I read another article today about how
manufacturers are reaching out to “influential mommy bloggers.”
This time Bloomberg News reports that Mattel was plying these IMBs
with a brunch buffet in a “penthouse suite at Manhattan's Royalton
Hotel,” complete with mimosas and bloody marys.
Hellooo.
What part of Sandwich MOM on Wry
@ BLOGspot-dot-com do you people not get?
Just because I can't get my own family
to do anything I tell them doesn't necessarily mean I am not
influential. It's just that they can't be easily influenced. I like
to think of them as independent thinkers.
According to this article Mattel was,
basically, teaching these women how/why little boys like to play with
cars because the Mattel representative said (get this) “Mom 'has
never played with them.'” (meaning the cars, not the kids, I hope).
OK, so maybe I was a little
overqualified to be in this test group. It would take a whooooole lot
of mimosas and bloody mary's to get me to sit in a room full of women
who never played with toy cars. Where did they find these women? How
many rocks did they have to turn over to find even a single girl who
didn't “understand why cars... and smashing and crashing are cool.”
On the other hand, if someone offered
me bloody marys, mimosa, and brunch at a fancy-schmancy Manhattan
hotel penthouse suite I'm pretty sure I could develop sudden
onset amnesia. Hot Wheels? What are Hot Wheels?
Nope. Never heard of them.
Never played with them. Stepped on
them. But never played with them.
Boy's toys are ucky.
Editors note: “Boy Toys” are
another matter entirely, which brings me to my second gripe about
this article: The accompanying photo showed some sweet, young, female
thing (who really needed a bigger tank top) demonstrating a Hot
Wheels track at the American International Toy Fair. If you really
want to get Mom's attention, let a shirtless Channing Tatum hawk your
wares. Of course, if you were smart enough to figure that out, you'd
be smart enough to sign me up as one of your “influential mommy
bloggers,” too.
But I digress.
My point is, I need to get me some of
this product placement action.
I could do a fair and honest review of
your product. Honest I could. And if an honest review isn't what
you're looking for, well... we could still talk (I like my margaritas
on the rocks – wink, wink).
I know my blogging schedule has been a
bit... erratic, but really, I'm trapped in a vicious circle of your
own making! If you would just slide some of those time saving (!),
effort saving (!) and/or fun (!) miracle products my way, I wouldn't
be spending so much time (!) and effort (!) on
cooking/cleaning/entertaining/other chores and I would have more time
to blog about your time saving (!), effort saving (!) and/or fun (!)
miracle products.
It's a win-win situation.
I've even read about a couple blogs in
which the blogger has Oprah-like giveaways of the products she has
received and enjoyed (!) from the manufacturer. In my humble opinion,
free giveaways are just a gimmick to buy (influence) your audience.
And I'm perfectly OK with that.
In fact, just to show how generous
(influential) I can be I would like to promote a local business (I'm
not opposed to receiving a few freebies, hint hint):
I'm willing to give away one free
(isn't that the same as “give away”?) cupcake from Molly's
Cupcakes in Iowa City to the first person who responds to this blog.
But hurry! Supplies are limited!
In fact... I think supplies are
exhausted. But I could give you a slightly used Molly's Cupcake box.
Just give me a minute to wipe the
frosting off the keyboard.
And if you are a representative of
Molly's Cupcakes inquiring about product placement in this blog,
think chocolate... and lots of it.
