Blogging as a “tool”
I’m not sure why we are surprised that some Wal-Mart blogs were really planted PR campaigns, disguised to paint the client in a favorable light. PR is about influence and the rules of the game have changed. This post by Alex Eckelberry goes into the campaign in much more detail, but I personally don’t have a problem with it. Is it slightly disingenuous? Sure, maybe they should have put a little “sponsored by Wal-Mart” disclaimer at the bottom. But still, is it disingenuous every time you see a Dell PC on 24 or a Pepsi being sipped in a movie. In most cases, these are paid placements as well. I guess we hold blogging up to a higher standard of truthfulness and disclosure, but let’s be real folks. It’s not different than any other media. It’s about influence and the hidden purse strings are being pulled in our little world as well.
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