Some brands are still trying to tell us how they’d like their product publicised by us and recommended to readers by us, thank you very much. Pointless to invite on-line writers to a launch in November and insist it can’t be spoken about until February 2010. So, hope you’ll all love the new Vaseline body cream when you read about it next year. Of course, it’s already all over the internet having launched in the states so I’d say its an ill-conceived embargo in the first place?
Embargo Buster
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12 responses to “Embargo Buster”
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haha! Love it = )
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How weird! Strange PR! Emma
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Ha haa!
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Surely an embargo is an embargo in any industry, beauty it otherwise. As an ‘insider’ and on a professional basis this must mean something to you??
For bloggers who are invited to such press events they should treat this with considerately and professionally as they have been trusted with the embargo and treated like a professional themselves by the PR agency. Let’s face it most bloggers who fiercely promote their blog want to be treated as a professional as most would not disagree they would love a career from it.
You make an embargo sound (to those who know no better) like an evil ploy that the agency has made up to
control bloggers and the content of their sites. It is not this at all and in your current position I really don’t understand the problem?!
You make an em -
Hi Saskia: my point about embargoes (and I did not attend the event in question) is that for too long now brands have controlled how and when the public are exposed to advertising and promotion. Given that we are the consumers there is a lack of realisation that we are ‘played’ by a multi-million pound industry who expect us to buy on their say so. With advertising budgets squeezed for magazines, any new brand with an ad budget will be welcomed and no doubt their products positively reviewed. I’m trying in my own small way not to fall into the trap of being told where, when and how I may be a consumer. Maybe if the release of a budget body cream is such a secret, they shouldn’t have told anyone at all? And as a point, my blog is not my career and never will be – it is a by-product of my career.
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I think it’s one case in point of companies just not undersatnding the differences between online and print journalism. Fine, if it takes 4 months to put out any news in a mag an embargo won’t matter much anyway, but blogging is all about sharing info as soon as you get it – it’s part of the charm that online writers can be ahead of the curve. It’s like a big club of people who want to be ‘in the know’. PRs can’t expect bloggers to change their whole publishing style just to please one company.
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Strange policy… wouldn’t you have forgottten about the product itself if you have to wait that long? I mean, I can’t even remember what product I used a month ago…
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I kind of see both sides of this but I think the point is that if you are organising your PR to fit around magazine publication schedules then don’t invite bloggers (or journalists from the dailies) to the launch that’s aimed at magazines. Instead, hold 2 launches (but hey, that costs extra). As a journalist I always made a point of respecting embargoes but equally as a PR I’m aware that embargoes apply to everyone and shouldn’t be partial.
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I agree with GreatSheElephant – don’t hold a launch before you’re ready to, well…launch, your product.
It also tickles me (although I have no idea if this is a case in point, because I’m meh about Vaseline) when brands insist on an embargo in Europe when their products are already launched in the US – because none of us read US blogs/forums/websites do we?
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I can see that they do an early launch for the long-lead magazines and it makes me think that there is possibly some advertising deal with one magazine that means nobody else can feature it until they have done so. Might not be the case, but often is. But then, that’s my point really…show but no tell!
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Oh, and yes it is already launched in the states…good job we weren’t bright enough to look on line huh?
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You go girl!
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