Brand Evangelists: Same Old Sales Pitch

Allen Adamson spends a lot of time lauding consumers’ use of the web to review, complain, and create buzz about brands. In some sections, he encourages companies to find natural brand enthusiasts to speak about the brand and offer up free samples to anyone who wants to review it. In other sections, he acknowledges that some consumers may give negative reviews and that’s okay, too.

I agree that it’s okay to review a product negatively. These negative reviews flourish in spaces such as Amazon or Yelp. Unfortunately, I’ve seen countless blog reviews where the blogger only speaks highly of the product or brand. I strongly believe that blog reviewers and brand evangelists aren’t 100% honest. They’re savvy enough to know how to write a sales pitch; many even work in the marketing industry themselves. From product reviews on Gap to wine to Nintendo to cherries to Tempur-Pedic to vibrators … the blogosphere is oversaturated with brand enthusiasts who keep getting free stuff. It can be a bit obnoxious, to say the least. Perhaps because a blogger received the product for free they feel obligated to promote it positively. I'm guilty of it, too. (Thankfully, the FTC now requires full disclosure when a blogger reviews a gifted product, as explained in the video.)


In fact, the first negative review I’ve read in a long time in my blogging circle was this list of products the blogger loves and loathes. However, with no FTC disclosure, it’s safe to say Brandy was not given these products to review. And, because of this, I do trust her opinion on these products. Instead of a company bribing her to promote their mascara, her post feels more like a sister showing me the best of the best and what to avoid at the makeup counter (or even the drugstore).

The bottom line is that I no longer trust brand evangelists because it seems quite contrived.

Branding, Twitter, and Strawberry Beer

One of the beauties of the digital space in terms of building a brand is that it's interactive.
Adamson, pg. 63

Not too long ago, I was reminded that March is strawberry beer season. Unfortunately, Abita's Strawberry Harvest beer is incredibly hard to find anywhere north of the Mason Dixie line. I had first tried it at an outdoor pub in New Orleans and have been smitten since. We tend to go to great lengths to secure a six pack; calling local distributors, bribing our friends from the south, etc, but we’ve never actually acquired any in Illinois.

This March was the annual Dude Weekend at our house. I tend to make myself scarce while the gentlemen visiting play Warcraft but I had one request this year: The friend from North Carolina has to pay for his stay here with Abita Strawberry Harvest. He made good on this promise.

I mentioned on Twitter to alert two of my strawberry beer-loving friends that I had some in my possession. Much to our surprise, the Chicagoland Twitterverse weighed in.










As you can see from this abbreviated conversation, several of my Chicago-area friends found places to purchase this beloved beer and I learned a lesson in Illinois beer distribution. (And I’m not above traveling to the city to have a pint of Strawberry Harvest.) This is a perfect example of how digital media can deliver a brand. Bajwa, as quoted in Adamson, says: “If the right people find you and you give them something engaging, something worth passing along, you can spend less money and have a far greater impact. Content that is shared voluntarily is of incredible value” (pg. 93). In this case, it was not Abita the brewer engaging with its customers, it was a restaurant and a liquor store trying to drum up sales. So, perhaps this interaction didn’t directly deliver a brand, but it did put The Southern on my radar and I will remain loyal to the local Binny's Beverage Dept.