When Brands Don’t Play Fair

I don’t often use my blog to send a specific message, but this little story has been rumbling on for so long that it’s time.

If you saw my posts on Models Own Iced Neon and subsequent Vine videos, you’ll know that I put a significant amount of work and effort into them. I’ve had a lot of feedback, answered a lot of questions about the range on Twitter and generally devoted a lot of time to these shades.

Models Own operate on a very selfish basis on social media. They’re a great example of how not to behave if you want to keep loyalty and friends. The clue is in the name – *social* media. They are absolutely intent on keeping all click throughs going to their own site, so any bloggers doing any work on their behalf can’t expect any support. Most bloggers will know that sharing and support is what makes the blogging world go round. It’s a crucial element in ensuring traffic for all and being generous in re-tweets is so much appreciated (by me, anyway) and I try really hard to repay with re-tweets myself.

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Most brands are positively delighted to re-tweet and acknowledge reviews. Most brands have social media people that understand the give-and-take of interactions in social media. Most brands appreciate and understand consumer loyalty and go out of their way to repeat a positive message or review (and my reviews of Ice Neon are totally positive – although I’m not really buying the keep-it-in-the-fridge aspect). While I’m clearly not reviewing the product for Models Own, but for BBB readers, because I know there is a big MO fan base, I still think it is disingenuous that they’re so reluctant to play a part in the social aspect of social media.

Funnily enough, I’ve just had a Tweet from the ‘Bossman’ – his words not mine, saying he doesn’t do much during the week let alone on a Sunday. I don’t think I need to add anything to that.

So, what do you say? Should brands give bloggers the push they deserve when they’re putting so much time and effort into reviewing products? I’d love to know what you think.

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Jane Cunningham

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29 responses to “When Brands Don’t Play Fair”

  1. Jayne

    Totally understand your frustration and I do think Models Own are missing a trick here, as they do get SO much support from lots of bloggers.

    However, I think it’s hard from a brand point of view. If a brand retweets one blogger review and not others, you risk upsetting others unintentionally. However, if a brand retweets everything they risk pissing off their followers for spamming. In my opinion is it should be a balance.

    The other thing is that no ALL social media brand accounts are manned 24/7 so responses to blogger tweets can be delayed.The other thing is that not all social media accounts are managed by the PR agencies, so the knowledge of which bloggers to retweet and not to retweet is missing.

    It’s difficult for sure, social media is still new, so there’s ALOT of brands not interacting with bloggers to the best of their ability.

    Reply
  2. Charli FLL

    What does he mean, he doesn’t do much? To do with the company or twitter or in general? Sounds like the person in charge of social media is seriously out of date and needs changing. Not to mention I highly suspect a lot of their clients are bloggers, so it’s a little bit of a smack in the face to them.

    Reply
  3. Holly Arabella

    It’s such a shame, though MO are known to be this way. I quite like their new range of shades, your swatches were useful to your readers and models own customers generally I am sure!
    I tweeted them once to ask why, when they had a 50% offer on their website, that the usual rrp prices of products had almost doubled so there wasn’t actually 50% off at all and I received a very, very rude reply telling me I was wrong. The following day, the offer was removed and the rrp prices were back to normal. Thankfully I didn’t fall for the so called offer or I’d have paid near full price anyway, quite a few customers complained about this on their Facebook page too and the comments were ignored/removed so I guess I was lucky to get a reply!
    On another occasion I reviewed one of their polishes and was swiftly ‘told off’ for putting information in the post that wasn’t meant to be in the public yet, despite it being on the press release with no embargo, I always check for that sort of thing and nothing was there. The pr were really kind and apologised a lot, saying the press releases must have been wrong and MO had changed their mind last minute about what they wanted going out after the press releases were sent. Still, no thanks from MO for the post, the effort that went into it and the changes that were made immediately, just a scalding made against me and the pr even though they were the ones who changed their minds and not let any press know about it…

    Reply
    1. Katie @ Cake Vs Scales

      This comment alone is enough to make me stop using M.O!…the 50% after increasing the prices? Criminal!
      Good post and I wholly agree, brands should play fair!

      Reply
  4. Gemma

    I’d been wondering what was up with Model’s Own for a while, so I’m glad you’ve voiced this and I now know it’s not just something they had against me! I was one of the first bloggers to swatch the Wonderland collection last year – I went to Boots on release day and then rushed back home to swatch and share all of the colours, so a fair bit of effort was put in.

    Like you, I did this for me and for my readers, not for MO, but I couldn’t believe it when I didn’t hear anything from them in terms of a tweet back, retweet, share of a facebook post etc etc. It left me feeling that they didn’t like my post and that my swatches weren’t good enough, so it’s good to know I’m not the only one who feels a bit ignored by them!

    I understand Jayne’s point of view (the other Jayne), and I can appreciate the fine line they need to tread with retweets etc, but they could at least pick and choose and share what they feel are the best representations of their products for their customers.

    Reply
  5. Been There Done That Got The Lipstick

    I’ve noticed this happening alot lately. I know if it was my business I would be grateful for the coverage and want my customers/future customers to see how the shades look swatched. It just makes sense to retweet.
    xo

    Reply
  6. Loya

    This applies to so many brands and stores I can think of – loads NEVER reply or RT ever! The only thing I’d say to be fair specifically to MO is to give them more time to respond. Sometimes the brand lags behind their PR. Looking at their feed they haven’t been on since the 14th (the tweets on the 15th look prescheduled) so it may simply be that they haven’t seen it yet not working over the weekend. Or it might be that they have a policy that the PR RTs media/blogger coverage and the brand does customer only? Ultimately it’s your choice whether to feature a brand or not and whether response from the brand or your readers is more important.

    Reply
  7. Charlie

    Can’t stand this brand and boycott them anyway thanks to dire CS in the past, so I’m not surprised. The vast majority of my posts go I tweeted by the brands so I’m surprised to learn this is expected…I’m so naive…

    Reply
  8. Lillian Funny Face

    I have mixed feelings about this. I don’t think Brands owe it to anyone to retweet anything, I very very rarely get a retweet or mention for reviews or posts but it doesn’t bother me. It’s frustrating not to have your hard work acknowledged of course but there’s nothing saying they have to mention posts about them.
    However for one thing it is STUPID of them not to have retweeted you, as these were PR samples sent specifically for review and I’ve just googled and you’re the ONLY person who has swatches yet! It is in their best interests to retweet so people can see the polishes!
    I own a small business and make sure that I retweet or otherwise show a link to any mention we get.
    I also think that the ‘Bossman’ tweet was really inappropriate. For one thing to me it seems suspicious that they retweeted you AFTER you’d already mentioned that they hadn’t mentioned your post. And are you meant to feel grateful that he’s actually doing his job?
    I really love Models Own products but the brand seems really stupid. There were a couple of huge sale fails and someone from their brand stole photos off my blog, posted them on their facebook without permission and didn’t even credit me!

    Reply
  9. shotofbeauty

    I absolutely think brands should acknowledge bloggers’ efforts as ultimately we are the customer and we are free to choose to cover certain products and take time on what we say about them. To say you are too busy to click retweet really doesn’t cut it – a little bit too complacent I think! Really admire you for posting about this x

    Reply
  10. Mopsy

    I like your blog but sometimes your posts about the state of blogging, companies etc, come across as a bit egotistical and off-putting. You posted an item, did not get a response from the brand and are now having a hissy about it. Really, get over it.

    Reply
  11. Jane

    Hi Lilian..this has been rumbling along with the brand for about a year. I’ve asked them to be more supportive of ALL of us.. not just me but they’re very set it their ways about making it about them. Funnily enough, most of their tweets have *please RT* at the end of them.. something I rarely ever do because I don’t want people to feel they should. But two posts, two changes of polish and a Vine video I think is worth a little bit more than a message from their *cough* ‘Bossman’ saying he doesn’t do much during the week, never mind a Sunday. I had one RT on Saturday at about 5pm – a notoriously quiet time and if I hadn’t gone to sooo much effort then it wouldn’t matter that there was no reaction. Potentially, the posts have a reach of around 70K.

    Reply
  12. Louise

    I can see where you’re coming from because I wish more brands acknowledged my efforts too, but I agree with Jayne in that they cannot retweet everyone, and some people may see it as unfair if they only retweeted a select few. Other brands manage it though, so Models Own should be able to, too. It’s a win-win if they do!

    Reply
  13. Kirsty

    You get the stuff for free that we minions have to pay for so surely that’s beneficial enough.

    Brands exchange freebies for coverage and I don’t think they’re obligated to provide anything else

    Reply
    1. Jane

      They’re not obliged – and nor am I obliged to cover them. But its that apologetic attitude that I think is a shame. I have fought hard for bloggers to get samples; anyone who knows me would say that, and if you choose to call yourself a minion that’s up to you. I need to be exceptionally clear though that I never think of any bloggers as minions.

      Reply
  14. Ondo Lady

    I am reading these comments with a mixture of shock and disbelief. I don’t think PRs owe you anything when you publish a post. Engagement with a PR is a two way thing – they send you an item or items to review, you write about it and then send them a link. What they choose to do after that is entirely up to them. I don’t expect a retweet, Facebook link or a thank you email. I appreciate it when I get it but I don’t get upset when I don’t. I don’t think bloggers should take it personally when PRs don’t respond, I doubt that it’s because they do not like the post, they are probably too busy to get back to you.

    Reply
    1. Jane

      Actually your comment gives me great opportunity to say this is nothing to do with the PRs who always retweet when they can. I don’t feel *owed* but as you say, it’s a two-way thing. This is about the brand who take every opportunity to ask for retweets when they tweet anything and are followed by lots of bloggers. We don’t owe them anything at all, but you have to remember that if we count in other blogs they’re looking at far more coverage than they can get in print. I don’t ask for retweets, and I don’t have expectation, but this particular brand – as you will see in other comments – has little time or respect in my view for bloggers, except when they want them to buy product. And then, it’s RTs all the way.

      Reply
  15. London Beauty Queen

    An interesting point being made, and one I can see from both sides. As a blogger, it is important for me to know that brands like my posts and a RT can go a long way in building a relationship. However, with my ‘brand’ head on I don’t think companies or PRs are obliged or obligated in any way to do it – it’s up to them how they run their channels and share news about their brand. At the end of the day it’s only to their own detriment to not share great content, so I wouldn’t take it personally at all.

    I wouldn’t allow my brand channels to continually RT and tweet links to blog posts, limiting it to one or two a day. However, when a blogger of your caliber posts a review it makes sense to me to share. Facebook is a whole other kettle of fish – I would never, ever expect a brand to post there as the channel is completely different and links just don’t work for the brands. (People don’t like clicking out of FB as a general rule)

    I can see your point, but I don’t think it’s a huge issue to be honest. Just keep doing what you’re doing, making your readers happy!

    Reply
  16. trythemon

    I am fairly new to all this but I agree that brands dont owe anybody a retweet or a comment but they owe a lot less in advertising spend surely . Sending out a 100 nail polish samples to bloggers who generally give favourable reviews (so it would seem ) is peanuts compared to spending on infomercials, magazines ads etc. So I think it is unwise for brands to have a reputation for being unhelpful and sniffy to influential bloggers. After all we are all just trying to earn an honest buck !

    Reply
  17. nixdminx

    I think your experience of getting RTs and mentions from brands you write about is one that will diminish. Brands in the first flush of social media are keen to make friends and show off endorsements they get from bloggers and other influencers while they establish themselves and once they’ve hit a certain level, that tends to tail off. I rarely get retweets or mentions of reviews I do but I used to get a lot. When I worked inhouse and had bloggers reviewing products and also writing for me, it was a given that they would promote their content as part of their day to day activity – it was never agreed, it was just how it worked. I always promote my blog posts on twitter and facebook, whether they are reviews or not. I tend to find most companies are not running a particularly slick operation and don’t realise the benefit of socialising their reviews. In my mind, the reward for any great reviews, should always be recognition and acknowledgement from the brand across their social media channels. I don’t think brands buy in to best practice, but I would say, if you’re not getting what you want, explain to then what is customary or good etiquette – and perhaps they might take on board what you say.

    Reply
  18. olivia

    As a B-List blogger, I get how some companies “ignore” me. After all I don’t have the audience of Temptalia nor do I have the time to build the blog into one. That being said, if a brand really wants to make it nowadays, they really have to allocate a team to watch over social media outlets because there are so many. Most of them seem to just rely on Facebook which I am not on and don’t want to be on for personal reasons.

    I think for them to acknowledge a blogger for reviewing would be great but it wouldn’t have to be with the tweets and the reposts on Facebook. I think if they really believe and trust that blogger, shouldn’t they just automatically send products to be reviewed? And the blogger should have the understanding that the brand trusts them for their objective review. That is the ideal relationship but then again in a dog eat dog world, it would be very rare!

    Reply
  19. Fee

    Hi Jane,

    I don’t comment often on your blog but I do enjoy it on the whole.

    Though this post made me want to comment as the whole thing comes across as quite petty really on your side of things.

    I know the CEO of Model Own calling himself the ‘Bossman’ would have got my goat, as along with the whole tweet it just comes across as egotistical.

    HOWEVER it did also seem you were slightly spitting your dummy out when you didn’t get the Re Tweet you expected from Models Own. Yes, you did write two posts on the new range (though dare I say it didn’t look like a lot of effort) but if Models Own don’t retweet the link over the weekend is it such a big deal?… and does it really warrant a blog post ultimately dissing their social media presence?

    I really don’t think rants like this do your blog any favours if I am being totally honest.

    Fee x

    Reply
    1. Jane

      Hi Fee, as you can see from the other comments, it’s a fairly even split about whether I did the right thing or not. But, I would ask you to remember that as a blog, occasionally it’s not about the new, shiny stuff, it’s about how I’m feeling about my blog world, and that’s the nature of the blog. It’s always the case that sometimes people feel uncomfortable with that. If it is any consolation, I shouldn’t think the brand would care less. As a general rule I work incredibly hard to have good relationships with brands, so maybe you can read between the lines here and understand that enough is enough! But thank you for your measured comment – I publish all comments, good and bad, and if I put it out there I have to suck it up. I’m sorry that you feel disappointed.

      Reply
  20. Sash

    I think that some of the the comments are not really understanding the true nature of social media, there should be give and take in the relationship between the brand and blogger (if the post is new enough, relevant enough or the blogger is large) because we as a blog audience are exposed to products we may not have considered and as a result click through to them, or seek them out in shops because of what we have read by someone we trust, if they retweet or link back to a great review then it builds the brand. This is really simple modern marketing and sometimes I think that a blogger should have the guts to call it. Good for you bbb, companies still need to catch up!
    Ps I am not in marketing or digital media, but I do understand that a review from you, is a true review, and I don’t mind you using your forum to explain your position xxx

    Reply
  21. Helen Miller

    In social media, as in social most things, not everyone plays by your rules and what is poor behaviour to one person, is acceptable to another.
    I would say that if you are unhappy with the way that Models Own treats bloggers, then leave them alone or give them the minimum you feel professionally obliged to for your readers.
    It is about give and take, so if they don’t give you much, then dont give them much either and move on.
    I really don’t think that having a gripe about it does either of you any favours. Although of course it is your blog and as you say, you can say what you like!

    Reply
  22. Shortiee31

    I used to write about MO all the time as they have fabulous nail polishes and loved their launches… And used to get retweets and sometimes got featured on their website etc. Nowadays, like you’ve said, they don’t do that and I’ve noticed that as soon as the press releases go out they announce new collections to the public straight away anyway! Bit silly if you ask me.

    Reply
  23. pete

    These posts are funny but also very sad. I agree with others that you are being petty and egotistical. You clearly think you are owed a lot? Time was that a blogger would be happy with free samples. Now, it is an unspoken arrangement that the brand not only have to give you freebies but also harness their audience to prop up and promote your site so you get more revenue. It makes me think by default that *your* unspoken agreement is to nod and say yes this new release is wonderful go buy it – and that does happen a lot doesn’t it… Apparently both sides are puppets that abide by the puppetry laws. It’s by exposing this ‘corruption’ (if I can use that word though it does seem very high and mighty for what is essentially a throwing toys out of the pram scenario) that you lose credibility. Time and again you expose a brand or practise only to wait for the desired effect: the brand comes rushing in to kiss your ass and you feel special again and all is forgiven. We get it, the blog is your job and you have adverts and freebies and the PRs have to help get the enterprise bigger by equally advertising you as you them. But please have the grace to keep this under your hat because you’re only embarrassing yourself. Their role as PRs is to get publicity; your role as blog is to review and share for us the readers. That there is the transaction. That’s it.The posts you made were not exactly ‘war and peace’, we’re talking little paragraphs and quick dodgy shots. Please. I like your blog but these posts should be cut out. They are entertaining in a cringe way but I felt I should enlighten you, for whatever that’s worth. Peace.

    Reply
    1. Jane

      Pete: Please don’t forget that blogs are weblogs.. on line diaries; they aren’t professional publications with edit processes and it feels quite harsh at this end that you want open and honest reviews and yet you don’t want openness and honesty. These posts always make a certain number of people feel really uncomfortable, and you are entitled to your view. If I didn’t believe that I would only publish the good and you can see from the thread that isn’t the case. Maybe in real life I AM petty and egotistical! Who isn’t at some stage? But it’s not okay to level that I get free stuff so I write nice things about it. That couldn’t be further from the truth – I tell things how I see them, good or bad. In *real life* I am a beauty writer for print, so I get all this stuff anyway..as beauty writers always have. I could have a blog or not have a blog and I would still get it, so courting free product isn’t something I do or have ever had to do. Having blogged for five years though, I do feel I have the experience and knowledge of the genre to run commentary about how this plays out sometimes. I’ve seen relationships between brands and bloggers transform in those years with all the good (and bad) that’s come from that. There’s a fine line in this post between what I can say and what I can’t say, but all I can ask you to do is read between the lines and understand that petty and egotistical may not in this instance just apply to me! Thank you for your views and taking the time to put them down on virtual paper. Feedback in any way is always good and I’m genuinely always looking to learn and improve.

      Reply
  24. Leanne Marshall

    Hi Jane,

    Sorry you have had a bad experience with some companies!

    Just to let you know if you ever want to try our LM Beauty products just give me a email…..

    L.marshall@lmbeautyproducts.co.uk

    We always RT and ask our followers to share and RT and are able to offer great personable service (this is because we are a small family business)

    Anyway here is my website lmbeautyproducts.co.uk feel free to get in touch! 🙂 xx

    Reply

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