When The Bough Breaks, The Brand Will Fall

Lots of debate across multiple blogs on mistakes by Johnson & Johnson regarding a Camp Baby getaway event for mommy bloggers. Interesting to read-and-learn for those thinking about such events:

For those that don't know the story, here's the Cliff Notes version. Johnson and Johnson invites lots of mommybloggers to a 2-day all expenses paid event in early April. Mommybloggers looked forward to seeing their friends, making new ones, lots of conversation ensues in the back channels. Then within the last few days, two well-read moms, Julie Marsh and Stefania Pomponi Butler, were "disinvited." Read their posts (if you haven't already) for the full stories. Short version: both women were late RSVPs, for different reasons, but both were confirmed for the event. But when each introduced a variable unexpected by Johnson's --  Julie needed to bring her 9 week old son; Stefania couldn't stay for the whole thing -- both were "disinvited."

Now, as I've written here recently, I'm participating in a panel at BlogHer Business in two weeks called Improve This Pitch, and this sure sounded like one that could stand a bit. I also thought the whole affair would make a great blogger relations case study for Marketing Roadmaps. To do it justice, however, I would need the company perspective as well as the bloggers', and it really couldn't be done until after the event.

In light of the swirling blogstorm, however, I emailed the marcom agency doing the outreach asking to speak to someone from Johnson's. About the disinvitations and for the later case study.

Marketing Roadmaps

Comments

[Richard Schwartz]

That would be the "bough", not the "bow" that breaks ;-)

[Mike Gotta]

Blame it on March Madness! Thanks for the catch...