People watch presentation of Samsung Galaxy Note II tablet computer at IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin on Aug 31, 2012.
It is a trip Clinton Jeff will never forget. At least that is what Jeff, a prominent Indian technology blogger, has said on Twitter. Covering IFA, the consumer electronics trade show, in Berlin, at the invitation of Samsung in the last week of August, the blogger found himself "stranded" after the Korean company "cancelled" his ticket to India when he refused to wear Samsung-branded clothes and take part in the company's marketing and promotional campaign.
Samsung has denied the allegations and claimed that Jeff and one more blogger, who has not been named, misunderstood the role they were supposed to perform as members of Samsung's Mob!lers program, a web-centric campaign that aims at promoting the company's products. Samsung sources said Jeff was provided with a return trip for September 1 but he wanted to stay until September 6.
"The Samsung Mob!lers program is a voluntary community of active Samsung mobile device users, who are offered the opportunity to participate in our marketing events across the world. At these events, all activities they undertake are on a voluntary basis ... it is not intended for professional bloggers," Samsung said in a statement.
Curiously, after the falling out between Jeff and Samsung, Nokia entered the scene and promised Jeff that it would sponsor his ticket back to India.
The entire episode has exposed the murky side of technology blogging where PR departments of companies often work with bloggers to create a buzz around their products and services, and bloggers rarely disclose their relations with the companies while writing about these products and services.
The timing of the fracas, first reported on technology blog The Next Web, could not have been worse for Samsung, which recently suffered a humiliating defeat in a patents-infringement lawsuit filed by Apple in a US court and was asked by the jury to pay Apple $1bn in damages.
Jeff, who was part of Samsung's Mob!lers program, was approached by the Korean company recently and told that he could attend IFA in Berlin at the company's expense. According to emails made public by Amit Bhawani, who was also part of the Mob!lers program, the people attending IFA at Samsung's expense were given two options: they could attend it as "reporters" or as "promoters".
Details released by Bhawani show that reporters, who had to wear Samsung-branded clothes and attend the Samsung event, were supposed to come back on September 1. Promoters not only had to wear the Samsung clothes but were also supposed to show Samsung products to visitors at the company's booth. They were scheduled to stay in Berlin until September 6 and were promised daily allowance.
Samsung sources said that Jeff and the other blogger had told Samsung that they would like to go as reporters. But the confirmation emails for the trip they received from the company listed them as promoters. Jeff raised the matter with Samsung officials but was told there was little difference and it would not be an issue.
However, once they reached Berlin the role of "promoter" became clear to Jeff and the other blogger. They refused to be part of Samsung's promotion campaign.
"We got a call from Samsung India saying 'You can either be a part of this and wear the uniform, or you'll have to get your own tickets back home and handle your hotel stay from the moment this call ends," Jeff told The Next Web. "A few minutes later, we got a call from the Samsung India guy who said that our flights on the 6th have been cancelled, and that they're bringing us back on the 1st instead. But this is only if, and only if, we agreed to wear at least the Samsung branded shirt at the unpacked event, and not blog about any of this incident." According to Jeff, Samsung warned, "None of this should leave Berlin. Or Reach India."
Even as Samsung and Jeff were trying to sort out the matter between themselves, Nokia stepped in. Jeff tweeted on September 3, "For everyone asking, I'm fine thanks! I have a hotel, I have tickets home, thanks to @Nokia who swooped in and helped me @ the last minute."
A blogger told TOI on the condition of anonymity that it was not only about Nokia's kindness. "Jeff is very close to Nokia and in the past has even featured in promo videos made by the Finnish company for its products," he said.
When contacted by TOI, Nokia clarified that helping Jeff was an obvious choice. "We were approached by a member of staff in Berlin who had been friended by Clinton online. Clinton was in a difficult situation and needed to get home, so the decision to help was an easy one to make," said a Nokia spokesperson. "Nokia's policy is to support key mobile tech bloggers so they can remain up to date on all the latest news and announcements. Nokia makes it absolutely clear that it expects no favorable coverage - or, indeed, any coverage - in return."
Samsung apologizes
Samsung, on its part, has told Jeff that the misunderstanding resulted from miscommunication. "Samsung Mob!lers coordinators met with the blogger on September 3 in Germany, and explained in person the reasons behind the misunderstanding. They clarified he was never left stranded in Germany, as the flight ticket was a round-trip ticket to and from Germany. Furthermore, all Mob!lers reporters were originally scheduled to end their activities at IFA 2012 on September 1. Simply, his scheduled departure on September 1 was routine for all Mob!lers Reporters, and it was not cut short," said a Samsung representative.
In an email, which was later leaked on the web, the company also apologized to Jeff. "On behalf of Samsung, I would like to reach out to you and deeply apologize to you for your experience in Berlin at IFA," a Samsung representative said in the email.
Need for transparency
The incident highlights the need for transparency in the dealings between bloggers and companies whose products they write about. A prominent blogger said on the condition of anonymity that all major technology companies in India run marketing and promotional campaigns with the help of bloggers.
"Mob!lers is a very aggressive program but all companies including Nokia, which in a way started it all, reach out to bloggers and try to entice them with freebies or early access to gadgets in return for favourable coverage. Many fall for it," he said.
The blogger said that many people try to write and report objectively but face problems as PR departments of various companies cut off their access to gadgets and people. This especially creates problems for new bloggers as they do not have enough influence to resist the pressure from PR departments and survive.
"Still there are a few honest blogs. For example on our blog we always make full disclosure if we cover an event after travelling at the expense of a company. Also, we never give any guarantees to any company when we get gadgets for reviews," said the blogger.
In the US and the UK, bloggers are required by law to disclose to readers if they receive any material benefits or rewards from the company they are writing about or whose products they are reviewing.
For example, the Federal Trade Commission in the US states, "The post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service."
via timesofindia
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