Everyone should of at least heard about this PR strategy which is used by brands big and small. The whole idea is that you give away your product for FREE to bloggers, celebrities or editors of magazines for them to write about your product – aiming to give your brand exposure. It can be one of the perks of being good at what you do, everyone enjoys the odd freebie every now and then – especially if it’s from one of their favourite brands.
However since the market has become flooded with Bloggers has the idea of Gifting become irrelevant, since some bloggers will write about your product simply from its press release.
We all know most Celebs don’t have Collums in magazines, so why keep sending them products they won’t promote? Even just a picture these days isn’t enough, people want the real deal.
But what about Bloggers? That’s a question of who to pick in a mass market, you don’t just want the popular ones who expect to be paid to promote you, but the up and coming ones who are being recognised by the fashion & lifestyle industry itself. It’s all a fine balance, you want someone who writes well and shows off the product – not someone who will use pictures with the press release, so they can sell on the products to make a few bucks.
PRO’s
+ Immediate Exposure
+ New Potential Buyers
+ Important Reccomendations
CON’s
+ One Time Deal
+ Big Expense
+ No Guarantee of Review
What about Gifting parties? These always have potential however the guest list would have to be super select and not just a load of Celebs. Because being in the Daily Mail won’t do anything for your brands exposure, since they just talk about the celebs and are vague about where and why – remember in that instant it’s all about the celeb.
What’s my advice? Do your research first, spend some money on good PR and they will guide you in who will you the correct exposure, that will last more than a few tweets.