There’s been a lot of discussion and some criticism in the mom blogosphere on accepting conference sponsorships. Some have called it selling out or consider it giving away our power and voices to the lowest bidder.
Personally, I don’t see that my working with sponsors is any different than a professional athlete like Dana Torres partnering with the milk people. (Though I wished I looked as good doing my sponsorship as she does hers.)
My sponsorship from Log Cabin Syrup has been nothing but positive. I was happy to represent a company who removed the high fructose corn syrup from their products because I know that’s what consumers – especially moms – want. (Just an FYI – I had blogged about Log Cabin removing HFCS months before I got the sponsorship.)
So when they offered to sponsor my trip to BlogHer, I was happy to accept. It’s expensive to go to conferences. Even when I buy the early bird conference ticket, find a roommate, and use frequent flier miles, a trip can cost $1,000 or more. That’s a lot for a freelancer, especially someone like me who goes to several conferences a year and has to pay for childcare while I’m gone.
So not only did Log Cabin help with my expenses, but they gave away three baskets of breakfast goodies to my readers, and supplied some yummy recipes for me to share with you like Log Cabin Style Maple Ribs and Mom’s Favorite Egg & Maple Turkey Sausage Muffin. They also gave me free sample and dollar off coupons and a few bottles of syrup to pass out to friends and acquaintances at the conference.
I hope it was a win-win for us all, but would like to hear your thoughts. Too spammy? Didn’t even notice? Like to hear from companies? Tired of corporate America taking over the blogosphere? Comment below!
