Once the provenance of earnest fashion fans on the fringes of the
industry, blogs have evolved into legitimate media sources and, more
importantly, big moneymakers. Just had a look at yesterdays' post at
Fashionista and WWD story highlighting 'Hot fashion bloggers' like Bryan
Boy and Susie Bubble. I thought of our own bloggers right here in
Africa OneNigerianBoy, LindaIkeji, BellaNaija to mention a few.. The
feature goes on to detail how each page views their sites get, and
present an important question: "Bloggers sitting front row have become a
commonplace- as have partnerships with leading brands and fashion
houses that often blur the nature of what they do
'Reportage and Criticism or Marketing and Promotion?"
Whether
it's by partnering with brands, styling shoots, receiving payment for
writing posts or getting commission on the sale of items they post
about, some bloggers are seriously cashing in on their influence. Of
course, there's nothing wrong with making money. These bloggers work
hard, are dedicated to their readers and add a unique voice to the
fashion dialogue.
"Bloggers produce original content; they have a
unique talent (Be it photographing, styling, writing) and its obvious"
You ask yourself, why would you, for instance, hire any stylist when you
can hire just as talented a stylist but one that also has many
followers/readers?
But i noticed that blogs have made
the transition from personal style diaries to profit-turning businesses,
some readers have begun to feel that original and unbiased content,
once the keystone of what made blogs so relevant, has taken a hit
At
the beginning of the fashion blog uprising I loved the rawness of it
all but as times goes on.. I saw a post where an editor advised bloggers
not to be 'shady'
Responsible and active readers have always had
to keep in mind who owns, sponsor, advertises any print or TV Media.
Now, you should keep that in mind with many blogs as well.
Andrea
Stark Ratner, a Fashionista commenter agrees, writing "Now, for many of
the top bloggers, they are sent clothing, shoes, accessories, etc,
flown and sent to events all over the world, with everything paid for,
and then there is a blog post about the gift or event and a link to
where the reader can purchase the item or get in on what is happening..
this practice takes the 'pureness' out of blogging.. the blogger is no
longer doing it for 'pure' love of fashion, but is now a shill for a
brand"
Of course the practice of receiving free swag
isnt exactly a secret; Most bloggers disclose what products they were
gifted in their posts, but not all of them do. Moreover, some bloggers
feel pressure to wear or write about a certain product in order to
maintain a good relationship with a brand, in hopes that either more
free product-or a paid gig- will come their way as a result.
A
popular blogger told Fashionista: 'Right now, all brands are doing the
same thing: They are sending free product to blogger or to online
fashion publications and having them feature the product. It's a sligtly
vicious cycle of bribery'
So another question is :
when is writing about a product, received for free, a form of paid
endorsement-or even an advertisement-and when is it merely a review?
For
some bloggers the answer is fuzzy. Some bloggers maintained that they
preserves their blog's editorial intergrity because whatever some of
them are wearing would have been purchased by them and not a free gift.
Other
maintained that they dont work without getting paid. One anonymously
said: I feel like asking me to write something or style something
without paying me is like asking an accoutant to file your taxes without
paying them, but however she still makes sure she only partners with
lables that jive with her brand saying i.e she doesnt work with
designers if she dont like their brand. 'I tell anyone who is sending me
clothing that I may or may not post it. I definately dont want to lose
my credibility in that capacity'
I believe editorial intergrity should be rigidly maintained. It should be a strong hold when going into a brand relationship.
Kelie
Framel recently walked away from a sizeable offer from a brand because
they wanted to dictate what the verbage was and how she presented their
product. 'They were assuming that we could have the same relationship as
they would have with an advertorial'
While Framel
passed on the dealm other, less scrupulous bloggers may not. And, as it
turns out, such deals, if left undisclosed, are in direct violation of
Federal Trade Commision's guidelines which state: 'A post of a blogger
who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered
an endorsement, thus, bloggers who make an endorsemenr must disclose the
material connections they share with the seller of the product or
service'
However, the commission seems fuzzy on the
issue, saying 'decisions will be reached on a case-to-case basis, It
should be noted that these are just guidelines and not rules and
regulations, so there are no monetary penalties, or penalties of any
kind, associated with them.
In other words, there is
not necessarily any incentive for bloggers to disclose whether they are
receiving free product, commision on a sale or even payment for
featuring a product. Keep in mind that unlike in the print and
traditional media world, many of these bloggers did not study
journalism, or have work experience and they dont have any corporate
guidelines to follow.
Put penalties and rule-breaking
aside, how has the monetization of blogs affected the quality of their
editorial content? 'If it's done prpoerly, it wont ever impact
editiorial intergrity', said Robinovitz, who rep Framel as well as Sea
of Shoes
You cant rush into things, you have to be very careful. I think everyone can tell when something is inauthentic
There
was one thing everyone agreed on: Blogs, once hailed as the democractic
voice of fashion, have become brands themselves, questions about their
authenticity and originalty have rightfully been asked. How these
questions will be answered is, for now, up to bloggers. What sort of
guidelines do you think they should follow?
