Ideas for Business

"Mommy, why did Sony give you those cameras and send you to San Diego?" asked my son Nathan.

"Because I'm an Influential Blogger,"  I replied.

"No you're not!" Nathan said. (My kid thinks I'm an idiot. Great.)

"Yes, I am an Influential Blogger. The folks at Sony even said so. Hey Nathan, do you know what influential even means?" I asked.

"Uh, no." he said.

I love Nathan but he's a typical eight-year-old boy - a smart ass who means well, but unfortunately can't find his own rear end with two hands. In this he bears a strange resemblance to the people who pitch their products to me. They're clueless when it comes to intelligently marketing products to women, and downright pathetic when it comes to pitching to mommy bloggers.

There are exceptions of course, like several of the book publicists, PR firms, and companies I work with regularly. They know I'm busy, spell my name right, and actually take the time to read my blogs before they pitch to me. I like working with them because they send me good stuff that I'm interested in reviewing or writing about.

Well, I'm going to have to add RocketXL and Sony to that list. Like my colleague Charlie Kondek at MS&L said in his post, BlogHer Business: It's Not About You, It's About Them:

...in approaching bloggers, it's not about you, the agency, the brand, the company, it's about them, the blogger, the customer. Talk to these bloggers...the way you'd talk to your customers.

The Sony Mommy Blogger Event

And boy did Sony and Rocket get it right during the Sony Mommy Blogger Event. Fourteen of us mommy bloggers were flown to San Diego to stay at La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. We were wined and dined and hung out with Sony executives. We got complimentary massages and chocolate. We stayed in gorgeous rooms with the most comfortable beds on the planet. (I lucked out and got a suite with a name, not a room number, and a TV in the bathroom.) For me, it was also a trip down memory lane. My father loved dining at La Valencia and the Mediterranean Room was the scene of many family dinners.

O.K. food, booze, and relaxation. Fine. But it was exciting to meet other bloggers. There's nothing like having a conversation without having to explain what a blog is...or an RSS feed, Twitter, or why companies go to mom bloggers to market to other moms. I was finally among my peeps. Oh joy.

Sony's Mom Friendly Products

Sony gave us all a Sony Cybershot DSCW170, a Sony Alpha DSLRA350 Digital SLR Camera, and the Sony HDR-SR11 10MP 60GB High Definition Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder. I also got a pink child's headset for my daughter, Lucie and a blue one for Nathan. It's anyone's guess how Sony knew both kids had recently broken their headsets when playing with their Leapsters.

We also had group lessons from photography expert Me Ra Koh. I learned more from Me Ra in a few hours than I ever learned in all the photography classes I took in high school and college. I think it's because like all of us at the event, she's a mom and understands how difficult it is to get your gorgeous kids to look half way normal in a photograph.

Now if she could only show me how to make Nathan stop making faces when I try to take a picture. Sigh.

Their Pitch and Our Response

As I expected, Andrea at RocketXL was going to wrap the event up with a pitch of sorts, explaining what they're doing to connect companies with bloggers and how they're marketing to moms.

That's when it became our time to talk and their time to listen. The folks at Rocket didn't mind that we took over because we were all on the same page. They know we want good information and products that make our lives easier as moms. They know we don't want to get mass emails where our names are spelled wrong. (Use the same font, too, dammit.)

Instead, bloggers want to build relationships with publicists, PR firms and companies where our feedback is welcomed. We know we're a valuable part of the marketing mix, and we want to be treated accordingly. (Buy some ad space, you guys.)

It also means if they want us to run a contest, they need to do the fulfillment. Companies should also offer good stuff to our readers, like $100 gift cards, not a box of juice. Why should we take the time to give them buzz and bear all the expenses?

And please take the time to read our blogs to find out what write about, o.k.?

Drinking the Sony Kool-Aid

As I was riding the elevator with Erika of Plain Jane Mom on my way to the check out desk, we were discussing how we were getting all our new toys home. She said she was only going to ship the boxes, cords, and manuals in the big box Sony provided. Instead, Erika decided to take her cameras with her on the plane so she could keep using them.

Then I realized that I missed my Sony Alpha SLR! I was jonesing for a camera? How weird is that? I guess Sony had me hook, line and sinker. (Or should I say F-stop, flash and LCD screen?)

I love my new cameras. My sweet, blue Cybershot goes everywhere with me. In fact, I love them so much I dropped $50 on camera cases this afternoon at Staples, which is about $45 more than I spent on the kids today.

So if you see a lady busy snapping pictures of her two dopey kids - or her food - stop by and say, "Hey, Sony Mom!" That's me.