A greedy game

For Christmas my daughter gave me business cards – as VP of Sales for her business.  Subtle eh.

So this summer I have been helping her, arranging for reviews or profiles of her product in different magazines and blogs.

It’s been an interesting experience.  Did you know that over 2,000 magazines or blogs provide a Holiday Gift Guide – covering everything from the military to construction?  So it took time to narrow down those that fit her niche market.

But what has been most enlightening has been the reaction of bloggers who give reviews of products in their blogs.  Many of the magazines and bloggers have asked for samples, which is to be expected if they have to write a review, but when one of them asks for the most expensive version, you have to question the integrity and motivation behind such a request.

Surprise, surprise when we explained our policy was to send the small version, but we could upgrade the mat if she paid the difference, she chose not to do the review.  Says a lot doesn’t it, but on the other hand, at least we all knew where we stood.  She didn’t do the review, and we didn’t send the large version.

You could say a win-win all round, but it does make you question just how impartial and honest these reviews are. 

I mean,  should product reviewers be “paid”  by companies to review their product?  It sounds like a dubious practice to me, but I am totally new to this game, so I don’t know the rules.  

What I do know is that when you are greedy, sometimes you end up with nothing at all.