I haven’t embarked on a blogging rant for a while. The primary reason is because I’ve realised that the beauty blogging scene locally is markedly different from that I’ve seen in other countries. There is a lot of “me-ism” here as I call it, so I’ve decided to let sleeping dogs lie, let everyone do their thing and I’ll just do mine. I’m happier this way and I don’t get told off for preaching. Apparently, ethics rub people the wrong way.
Anyway, I remarked on Tine’s blog that I feel like I’m being treated by some people as a “loose cannon” because I refuse to be controlled and that makes me unpredictable. That’s how I like it, but it upsets people so contrary to what many people believe, I don’t work with many brands anymore. Most drop you like a hot potato on reading a less than favourable review about them and PR people come and go so relationships change over time. But you know what, it’s not about me today. I recently received an offer that incensed me so much, I just had to let loose about it.
This isn’t about beauty so you may leave now if it doesn’t interest you 🙂 But because I needed a picture, here’s a gratuitous photo of one of my recent purchases. It’s the Dior Eye Reviver eyeshadow palette and the My Lady Dior blush in 007 at the back. Both are available only at the sole Dior beauty boutique at Sunway Pyramid for a limited time, if you’re interested. (Disclaimer: This post is not about Dior but the items were too pretty not to show you 🙂 )
Well, basically I was approached by a PR firm, let’s call them Y who said they were representing a brand. Let’s call it Brand X. Brand X has a new product that they want to launch in a month’s time, at an allegedly ‘glam’ event.
So, Brand X has offered 10 bloggers a chance to try the product ahead of time and be paid. Let’s say for the sake of argument, that the amount is RM300 (approx US$82) per person. So far so good. They’ve actually broached the subject of payment.
However, because they are offering a payment, suddenly the hoops and juggling clubs appear for you to jump through. You are required to write a post about receiving the product, provide before/after photos and publish your review on a particular date. That raised my hackles a little but I wasn’t quite pissed yet.
It was what came next. That it was also compulsory to participate in some random contest where you, yes you the blogger, must dress up, take your photos of yourself dolled up to the nines (I don’t see how that’s relevant to having good skin but there you go), allow your photos to be used by Brand X for promotion and then came the crunch. You, yes you blogger, you will be judged by people who you have never met on the condition of your skin and how it’s improved since you were using Brand X’s product, all so you stand a chance to win products, and a coveted award no one has heard of before this.
W.T.F.
W.T.F!!!
Firstly, it’s ridiculous to impose all these conditions and compel us to participate in an activity that I feel to be condescending and demeaning and demoralizing for a mere token sum of RM300. Hell, if that second “activity” had not arisen, I wouldn’t have embarked on this rant because as ridiculous as it is, it isn’t uncommon. I don’t know who suggested that stupid contest, but whoever did deserves a swift kick up their behind. Brand X is a big company. If they want people to get that involved in a time consuming blogging activity, RM300 isn’t cutting it, folks. RM3000 would be a more reasonable compensation. I wouldn’t do it for RM30,000 but hey, that’s me. I know most people would.
Secondly, these people know nothing about you. They don’t know who you are, how old you are, what the condition of your skin is, or your lifestyle and you are not being judged among your peers. You could be a cynical, stressed out 40 year old, like me, pitted next to a baby faced 20 year old fresh out of diapers. You could have taken it seriously, written a thesis about your experience with the product, and be trumped by a pretty sweet young thing with skin like that of a baby’s bottom who wrote 50 words and included 50 photographs of herself, well photoshopped.
You are a random group of people thrown together because you are bloggers and therefore willing to jump through flaming hoops for a little treat at the end. “There’s a good boy! Here’s a treat!” Hey, you are not being given a year’s supply of product. You are given 1 month’s supply… and a paltry “compensation”, probably for you to go buy your glam dress and colour your hair as they pointedly suggest. Bollocks to all that.
Thirdly, where does it say that because I’m a blogger I’m willing to submit myself to be judged by people who I don’t know and don’t give 2 sen for, to judge ME on the condition of MY skin? If I choose to blog about my skin condition, that is my choice and within my control. I don’t asked to be judged. If people judge, that’s their business. I did not ask for it. But by making it compulsory, Brand X is forcing YOU to consent to be judged on your skin, by people who aren’t experts or even dermatologists.
This process of “judging” isn’t scientific. You aren’t asked to go in for before/after photos taken by experts under constant conditions, nor do machines measure the quality of your skin. You take the damn photos yourself and if you win, it’s not money that you win. It’s not an all expenses paid trip to Europe with shopping money thrown in. It’s products that the company manufactures, which costs nothing to them. Oh and a “coveted” award which I’d never heard of before this so it can’t be very coveted can it?
Oh and what if you don’t win? Oh, then it sucks to be you doesn’t it? Having to parade yourself up and down, subject yourself to the scrutiny of people who care nothing for you and who aren’t qualified to talk about the condition of your skin. Only to be told “Oh you’re not good enough”
So what’s my rant? Is it about the paltry compensation? Or is it about the company being so out of touch with things that they expect that bloggers will do anything for a freebie, a small sum of money and a chance to be paraded on stage? Or is it about the PR company who actually thought that this idea would fly.
It’s all of the above. This is what makes blogging such a sucky thing for me. It is presumptuous brands who come up with hare-brained schemes like this, and PR companies who feed this presumption that all bloggers are young and hungry for fame and freebies and a “coveted award”. This offer is insulting to someone who commands 10,000 pageviews a day and it is just as insulting to someone who commands 10 pageviews a day because it tells me that there is no respect shown to the blogger at all, in this whole exercise.
Brands recognise that bloggers can be of great help to them in getting the word out and influential bloggers can sell out a product. Yet this latest exercise by Brand X and PR firm Y shows just how little they appreciate the effort, influence and time put in by the bloggers. Brand X stands to earn hundreds of thousands from the sale of this new product and all they are willing to invest in the bloggers that they are using to push their product sales, is a total sum of RM3000 for 10 bloggers. In fact, they promise you 2 month’s supply of product but won’t even let you have the 2nd month until AFTER the whole exercise is completed.
All together now. W.T.F!!!
I’m just getting this off my chest because if I didn’t, I’d explode 😛 I know there are 9 other people out there who have received the same offer. Perhaps they don’t feel as WTF-y as I do about this. Time will tell. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t take the offer up, but I’m saying that you should weigh your time, effort and influence and think hard about whether all you’re worth is RM300, some product and some stupid cattle parade where some unqualified people will decide if you are worth giving a prize to.
You think about it. But I can tell you that you and I are worth a hell lot more than that, and we deserve and are entitled to some respect. As long as we roll over and let these companies trample all over us, we can forget about getting any respect at all. The next time, they won’t even bother to offer you the RM300. You’d just do it for the free product won’t you? After all, you’re JUST a blogger.
And this, my friends, is one of those things that makes me sick about this whole blogging business. The lack of respect and those who allow this lack of respect to perpetuate. Bloggers aren’t just pretty faces on the web. We should never be just that.
My path has diverted and I’ve chosen to blaze my own blogging path away from all this crap. I’m not saying that I’m against accepting compensation, but that compensation must be commensurate with our efforts, time and influence that the brands seek to make use of. And no matter how I look at it, RM300 is nothing but an insult. A friend I talked this over with had just this to say after reading the email (Read this in your best Manglish accent) “They think their RM300 is very big issit?!”
And you know what? That pretty much sums it up.
Thanks for letting me get this off my chest 🙂
Paris B
Cecilia Wong says
As you rightly said, WTF! On a lighter note, to cheer you up, those are my husband’s initials. So when I want to scream WTF, I yell out his name.
Lily says
HAHAHAHA!!! Good one 🙂
Jenn Wan says
Ooohh… WTF is my uncle’s initials too
Paris B says
LOL!! Cecilia, that totally cracked me up about your husband’s initials! How perfectly apt! 😀 And thank you 🙂
Ling says
WTF to the max!!!
Paris B says
That’s the quality of PR I have to deal with Ling! Be grateful you don’t LOL 🙂
Tine @ Beautyholics Anonymous says
Oh this made me furious. I despise any sort of competitions, awards and anything similar that pits bloggers against each other. It’s bad enough that the competition is so great, now you have to add the humiliation of being paraded around to be judged on your physical appearance. This is not a dog show.
I would never say yes to such a campaign, not even if you paid me $3000 or $30,000. My dignity and pride is worth far more than that. All of us know who the public is going to vote for and it will always be that pretty young thing.
The PR who came up with such a pitch and the bosses at the agency who approved of it are idiots. It’s highly insulting to bloggers, whether they’ve been blogging for a long time or even just a short while. Yet the saddest thing is that a lot of bloggers would be happy to jump through hoops at the thought of monetary compensation.
Well they can take that money and stuff it up where the sun doesn’t shine.
Paris B says
Thanks Tine. Like you, I despise any “blogger competitions” but locally, it seems to be the way PR goes to get word of products and brands because the majority aren’t like you and I. They don’t mind taking part in a competition for a CHANCE to win an invite to an event. This latest took the cake seriously. Most times, I don’t even stick to the dress code for events. If it says “wear pink” I wear black LOL! 🙂
Lottie says
Keep blazing your own path and saying it how it is, this post was spot on… Too many bloggers accept no money for reviews, or token payments. This is fair enough if they don’t operate their own site, but if they do the costs are high. I can see why you’d feel that way about being put up for public vote, we are all individuals and all beautiful in our own way. I’m about to follow your blog! Thanks for sharing.
PS. Which plugin do you use for your comment form? 🙂
Paris B says
Thank you Lottie for the encouragement 🙂 I don’t use a plugin for my comment form. It’s the default WordPress comment box. I didn’t believe in using third party plugins for something as important to me as comments! 😀
Hani Lutfi says
I was thinking abt this too a few days ago. Bloggers in Malaysia aren’t as celebrated as they are overseas. Bloggers overseas are paid big bucks, being managed by popular managements and they blog full time because they get enough money do it! But in Malaysia, we are just normal people with something to say.
I just rejoined the blogosphere with a new blog and even then, I still have doubts bcs I feel like people don’t care and they look down on me. But thankfully someone told me that she’s excited about my blog and one compliment is enough to keep me going.
Once a classmate found out that I blog and he said, isn’t that stupid though? Just talking on the internet with no one to read. How. Rude.
Aggie says
Hani, don’t be discouraged! If you like what you’re doing, then don’t stop. Don’t feel pressured about attending blogger events and whatnot because like what CpMooN said below, it does suck the soul out of you.
I see that you’re blogging about travel, and believe me, people WILL read your posts as travelers will always do as much research as they can before boarding the plane.
Honestly, it’s those selfie/freebie hunter bloggers here whose reviews have no context that are giving the word “blogger” a bad name.
Paris B says
Goodness me, that was very rude of your classmate. Even if there’s no one reading, there’s still the writing element and if you write, people will read! Better than not writing and always wondering right? Congratulations on rejoining the blogosphere. Just do things your way. It’s the only way forward 🙂 And you’re right, locally, bloggers are just PR mouthpieces and expected to be as such. Don’t have an opinion, coz that will mean you won’t be recognised. *rolls eyes*
Wendy@BlushandBarbells says
Um, was that offer sent on April 1? Cuz it sounds like a prank, honestly. Who would go to all that effort for such a little payout?
Paris B says
hahaha I went back to check the date and no, it came in a few days after 1 April. Definitely looks like a prank right? 😀
Mei Ping says
I’m glad you are a different breed of blogger. When I first started reading beauty blogs I followed so many but at the moment you are one of just a handful that I am following. I feel that most of the bloggers do it for the money, the glamour and I’m not sure whether they are genuinely reviewing the product or are being paid to say good things about it. Normally, it is always good comments about the product.
Keep doing what you are doing now and I very much appreciate your honesty when blogging.
Paris B says
Thank you Mei Ping 🙂 Blogging can be a gateway to a life of glamour, that much I concede, if you want to work at it that way. But then, I’m too old and tired for all that haha! 🙂 Thank you for the support!
Fiona says
Very well said Paris! I didn’t receive that email but I heard some bloggers talking about it on Facebook on an offer that requires them to do a pageant-alike.
Same as you, I don’t work with a lot of brands or PR anymore. Simply because I’m straight up when the product doesn’t work for me. I’m a loose cannon too lol
Paris B says
Thanks Fiona 🙂 I think PRs just hate loose cannons. We simply fire and misfire LOL 😀
synical says
Errr… just as well that I’m a nobody enough that local brands or PR don’t notice lil ol’ me, because that sounds like too much work for me. Call me lazy 😛
Also – what nonsense, they all.
Paris B says
“Also – what nonsense, they all.” My sentiments summed up in one sentence. Thank you 🙂
sesame says
Were all those conditions laid out along with the compensation or presented only later when bloggers accepted the offer? Some PR people are just flaky and would push their limits with bloggers just to please their clients. What I don’t get it is, many bloggers aim to please these PR agencies. Don’t they know the agencies are paid by the companies to reap them off? I suspect the RM3000 came out of the PR budget and not something specially negotiated later and that explains the paltry sum.
Anyway, I do feel bloggers NEED to educate these agencies and brands–more so if you’re influential. The industry is young and evolving and can do with more taming. Hopefully, everyone will just wise up and be more discerning about what to propose and what not to blog.
sesame says
*rip them off*
Paris B says
Those terms were all in the initial pitch, and I think you’re right that the pay out is coming from the PR’s portion of the payment. I heard they increased the offer by RM100 but I don’t know what the response was like. You are right about bloggers just taking anything that comes their way or aiming to please the PR people but I often think the PR people themselves should do their homework when picking bloggers, which it appears they never do! I am usually more wary dealing with outside PR companies vs internal PR because what I’ve learned is that external PR are just much much pushier, because they’ve been paid for results. I don’t blame them, but I do think they should do their homework, just as we too should make our stand. Then again, for every 1 of us willing to make a stand, 10 more will fill our places quite easily, and from what I’ve learned from speaking to some of these people, quantity > quality.
CpMooN says
Hi Paris, I’ve been a silent reader but this time I feel that I have to give my view too 🙂
This post is really a spot on. I have always wanted to write such post too.
I started my blog as personal journal initially, but gradually moved to product reviews about two years ago. Then, I started to get invitations from some brands to attend product launching or given free products for reviews etc, which got me excited because I feel it was a milestone to my blog that people were noticing me.
But the excitement didn’t last long because I feel ‘soul-less’ in doing all this. First, I prefer to do at my own time which therefore may not adhere to those brand’s dateline requirement. Second, I have to be very careful in my wordings otherwise I’d get some sort of ‘harassment’ from the brands and PRs. Third, while I genuinely wanted to review a product properly, I have seen countless of young bloggers who, like you mentioned, write 50 words with 50 pictures of selfies with the products and then got featured by the brand as “what an awesome review!”
That got me thinking, why am I spending my time and effort for all this? Well, I am not a superstar blogger thus I do not receive many invitations etc, but even with that few occassional emails from Brands and PRs, most of the time since one year ago I just ignore those emails. Because I feel it’s not worth my time and effort to write a proper review but at the end young bloggers with 50 pictures of selfies or ootd would get featured.
Now, I prefer to do reviews on products that I bought myself or gift from friends (although I’m quite inactive now) Never mind my blog is not popular, but the fact that my posts are no longer being compared to bloggers who have ‘pretty face’, that make me much happier 🙂
Paris B says
Hi Cpmoon, thank you for sharing your views on this matter 🙂 It’s good to know that you’ve found what makes you comfortable blogging about. In the end, that’s what really matters. And you are also right. Pretty faces, young, thin, they all get the limelight, no matter what they say (or don’t say), so long as they put up lots of pretty pictures. It makes a mockery of those of us willing to work a little harder at our blogs, but ultimately, I think everyone knows where the substance lies right? 🙂
Lily says
I can understand why you feel that way. It’s definitely a WTF moment. I received an email a while back, compensating me RM50 for a blog post, social media sharing, at least 3 photos of their supposedly awesome product, and to share their links and their Facebook page. All for RM50 and the chance to try their product for free.
I looked at that email dumbfounded.
Then, I yelled “go fuck yourself” in my head and deleted the email. Heh.
So you get RM250 extra to doll yourself up and get judged on your skin. Hahaha! These PR people sometimes make me so mad I feel like slapping them left and right and kick them off their high horse.
Paris B says
Someone should tell these PR people – think if you’ll do it yourself, before making the offer. If you won’t do it, don’t make the bloody offer -_-“
Lavender says
Hi Paris
I didn’t know that the PR Company can come up with such crappy thing. Shame on the brand who has engaged their service. If they pay more , I still wouldn’t do it. Blogging is not about money. They must respect bloggers. Sadly some bloggers behaved too ‘cheap’ n spoil the reputation of other bloggers. Well said Paris. Give u a thumbs up!!
Paris B says
Thank you for the encouragement, Lavender 🙂 I agree, bloggers should give ourselves some respect. We aren’t all freebie-loaders and we should realise that we have a value!
sawpore says
I support and respect you for being true to your principle and not let some overpaid hare brained people make use of your platform to sell their products. This post is brilliant and definitely necessary to educate everyone, bloggers or not.
Paris B says
Thank you for the encouragement 🙂 I only wish everyone approached will say no. That’ll teach them!
pondsandleaves says
Wow I’ve never heard you this mad!
Yes they can go forth and multiply.
That’s also one of the trends I absolutely hate when it comes to reviewing drugstore brands. Google just pops up blog “reviews” one after another of endless, endless and endless selfies. It’s so tiring. As a blogger aren’t you tired of putting up so many pics in one post? And they’re meaningless. They say nothing about the products, ugh, boring and shallow max.
Last bit, the competition bit, they actually blatantly tell you to dye your hair and stuff? Geez, wish them best of luck I guess.
Paris B says
Haha gosh, I was, when I was writing it. Frothing at the mouth 😀 Oh and you’re right too about the carpet bombing of press products. I was just lamenting the other day that when you google a review for a product, you can’t move for products that are given free. It’s like no one buys anything anymore these days!
pondsandleaves says
oh btw that blush is OMG SO PRETTY!!!
Paris B says
It is!! I still haven’t dipped into it though – bad me!
Tracy@Beauty Reflections says
HOLY WTF???!! Unbelievable. Whoever thought of this stupid contest should be kicked up the wazoo all the way to Pluto.
Us loose cannons need to stick together! There’s so few of us around these days.
Paris B says
You are so right Tracy! Viva la loose cannons! 😀
Mrs Tubbs says
I’m sorry, they wanted you to do what?! The temptation is to ask the PR if they would be willing to do that … Bet they wouldn’t! It’s utterly pathetic! WTF indeed!
Paris B says
You’re right Mrs Tubbs. Next time I get a ridiculous offer like this (and I’m quite sure I will!) I’ll be sure to ask if they are willing to do it on the terms they dictate. Honestly, I swear these people don’t use their brains at all.
lyn says
You know it’s serious when PB says so many “W.T.F” in a post 😉
I am so over the nonsensical “beauty scene” here. I’ve come across countless wannabes and their silly duck faces and ridiculous photo editing, that it’s always a huge surprise when you see them in real life. In fact, I have closed down my beauty blog after giving it some thought (I brought this up when we met) and am focusing my energy on things that make me feel creative and happy. Granted I have not been active on my beauty blog for a while but it has lost its joy for me a long time ago. Of course, I still love beauty products but am not so crazy about needing to own every new limited edition crap out there.
I have received quite a few stupid offers too and I think it may be from the same company. That whole pageant-like affair sounds familiar! I ignored it at that time and probably deleted the email. There are not enough mature (I don’t mean old though) beauty bloggers out there and these days, I’m only reading a few that I enjoy. Yours included, kekeke…
Paris B says
Haha yes, sooo mad! 😛 But I’m sorry you’re giving up Beauty Cabby. But I’m glad you started it else we’d never have met right? So there’s always a silver lining 😀 Glad you’ve found your creative outlet that makes you happy. Beauty being what it is, I feel it brings out the most superficial in people. Pity, because it could also have been empowering. Don’t be a stranger k? 😀
rage says
Hey Paris, I can only imagine what you must have felt after that kind of interaction with the Y’s and Brand X’s of the world, over last few years. But let’s just say, this is not a rant! It’s a dose of reality that is needed in optimum levels for this beauty industry to not leave its footing in the reality. Bravo for being this honest with us!
Paris B says
Thank you Rage 🙂 I suppose I’m just saying what needed to be said when not everyone wants to say it and be unpopular 🙂