Working With Brands – How Easily Seduced Are You?

I know that brands and disclaimers etc have been done to death, but bear with me whilst I take a look at it with a sex angle…

I was looking at these lovely photos, taken during a gorgeous lunch last year……. and I thought… … I’m actually a very easy person to seduce.

Ask any of my many boyfriends from the awful 80’s.

Seriously, it didn’t take much to seduce me then.  Flowers, chocolates, a bottle of tequila once worked a treat….

Actually hold on, a few pints of cider usually did the trick. Flowers and chocolates – I wish…

But I digress!

So as a rather seducable person, I need to put some effort into not writing gushing posts that make my readers want to barf.

Find The Professionals –  They Lead The Way So Follow them

I fell about laughing when I read Veggie Mamma’s disclaimer on a sponsored post lately.

Jeezipeeps it was good to have some humour thrown in to what can be a tedious debate.

The background in journalism that both Veggie Mama and Nikki at Styling You have really shines through. They both have a very professional attitude and great credibility.

My background as a showbiz showoff in the wacky world of television didn’t teach me many ethics really.  ‘Never let truth get in the way of a good story’ was the general idea in some of the more tabloid jobs I had.

How To Avoid The Rush To Gush

I’m likely to be put in a very good frame of mind by a taxi to the venue, lovely food, scrumptious views, great company and interesting information. I won’t deny it.

Is there any greater contrast to my mummy life at home?

So when I write a post about a place, or product, I need to have some sensible rules for myself.

One is to put in a paragraph with a header like:

Any Downsides?

Here’s an example of this in a review post.

There are always downsides to everything, and putting in a few critical comments won’t hurt.  And your readers will appreciate the balance.

Another way to phrase that could be:

You’ll Love It If…

You’ll Hate This If….

I’ve talked to some bloggers who feel they cannot write anything critical at all if they’ve received an item for nothing.

So, so wrong.

What’s Your Personal Style?

I generally tend to be wildly enthusiastic as a person and this comes over in my reviews.

It’s who I am.

There’s not much I won’t enjoy in life, and it’s a bit of a personal mission to find the best and make the best of life.

So my words, photos and videos will show the good side of places, people, products etc

But I’m not an idiot and I know there’s a big responsibility involved in this blogging malarkey.

So readers can expect some descriptions of the not so good too. They appreciate it, they know my views are real.  

Always End With A Disclaimer

I loathe the word ‘disclaimer,’ it’s too technical and doesn’t fit well into a personal blog.

Anyway, it’s boring to read it in post after post, so I’ll try to mix things up a little. I like to be polite and say ‘Thanks to….’  If I was paid (always rare!) I write “This is a sponsored post..’

I’ll always reveal on the blog, as I do in print articles, whether I paid or didn’t pay for things.

Recently, I’ve got the pip with blog posts that are clearly paid guest posts with text links… but nowhere is that explicity stated.  Don’t do it!!

Why This Is On My Mind

This subject is on my mind as myself and the twins am about to go on a bloody good trip overseas.  So the proof of the pudding will be in the posts.

Stand by!

Are you easily seduced?

Were you ever?

Could someone please remind my husband that I’m a sucker for flowers, chocolates and great food?

 It would SO be worth his while!

By the way, the photos above are from a lovely lunch put on by Proctor and Gamble for Fairy. I didn’t end up writing about that lunch on the blog as there just wasn’t an angle for me.

I’d love to have (big emotional attchment to Fairy after years of washing up with Fairy liquid as a kid), but it didn’t work for this blog.