*This post contains language not normally used in a classroom. However, I think it’s important for getting the message across. I’ve replaced curse words with asterisks to avoid offending.
Bradlink Communications sent a PR pitch earlier this month to a blogger that called the wrong kind of attention to their company after an employee accidentally replied to all on an email. And she was more than happy to blog about it.
Their pitch was falling on deaf ears because the PR rep failed to check the relevancy of the blogs it was pitching to. When the blogger responded with her standard “who cares” response (her response is here: http://thebloggess.com/heres-a-picture-of-wil-wheaton-collating-papers/ ), the PR rep called the blogger a F***ing B**** via email to his coworkers... But he replied to ALL. Including the blogger. WHOOPS. We'll get to that.
The blogger has a personal blog called The Bloggess. It’s full of random things, as personal blogs are, and often refers to poor PR pitches and her dislike for celebrity spokespersons. Ironically, the firm pitched a stocking line to her worn by Kourtney Kardashian. They tried to sell the angle that they were perfect for teaching kids their ABC’s (stay with me here) because the stockings have letters on them. Personally, I learned my ABC’s with a combo of Sesame Street and Mrs. Epstein (go PS 148!). I know it's not to be taken literally, but it's just... desperate. Exploitative even, since she is a famous mother and the product has nothing to do with children. Their pitch also included grammatical errors.
Actual email:
Teaching Mason the ABC’s is as Easy as 1-2-3!”
Our favorite celebrity mom Kourtney Kardashian is proving that fashion doesn’t have to stop on the streets, but instead showing that “education is chic.” And what better way to teach your little one the ABC’s than by wearing this season’s hottest accessory, House of Holland for Pretty Polly hosiery.
The Kardashian’s once again show they are right on trend, and this is on Mommy’s are all going to want to follow.
What the what? That last line does not make sense! Maybe they should pitch to a translation company?
**Warning - Hideous Tights Ahead**
The Bloggess responded with the standard response she sends to anyone who tries to use her for publicity. While it’s not sweet and sugar coated, it is her equivalent of “get lost”. The tone is consistent with the rest of her blog, written in a very tongue-in-cheek way. Anyone who READS her blog would know this. Also, this standard response is found at the top right hand side of her page, it’s very public. Since Bradlink Communications did not find it important to know who they were pitching to, they took her response personal and sent a biting response. They made it seem like they were doing her a favor by even pitching to her. Not a way to win friends:
Hi there,
That wasn’t very nice. We send certain pitches out to people so they have the chance of getting more hits on their page. We’ll make note of this email in moving forward and remember if we have any advertising opportunities with any of our clients not to go through you. Best of luck to you.
That wasn’t very nice. We send certain pitches out to people so they have the chance of getting more hits on their page. We’ll make note of this email in moving forward and remember if we have any advertising opportunities with any of our clients not to go through you. Best of luck to you.
Best,
Erica
Erica
Here's the juicy part. Jose, VP of Bradlink Communications, was on this email above and he decided to respond to his colleagues, only he hit “REPLY TO ALL”... accidentally sending the email to the blogger.
from JOSE
What a f***ing b****!
Big mistake.
from THE BLOGGESS
Hi. This is sort of why “reply all” doesn’t usually work well for
companies. Unless, of course, you decided that “What a F***ing B****” was
a great response from a public relations company. Personally, I preferred
the “Best of luck to you” one, which was much more honest and cutting,
while still being professional.
companies. Unless, of course, you decided that “What a F***ing B****” was
a great response from a public relations company. Personally, I preferred
the “Best of luck to you” one, which was much more honest and cutting,
while still being professional.
If you’ve read my blog you would know that a great deal of my blog deals
with the importance of public relations companies doing research before
sending form letters to bloggers. Specifically, I’m very vocal about
ridiculous pitches involving celebrities using products. So much so that
I made that actual Wil Wheaton collating paper page to combat this very
sort of thing in a quick and painless way. My blog has nothing to do with
fashion, the Kardashians or pantyhose…none of which I understand, to be
honest. Plus, you’ve sent me this form letter TWICE today. I only point
this out so you can delete this *ahem* F****ing B****” from all of the
mailing lists you have me on, rather than just one.
with the importance of public relations companies doing research before
sending form letters to bloggers. Specifically, I’m very vocal about
ridiculous pitches involving celebrities using products. So much so that
I made that actual Wil Wheaton collating paper page to combat this very
sort of thing in a quick and painless way. My blog has nothing to do with
fashion, the Kardashians or pantyhose…none of which I understand, to be
honest. Plus, you’ve sent me this form letter TWICE today. I only point
this out so you can delete this *ahem* F****ing B****” from all of the
mailing lists you have me on, rather than just one.
Also, I apologize if you were offended by my email. Honestly, I’ve been
sending that thing out to PR people for the last year and this is the
first time I didn’t have someone respond with either a laugh, or with a
simple “No problem. We’ll remove you from the list.” In fact, many PR
companies have turned this entire thing around and sent really hysterical
exchanges to me, which I’ve used to promote their great work in
understanding (and working with) the unique personalities of the very
bloggers they’re trying to reach out to. Just a thought.
sending that thing out to PR people for the last year and this is the
first time I didn’t have someone respond with either a laugh, or with a
simple “No problem. We’ll remove you from the list.” In fact, many PR
companies have turned this entire thing around and sent really hysterical
exchanges to me, which I’ve used to promote their great work in
understanding (and working with) the unique personalities of the very
bloggers they’re trying to reach out to. Just a thought.
Hugs,
Jenny (aka “F***ing B****”)
Jenny (aka “F***ing B****”)
from JOSE
I get it and I was out of line by saying that however you put way too much effort
into your approach. A simple "I don't cover this, no thanks" or "Please remove"
would suffice. To go out of your way to be snarky and rude is a little
inappropriate. Again, I should've been less harsh – but I also feel like your email
was rude and unprofessional as well. We will do a better job to research who we are
pitching but maybe you should be flattered that you are even viewed relevant enough
to be pitched at all instead of alienated PR firms and PR people – who are actually
the livelihood of any journalists business. Don't be offended, you started the
cursing game so maybe we should all just laugh it off and plan not to work together
in the future.
into your approach. A simple "I don't cover this, no thanks" or "Please remove"
would suffice. To go out of your way to be snarky and rude is a little
inappropriate. Again, I should've been less harsh – but I also feel like your email
was rude and unprofessional as well. We will do a better job to research who we are
pitching but maybe you should be flattered that you are even viewed relevant enough
to be pitched at all instead of alienated PR firms and PR people – who are actually
the livelihood of any journalists business. Don't be offended, you started the
cursing game so maybe we should all just laugh it off and plan not to work together
in the future.
So many things wrong here.
1. Know your audience.
Just because a celebrity wears alphabet tights, does not mean marketing it to mothers is sensible. It’s not. It’s stupid. Unless they’re control top. And no one cares that Kourtney Kardashian is your favorite mommy. It’s about potential buyers, not you.
2. Know your client.
What does Pretty Polly stand for as a company? Are they big on education? If not, steer clear of word play that's as lazy as Bradlink's research.
3. Know your English.
Even your rebuttal should have proper grammar. You don’t get a pass for poor English because you’re mad. And NEVER USE PROFANITY. There are no exceptions.
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