Keep in mind that p.r. people have to write reports to their clients to tell them which bloggers they’ve convinced, and the list needs to be large if they want to keep the account. That way, even if you never write about the product, the p.r. firm can demonstrate that they’ve tried by sending it to you.

I’ve had this conversation several times in the past few months with P.R. folks, and the consensus is that there is just as much value in giving a product to an “influencer”, “connector”, “trend-translator”, (the slightly veiled synonyms go on), as to someone who will write about the product. Just having the product, I think they rightly assume that I’ll talk about it with my friends, they’ll see it in my house, etc. Which leads me to giggle that somehow P.R. thinks of me as a “cool kid”. Right.

You know, and why not? Some of my favorite products that I use are some of the ones that I’ve had the opportunity to actually try, be it a promo, freebie or sample. I do see it the same as the cheese cubes at Rainbow – it’s not just a freebie but you are actually providing value to the customer by sharing something with them that they might not otherwise try.

I’m still on the fence about the issue.

There are actually times that I’ve solicited for products in the past (don’t do that anymore), received them, found them faulty, and begged the company to take it back, to no avail.

To answer previous question myself – Yes I think he’s good because I found The Intern through his links. HA!
http://internspills.blogspot.com/2009/10/publishing-observations-round-up.html

Re your blog, I love the visual feast and your sense of humor. It captures Paris perfectly.

Marketers are giving you the product because you are a blogger. They hope you will write about it positively and thus influence your readers to buy it. They are not giving you the product because they want you to buy more of it as a consumer, although they wouldn’t mind.

I took the pitcher because I was acting like a consumer. I just wanted it for my kitchen. I don’t think that’s cool. I should have been acting like a blogger. Consumers were not invited.

Does that sound reasonable?

While there was no explicit mention of having to blog or mention anything, the message is implicit: We want you to know about our product. Marketers don’t hand out freebies to just anyone. At BlogHer, they targeted bloggers who reach potential buyers of the product, hoping they might write it up, or at least discuss it with other “influencers” in their community.

There is no rule that says you have to write about the free stuff you take. But I was at the conference because I was a blogger and a professional, not because I was a consumer who just wanted free stuff for my own use. The conference was not open to the general public.

You and Sarah mentioned the chocolate. What’s funny is that like you two, I just ate it. Strangely, I didn’t feel guilty about it. Why is it different from the pitcher?

Please don’t feel guilty. You are the second person to say so. I didn’t mean to guilt-trip anyone. It’s only a pitcher, and if the p.r. person is reading this she’s probably thrilled.

It is an interesting question, to ask why we shouldn’t take all the free stuff handed out at conferences.