I can't seem to respond to your brilliant comment, Debbie, so I'll try to post here and hope it goes through.
First off, thanks for your very kind words. I really appreciate it!
I had a client who was constantly buying awards. It was a great company, but at a certain point it started being so smarmy!
I don't think I knew that about ATK, but their overall presentation does feel so authentic. It makes sense. I will accept PR samples but with no guarantees of coverage, much less positive coverage. And I'm incredibly careful about partnerships or sponsorships. I also buy a ton (way too much) and overall will mention interesting products or ones I think my readers will enjoy. And yes, yes, yes, to an erosion of ethics and trust. One of the things I'm most proud of is the trust I share with my readers!
"This is such a good piece. Awards and "best of" lists have gotten to be meaningless in many ways. It's not just beauty; some many industry has gotten on the awards bandwagon as a way to manufacture credibility and boost advertising. Brands love to get awards so they can tout "authenticity." It's really incestuous. In addition to Consumer Reports, America's Test Kitchen also buys all of their products as well.
There's also a lack of ethics behind this, which eventually leads to a lack of trust."
As a PR, I have a very mixed view of awards. I don't think all awards are made equal and some publications are more thorough in their processes than others...but always take the big brand names winners year after year with a grain of salt. This is when real consumer reviews and actual clinical studies come into play!
I absolutely agree! I do love and trust some of the awards. Others, not so much. Also notable, for decades magazines highlighted advertisers almost exclusively. We kind of got used to it and learned to read between the (paid for) lines. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Thanks for saying what a lot of us are thinking. I don't typically advise our beauty client to submit for beauty awards, but since all are not created equal, we'll review on a case-by-case basis. Wirecutter, while not strictly beauty, really does its homework when reviewing products, and of course, it doesn't cost a penny.
This is such a good piece. Awards and "best of" lists have gotten to be meaningless in many ways. It's not just beauty; some many industry has gotten on the awards bandwagon as a way to manufacture credibility and boost advertising. Brands love to get awards so they can tout "authenticity." It's really incestuous. In addition to Consumer Reports, America's Test Kitchen also buys all of their products as well.
There's also a lack of ethics behind this, which eventually leads to a lack of trust.
I can't seem to respond to your brilliant comment, Debbie, so I'll try to post here and hope it goes through.
First off, thanks for your very kind words. I really appreciate it!
I had a client who was constantly buying awards. It was a great company, but at a certain point it started being so smarmy!
I don't think I knew that about ATK, but their overall presentation does feel so authentic. It makes sense. I will accept PR samples but with no guarantees of coverage, much less positive coverage. And I'm incredibly careful about partnerships or sponsorships. I also buy a ton (way too much) and overall will mention interesting products or ones I think my readers will enjoy. And yes, yes, yes, to an erosion of ethics and trust. One of the things I'm most proud of is the trust I share with my readers!
"This is such a good piece. Awards and "best of" lists have gotten to be meaningless in many ways. It's not just beauty; some many industry has gotten on the awards bandwagon as a way to manufacture credibility and boost advertising. Brands love to get awards so they can tout "authenticity." It's really incestuous. In addition to Consumer Reports, America's Test Kitchen also buys all of their products as well.
There's also a lack of ethics behind this, which eventually leads to a lack of trust."
As a PR, I have a very mixed view of awards. I don't think all awards are made equal and some publications are more thorough in their processes than others...but always take the big brand names winners year after year with a grain of salt. This is when real consumer reviews and actual clinical studies come into play!
I absolutely agree! I do love and trust some of the awards. Others, not so much. Also notable, for decades magazines highlighted advertisers almost exclusively. We kind of got used to it and learned to read between the (paid for) lines. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Thank you for sharing yours - as always xo
You just added *such* a smile to my day! xo
Great insights - thanks for sharing your knowledge! 👍🙏
Thank you kindly! I'm so glad you enjoyed :)
Thanks for saying what a lot of us are thinking. I don't typically advise our beauty client to submit for beauty awards, but since all are not created equal, we'll review on a case-by-case basis. Wirecutter, while not strictly beauty, really does its homework when reviewing products, and of course, it doesn't cost a penny.
This is such a good piece. Awards and "best of" lists have gotten to be meaningless in many ways. It's not just beauty; some many industry has gotten on the awards bandwagon as a way to manufacture credibility and boost advertising. Brands love to get awards so they can tout "authenticity." It's really incestuous. In addition to Consumer Reports, America's Test Kitchen also buys all of their products as well.
There's also a lack of ethics behind this, which eventually leads to a lack of trust.