t know what to do. Maybe next year, I’ll plan it a little better.

http://twitter.com/ThriftyJinxy Thrifty Jinxy

I had many of the same thoughts and experiences. Add me to the list of those disappointed with Hot Wheels — that really could have been great, but it was nothing. The only rep I saw in the suite was hunched over a box of hot wheels cars picking out the ones bloggers requested and handing them out. I went to the suite wanting to get excited about something new, but left with a $2 freebie and nothing more.

Hallmark was the one suite that I thought did an excellent job. Very inviting, friendly, and packed with excited bloggers. – - – And my family loved the cards I sent home.

I thought many of the booths on the expo floor did a great job this year. RedPlum, Coupon Cabin, Tempur-Pedic, Eden Fantasys, P&G, Bounty, Samsung, Hallmark, Hillshire Farm, and the Mother Company were some of the standouts. They showed enthusiasm and showed actual interest in conversing.

On the other hand, some of the booths were a big old fail. I’m not sure why you would send someone to a convention who has no interest in interacting with people. The #1 example of that was Yankee Candle – yikes! There were also a lot of booths that could have been picked up and transported to a local home show, state fair or other event and been the same thing – basically handing out free samples to passers-by. Hey I LOVE freebies and won’t say no, but at a blogging convention I expect to interact with brands on a blogger/brand level, not only on a blogger/possible consumer level. I’m sure not going to blog about your product just because you handed me a free sample (well, unless I totally fall in love with it, then it might be an exception).

Overall I do think many of the brands stepped it up a notch this year but others still have a lot to learn.

Thanks, Fadra, for your awesome post and conversation starter!

http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

Just want to say that Yankee candle was a company I’d planned on reaching out to at blogher, I was puzzled by how the rep acted the day I was at the booth, I followed up with yankee on twitter and via phone, very nice people, very much looking to getting in tune with the blogging community

Anonymous

Jean – I think you’re hitting on some of my thoughts I’m gathering for a new post. I’m wondering if they were Yankee Candle employees or PR reps. Sometimes, it may make a difference.

Jill

I agree with Yankee Candle missing the boat. There wasn’t any more of an experience or interaction with the brand there than I can get at any of their retail stores.
http://twitter.com/mommaneedsbeer Kelli MW

Couldn’t agree more about Yankee Candle. I stopped by the booth, which was NOT busy at all, and they didn’t even acknowledge me. Busy doing something on their phones. I said hi, and they still didn’t even look up. I smelled some candles, snagged the jump drive, not knowing what it even was until I brought it home. Missed opportunities like that kinda bugged me. Why do sponsors send people to work booths that don’t care?

Anonymous

Ouch. That sounds like the poster child for what to do wrong at ANY conference, let alone a blogging conference. I might try to flag them down to read some of these comments.
http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

the rep didn’t even give me the jump drive, I get that the expo hall isn’t the place for a prolonged pitch but they seemed uninterested in even taking my card, However, their twitter acct was very responsive, I was able to share my concerns over the phone & have a nice convo with PR at Yankee, very nice people, who I hope read this post as it validates my experiences at their booth

Anonymous

What an insightful comment. I love that you recognized some of the stand-out brands. I agree with a lot that made your list. You’re also not the first to mention Yankee Candle. I personally didn’t visit them so I can’t speak from personal experience but I always think that if more than ONE person has something to say, it’s probably worth listening to.

http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

loved the Allegra people, they took my card, spoke with me, told me a bit about their promo’s, also loved the folks from Pepsi and the Jimmy Dean’s reps who couldn’t seem to stop feeding me:) brand’s with humor were big winners with me this year

http://twitter.com/TheNextMartha Jennifer Hajer

yes, Allegra people were VERY nice and friendly.
Jenn Satterwhite

The Allegra people saved me!! I was losing my voice before my session and needed it to speak. The allergy medicine saved me!
Anonymous

I met with Jimmy Dean and Allegra and enjoyed both of their booths. At least we know they were being consistent!

Sarah

Thanks Fadra, and to all the other bloggers who have commented. As a brand, I attended this year mostly as a “scouting” mission, to see whether the conference would be a good fit for our overall blogger outreach and marketing strategy. I was so amazed at how many awesome women I met and humbled by the entire community. This discussion is so helpful–it helps me better understand what bloggers want and need. Importantly, I am so glad to hear that most bloggers want the same thing we want for our brands, true connections with real, genuine people. Thanks for helping me on my journey!

Anonymous

Sarah – I’m so happy to hear from a brand and to know that you’re hearing what we are saying. Most of us want to develop business relationships. We’re all still figuring out what that looks like but face to face interactions are where you can start to see who might be a good fit for your brand.

http://twitter.com/TheNextMartha Jennifer Hajer

My son LOVES hotwheels. He’s chosen to have a hotwheels party for the last two years. I practically had to scream “WHO CAN I TALK TO HERE.” This was after I started talking to someone who I thought was a rep. Though my son will continue to love them, I will cringe a little when I put my money up for them from now on.

http://twitter.com/TheNextMartha Jennifer Hajer

I should also mention that though the hotwheels stuff was mostly on their walls, the rest of the room really lacked personality. Surely they have other stuff coming out soon that they could have used as filler.

http://notsuperjustmom.blogspot.com Miranda

This was one thing that really stood out to me about the HotWheels “suite.” When you looked at it in comparison to the Hallmark suite next door and the htc suite two doors down, they did NOTHING to draw people in after paying what I have to imagine was huge money to have a private space. Their entire approach baffles me and as someone who is their target audience, I’m really kind of stymied by them.
Anonymous

YES! From a visual appeal, there was NOTHING in the suite to really attract anyone or entice them to stop in. Big disappointment with Hot Wheels.

Jenn Satterwhite

I was surprised at some brands who blew me off trying to give me swag rather than actually talk to me. I would much rather make a connection than get a free notebook, jump drive or pen. I was really thrown off by those brands to the point where I handed them back their swag and walked away.

Hallmark was exceptional in bringing bloggers into the conversation. As was the wonderful group at the #GotMilk/ Milk Mustache booth. Samsung was wonderful in sitting in talking to me about tablets in general and answering my questions (so basic) and never made me feel foolish. Retail Me Not was super helpful in explaining what they were about. Dove? Loved them. Tropicana was great in talking one on one with bloggers. McDonald’s seemed to really want to hear what I had to say. I could go on and on.

Hot Wheels? Well, I am glad I am leaving that demographic behind. Another one that put me off was after I had a great conversation with a rep with Brawny, the demonstration gentleman was downright rude to me in insisting I stay put and do his demonstration though I was late in getting to a meeting. It seemed like some brands phoned it in and would rather we sign up on their (slow) tablet and move on without really giving US any information about their brand. Not all, but many.

So my question is this: What exactly DO brands want from bloggers at events like this? Have bloggers who only want swag ruined the conversation? Are they giving out business cards as a courtesy or do they really want a follow up? Do they appreciate those of us who truly want to hear what they represent or would they rather just get our info and contact us later? What is the desire from the reps that took time and money to be there? It felt like there was a disconnect.

Wow. I guess I should have written a post on my own MommyNeedsCoffee blog and not a comment. I am SORRY for being so wordy. You opened up a huge door for me.

Anonymous

Jenn – feel free to overshadow the post with a comment anytime It’s all about having a conversation!

I had to laugh a little at the Brawny demo. I didn’t stop by that booth but think it’s funny that you were trapped in a paper towel demonstration.

I think you brought up all valid questions. And they are questions that each individual brand would have to answer. It goes back to the objective of the brand. I guess you have to start with one first. It would be nice to have a forum where the brands would weigh in as well.

Jenn Satterwhite

In hindsight it is funny that I got stuck in the Brawny demo. C’mon! If I wanted to wash dishes, I would’ve stayed home.

And I do agree about each brand having their own answer to what they want after a conference. Much like bloggers. (But if I took my time to fill out your questions on very slow tablets, please use that info! I took the time to make it easier by entering it all in. Help me, help you! Help Me. Help You. (/end Jerry McGuire flip out voice.)

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http://www.themommyinsider.com Alicia

I agree with you Jenn.. during BlogHer I chose booths selectively based on my interest in their product and at some booths I was able to chat with the pr rep but at several booths the pr rep handed me a swag bag and blew me off. I honestly didn’t give a flying hoot about the swag at the Expo, I was there to connect with brands! Most of us can *buy* any of the swag that the brands were giving away or we don’t need anymore ‘stuff’ cluttering our homes. My hope was that if I walked up to to a pr rep in a booth, and asked questions about their product/mission, that they would have spent a few minutes talking to me. Not just give me a swag bag, discontinue eye contact, and move on to the next person. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the Expo floor way more than the parties, but I expected a little more from the PR reps I guess.

Anonymous

Alicia – that’s a great point. How much of the stuff we got was really of value? I know it’s cluttering up my house! It’s nice to be introduced to products we might not know about but sometimes it does simply feel like a freebie.

Anonymous

I was very disappointed by Hot Wheels as well. I checked out their suite on Saturday around 3pm and 3 of their reps were too busy with one lady… I waited around for about 5 minutes, overheard the conversation and left. My biggest gripe was in the conversation I overheard which went a little something like this: We ran out of cars but I’ll see what I can do – they were only for those attendees who brought their children.

I stood there with my mouth half open – It seemed sort of unreal that I wasn’t even handed a flyer or coupon that invited us to check out their sites or what new products they were offering. Not that my children needed another Hot Wheel but the simple thought of them thinking of us would have left me feeling better.

I had quite a different approach from Dr. Scholl’s – I was invited along with a friend to sit down on their massagers or take a picture with their huge Heel chair. I was offered a few different products and a business card.

Anonymous

So I’m hearing that one brand (Hot Wheels) was pretty consistently unapproachable. While Dr. Scholl’s was a better experience for you. Curious if it might have been personnel or simply the time of day that you stopped by.

Anonymous

I did stop by first thing on Friday morning so you might be right about time of day!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_V7JLAS5ZNNJEAWEBFHJYOJDQLA Kris Sampson

I just paíd $22.85 for an íPad 2-64GB and my girlfriend loves her her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.78 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $625 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, CentHûb.côm
http://twitter.com/geekbabe Jean Parks

can I say I really liked the Samsung rest and recharge station? lol, it was so pleasant to actually sit down, rest, recharge my phone & the Samsung reps were so nice I actually gifted them with Skinny Girl margarita that I couldn’t take on the plane home

I also loved the Lindt chocolate booth I could have eaten an entire plate of the stuff
http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com Stacie Haight Connerty

I was very disappointed with the Expo this year. I went on Saturday morning and had to drag a rep away from conversation with several other reps at the Samsung booth. I had some questions about the tablet. His answer, “Just give us your business card so you can try to win one.” Really? How does that answer my question???

I am a Samsung lover and use their products everywhere in my life. I would never consider this tablet, even if they gave me one for free because of the attitude of the people working their booth at Blogher. If they couldn’t be bothered to answer my questions, why were they there? What’s the point?What is the most upsetting is that I found this attitude at many of the booths on Saturday morning. The reps were too busy talking to each other and trying to get free stuff from other booths. The Samsung booth was just one of many examples that I could give. I spent less than an hour at the Expo and honestly would probably not even buy a ticket next year because of the disappointment. I will just go for the private parties. I didn’t want their free crap. I wanted a conversation. Too bad most brands at the Expo couldn’t be bothered with something as trivial as conversation.
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