In the pre-Internet era (I know call me a mastodon), press junkets we’re huge.
Companies would spend oodles of money to fly reporters in for a whirlwind tour of a destination and/or to meet certain high-profile individuals. This practice is still used widely today in travel and entertainment PR, but less so overall since we all became addicted to the Internet. Most companies prefer to go to where the journalists are, rather than asking the press to skip town.
Now it looks like junkets are making a comeback. But this time PR pros are courting bloggers. For example, the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions is sending a group of 25 bloggers on a free trip to Amsterdam. Other companies outside leisure are using junkets too. Microsoft has been flying bloggers in for years for events like Search Champs, which took place this week. Last year even Boeing ran a blogger junket.
I am a fan of blogger junkets – if you can afford them. I think they have a lot more potential than traditional media junkets to build buzz because you can do things with bloggers that the press would frown on.
At CooperKatz we talk a lot about empowerment programs. In other words, we’re into building word of mouth campaigns that help bloggers achieve something they’ve always wanted to do. Every blogger has a motivation. Some want to share feedback, others want to make money from advertising or books, while some just want to become famous domain experts. We tell companies that if they can help bloggers reach these goals, it’s a win win for everyone.
So, blog junkets are empowerment programs. Now I am not saying that blogger bribing should be your primary goal here. However, if you remain transparent and can walk the fine line between helping bloggers and engaging them in a real dialogue to get feedback (warts and all), you’re going to build word of mouth. As always, remain ethical, truthful and transparent.
Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.
He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.
