BBC Staffer Whines About Pollution of the Blogosphere by Marketing

BBC employee Ben Metcalfe called the marketing of Stormhoek wine by Hugh MacLeod "crappy" last week.

Metcalfe: "I just think it pollutes the blogosphere as you are giving one brand an a disproportionate advantage over its rivals — it’s not "natural selection". Plus there is certain expectation (be it implied or just passive) for someone to give it a favourable review having received a complimentary bottle."

"There’s nothing particularly odd/unusual here," Metcalfe wrote, "and it’s a perfectly legitamate promotional method — but I just find it somewhat frustrating as it plays on the trust model that the blogsphere has developed..."

Bloggers Liked the Wine, So Why Whine?
Bloggers have liked the wine, but they could just as easily have written bad reviews, since we bloggers love to be snarky. Macleod didn't ask bloggers to do anything but try the wine, free. His action was a totally responsible way to create buzz about the wine. Marketing makes the world go round Mr. Metcalfe. And the blogosphere is part of the real world now. Get over yourself.

As another commenter said "...don’t be jealous that stormhoek has an incredible marketing campaign."

Funny that just last week the London Times accused the BBC of violating its own rules by charging large fees for product placements on BBC shows.

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