Again this year, I lamented not being able to attend BlogHer ‘o9, *the* conference for women who blog.

Instead, I settled in to read about it from my Twitter feed, as I do for many conferences I can’t attend.

And I found out that BlogHer is not for *all* women who blog.

From the many other tweets that promised great product giveaways and invitations to swag rooms, I knew that I would never lament not being able to attend BlogHer again. 

I do get it. I understand the desire to make money while blogging. It’s my dream job. However, my passion and this blog does not lend itself to attracting advertisers. (For example, Webkinz did not send me a free toy.)

But I am so disappointed that women bloggers — or more accurately, mommy bloggers — have become synonymous with product promotion and endorsements.

See, women love to shop! And shopping for their babies! And writing about shopping! That’s what we do! We’re all momfluencers!

It’s a Sarah Haskins’ Target Women in the making.

Marketing Mommy was there: 

I attended a BlogHer 09 panel discussion called Sponsored vs. Unsponsored, and one of the moderators asked people to raise their hands if they thought getting paid to write a product review was okay or not. A lot of people voted okay, some weren’t sure and I raised my hand for Not. I was the only one.

I spoke my piece, reassuring the filled-to-capacity room that I had nothing against product reviews (hey, I’ve done a few) or giveaways, but that I felt that basic integrity demands we disclose if a product has been given to us for free. And if a blogger’s been paid to write a post or do a giveaway, it should be treated as an ad. Because that’s what it is.

Honestly, I thought my feelings were pretty mainstream. Not any more. The women in the room were afraid to post negative reviews. Even posting constructive criticism was avoided. They were terrified of pissing off the PR folks and stopping the flow of goodies. And besides, writing a product review or hosting a giveaway was hard work. They deserved to be compensated for their work on behalf of brands. An interesting argument, but if you’re turning yourself into a freelance copywriter, isn’t it a little unfair to your readers to post as just another regular, trustworthy mom?

There’s more from other attendees. 

For the record, I support the proposed FTC rules that would require bloggers to disclose their relationships with products and companies, and I was happy to join about 500 others in signing the Blog with Integrity pledge.

And now I’m on the hunt for a conference on blogging. Without the swag.

UPDATE: It’s come to my attention that my Contact form is not working. If you’d like to get in touch, please send an email directly to lisa@parentsforethicalmarketing.org.

Originally published as Nag Factor Or Pester Power: Getting Parents To Buy What Kids Want by Jo-Ann Heslin in HealthNewsDigest.com. Reprinted with permission. Image courtesy Greencolander.

Pester power refers to children’s ability to nag parents to purchase food or other items they might not otherwise buy. Marketing to children is all about creating pester power because advertisers know what a powerful force it can be. Babies as young as 6 months old can form mental images of corporate logos and mascots. Brand loyalties begin as early as age 2. By the time children enter kindergarten most recognize the Golden Arches and know what they stand for.

Marketers intentionally plant the seeds of brand recognition in very young children in the hopes of cementing a lifetime relationship. As adults many of us have fond memories of favorite cookies, candy, and hamburger restaurants we visited as children. Companies market nostalgic candy brands to adults who long for childhood treats.

But the difference between our childhoods and those of children today is the ubiquitous presence of food advertising – TV, internet, social networking, cell phones, school events, and vending machines. Many companies employ “buzz marketing.” They get the coolest kids to wear their clothes or sip their drinks so other kids will elevate the product to trendy and cool.

Fast food and cereal companies have been cultivating brand recognition with children for decades. Cracker Jacks was one of the first companies to capitalize on children’s love of collecting things by hiding a toy at the bottom of each box. Restaurant chains often pack movie or cartoon characters in kid’s meals setting up parents for return visits to accumulate the entire collection.

Schools used to be a place where kids were safe from food ads, but no longer. Schools now sign exclusive contracts with beverage companies to make up for budget shortfalls. Sports and social events provide opportunities to promote products and corporate logos. Even educational materials may have corporate sponsors. Pizza Hut offers free pizza as a reward in a reading incentive program. Campbell’s Labels for Education provides resources for schools in exchange for soup labels collected by students.

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Ed Kohler reviews a book on our local retailer Target:

In my opinion, Target’s specialty is their ability run up women’s Target credit cards by convincing them to measure their self-worth based on whether their napkins are in season, or what their can opener says about them as a person, rather than focusing on saving a few bucks on household staples. 

News story on an Atlanta Girls’ School that offers an elective called “I Love Lip Gloss,” which teaches girls about the influence of advertising. via @thelampnyc @tandrusiak

The challenges of teaching media literacy in schools as discussed at the National Education Computing Conference.