I just read this post over here at BritishBeautyBlogger:
http://www.britishbeautyblogger.com/2012/02/bye-bye-chanel.html
Chanel is not working together with blogs, and they won’t – ever! Once upon a time I kindly did ask them for adding me to the press list. They kindly said no. Okay. My two pence on Chanel PR.
Well, not quite the same with Dior Germany. There has been a time when they invited me to events to Paris, and I happily went. I am in some kind of a press list. I remember also, there was a time I got the press kits like press (and blogs) do. I seldom ask for press samples, because I think the PR is doing a far better job than me – if they want to promote stuff, they send it. Period.
This stopped several time ago, so I asked very polite if there is any problem.
Yes, there is – and there has been an unpleasant phone call. The summary of it: Dior does not like “bad press”.
I am fine if they will not send me samples or press kits anymore, because I understand my blog might not be worth it – overall, PR is business.
But I am not fine when Dior tells me, I am “not the one they will work together with, because I made fun of their advertisement”. What happened exactly?
I wrote here: Natalie Portman seems spooky to me, and the ad used fake lashes like everybody in the industry is doing to promote mascara. If you read further by the way – in the next sentence I deeply recommend their eyeliners.
I am one of the authors with an own opinion and an own channel (author and publisher at the same time).
My opinion might be a good one, a nice one or one you might disagree with.
I would have been fine if they had told me some reasonable causes like “you do not have enough visitors and therefore you are not interesting for us”. But to tell me I must not write “such things”…
There are a lot of different other brands which work differently, and I am not attacking the persons behind the German PR, as they do what they are told to. At least there has been some communication.
Dior is not the only brand acting like this. There are some other huge brands currently involved in social media marketing playing the same game – at least Dior is honest.
BUT – I insist on my freedom of speech.
