Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition. – Update
Update: I waited for a response from Maytag from Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning. They chose not to answer my question and that is why I wrote the post below. Once the post gained some social media traction (thanks friends and frenemies!) I finally received a decent response. Perhaps it was timing but how many coincidences can there be in one story?
I posted on the Maytag Facebook wall yesterday and received no response. Someone mentioned in the comments below (read them! see how twisted my words and intentions got) that Maytag is a Whirpool subsidiary. I posted on Whirpool’s wall, emailed two Maytag public relations employees, and sent an email to a general Whirlpool email address as well.
I finally received the response below.
I am happy with their response. Nick was honest and Monica clarified the response for me. Without knowing what really goes into blogger selections when brands launch campaigns this is the best we have to work from. They said they’re committed to working with a broad spectrum of bloggers and I believe them. For now.
I’ll be watching (this brand and any other I notice) along with many others who have expressed interest in this issue.
Thanks Maytag and Whirlpool for your response. I sincerely appreciate it.
To any of you who turned this into a race/color issue: please read more closely next time. My issue was with brand transparency. I was curious, asked a question, and was blocked/ignored.
Everyone else: thanks for your support and don’t stop asking questions. It’s our right. Don’t stifle your independent voice with the lure of free product. It’s not worth it.
*I closed the comments for the first time because they were getting way out of hand. Thanks to those of you who engaged in the discussion in a thoughtful manner and BOOOO to the woman talking about white country clubs or…I don’t even know*
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It all started with this tweet.
(The person who sent the tweet above has since asked to remain anonymous).
I asked the blogger what brand she was referring to and she told me it was Maytag. I don’t have much experience working with appliance brands because I’m not a review blogger but I checked out the #MaytagMoms hashtag and saw some familiar faces. Genuinely nice women and good people. No problem.
Except.
Every woman chosen was white and (as far as I know) heterosexual.
Why?
I’ve been blogging for about two years and I’ve seen a lot of brand campaigns. Major brands seem to favor white, heterosexual, and “traditional” bloggers. Where are the major campaigns that include Latinas/African-American/Black/Asian/Gay/Mult-racial/Jewish/Muslim mom bloggers?
Sure, we receive some pitches but they’re usually for fatty, sugary, foods and questionable products. That’s an issue for another day.
For the most part we’re invisible and I’m sick of it. Instead of speculating I decided to ask Maytag directly.
Maytag blocked me. My two subsequent messages thanking them for their time and letting them know I’m looking forward to their response didn’t make it through. Maytag blocked me.
Why? What does Maytag have to hide? What did I say that was so offensive? As a consumer I have a right to know which brands don’t want to work with “my kind”. I have a right to make conscious purchasing decisions.
Don’t I?
Maytag could have said ANYTHING to me and I would have been satisfied. I can’t prove that they only want to work with a certain type of blogger. They could’ve lied but now the truth is obvious. You would think they would have learned a lesson about social media and blogger relations after that whole Dooce vs. Maytag debacle.
I’m no Dooce but this blog is only three and a half months old and has been visited by almost one hundred thousand people. Hear that Maytag?
Anyway.
The retweets started flying and Maytag finally responded with some bootleg excuse.
Hi @Veronicatheblog. #MaytagMoms & other bloggers we engage with come from all walks of life. Maytag is committed to diversity online & off.
— Maytag Brand (@MaytagBrand) July 9, 2012
. @MaytagBrand so then why not say so instead of blocking me when I asked a polite & respectful question?
— Veronica (@Veronicatheblog) July 9, 2012
@Veronicatheblog It was unintentional. We tried to DM you, but could not. Apologies for the confusion, and thanks for your question.
— Maytag Brand (@MaytagBrand) July 9, 2012
I know how blocking works. It can be an accident but it’s highly unlikely they happened to accidentally block me MID TWEET.
Maytag doesn’t care. That feeble response did not answer my question or alleviate my concerns.
There are plenty of talented bloggers with good traffic and stats to work with. Why are they always getting passed up?
I am beyond over it.
I am speaking up because I am so so sick of seeing talented and hard-working bloggers being excluded because of their religions/sexual orientations/skin color/”alternative lifestyles”.
I am not a blogger who is bound to any brand. This is not my job. I do not rely upon blogging income for anything. I will speak my mind without fear of retribution. I’m not sucking at any brand teat for free goods and services.
Nope.
I pay my own way and am bound to no one. The sponsors I do choose to work with are trustworthy businesses who know the importance of working with a variety of bloggers and writers. They are not exclusionary. I applaud them for that. I am fortunate to work with them.
Take notice brands who are exclusionary and do not value diversity: You will never receive my money as a consumer.
And I’m not the only one. This isn’t a race/religions/sexual orientation issue. This issue affects all of us as writers, bloggers, and consumers.
@Veronicatheblog @MaytagBrand is devoid of authenticity in their response.Long term actions will prove a better indicator. #brandfail
— Kendra (@imkendratoo) July 9, 2012
@anonymousbloggerfromoriginaltweet @veronicatheblog @maytagcare blocking her makes me think there’s something to hide. Bad move. — Danyelle Little (@TheCubicleChick) July 9, 2012
@maytagcare @maytagbrand Many of us are waiting for a response to @Veronicatheblog‘s respectful question & observing how you value bloggers — Zoie (@TouchstoneZ) July 9, 2012
wow! and another company bites the dust…I’ll be sure to add @MaytagCare to my forums’ “Companies to Boycott” list. thanks for the info! — sammi satch (@xoxosambam) July 9, 2012
I am keeping a running list of major companies who are exclusionary when launching blogging campaigns. You are not getting my money.
Maytag you’re up first.
A disclaimer for any feeble-minded fool who attempts to come here with accusations of “hating” on any of the Maytag Moms: This is far from personal. Several of the Maytag Moms are women whose blogs or Twitter accounts I follow. Some of them seem like great women. I am not a reviewer blogger nor do I even have a need for any new appliances (although if someone did give me some I would donate them – that would be nice but I digress). Once again: this is not personal.
Maytag is owned by Whirlpool Corporation which manufactures nearly EVERY brand of appliances available for sale in US today, including IKEA & some Kenmore. Whirlpool seems to value diversity as evidenced by charitable givings listed on its Wikipedia. I appreciate that you brought awareness to some issues & hope for positive brand response.
Thank you so much for that information. I will definitely be looking further into that issue. I really appreciate your comment.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
I agree 100% that in a perfect world brands would select a wide variety of folks to represent them. But we don’t live in a perfect world.
And without having a ton of visibility as to how Maytag does select their bloggers, what might appear to some as exclusion, might not have anything to do with race, gender or sexuality. It might be more about traffic, tone, professionalism and readership. They are, after all, in the business of making money.
I don’t disagree that it was weird that they blocked (unfollowed or whatever) you – but depending on who is running their social media account, your innocent query could have been misinterpreted. I do a lot of social media training for businesses, and generally speaking, those who do social media on a corporate level are told to be wary of engaging in situations like this. Quite simply, conversations like this cannot be had in 140 characters.
I think it’s admirable for you to engage, asking about their selection process, but you need to give them a chance to respond.
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Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for your insightful comment. ABSOLUTELY agree except there are plenty of blogs with with high traffic, readership, and levels of professionalism that are constantly passed up – which is why I finally prompted the issue.
I gave them plenty of time to respond. First they blocked me. Then they denied it. Then I emailed their PR representatives and all he said was:
Hi Veronica,
Thank you for your note. We have confirmed with our Twitter team that you are not blocked, and welcome your input.
I totally understand where you are coming from. They can be cautious of engaging in this way if thats their policy. I however will spread the word to each and every single writer/blogger/consumer that is sick of being treated like a second class citizen when it comes to marketing/advertising/blogging.
So I gave them numerous chances and they failed. Again.
BUT fingers crossed that eventually someone over there recognizes the error of their ways. Thanks again.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
I appreciate you speaking up and sharing the exchange. These are topics that should be openly discussed. Regardless of whether the omission of a diverse group of moms was included or not, or whether it was on purpose or not, I think it matters that many many times no one even notices the lack of diversity. So yes it might not be intentional, but perhaps we need to focus more on diversity being intentional until we don’t even notice the diversity.
Unknown Mami recently posted… That Doodoo That We All Do And @Cottonelle #NameIt Giveaway #spon
Thanks so much. I appreciate that. But you know what? I may never do it again. Although I outlined my concerns QUITE CLEARLY I now have to deal with a handful of people who choose to misunderstand my issue and twist it into something else entirely – which I have no desire to deal with.
You’re right and I agree with you but ya. I’m done.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
@babybabylemon
You may have gotten a better response with an email instead of 6 DMs. I’m not saying you would have, but they might be counseled against responding to questioning DMs because they can’t be forwarded, cc’d or saved like an email. No one wants to deal with screen shots. That said, sure the make-up of their panel is suspect, but most are. I think if you are going to call them out by name, then you need to call all of them out.
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Who do you mean by all of them? I’m
Only one person with very limited resources. I can’t take on brand after brand day in and day out. This was brought to my attention. I asked a question and was rebuffed. I don’t plan on not taking notice of other brands who do the same but ya. I’m one person here.
Bloggers are too scared to even retweet. It’s sad.
But you’re right. However I haven’t been out of the office that long. They could’ve easily said we’d love to discuss this issue via email. but the next time. I know there’ll be one – I’ll take it to email first. Awesome advice.
Thanks for stopping by.
Please excuse my convoluted third sentence in the comment above; it doesn’t actually make sense, but I hope you know what I meant.
Unknown Mami recently posted… That Doodoo That We All Do And @Cottonelle #NameIt Giveaway #spon
Thanks for taking the ball and running with it, there have been too many late night conversations on twitter from many bloggers of color about why we never see POC represented as far as the brands go. I think it was time to move ahead and actually ask the questions that you did…I just got out of an all day meeting so my brain is fried, but thanks!
Blackgirlinmaine recently posted… How to get America working again? Bring back the humans!
Thanks so much! I feel like that a lot lately. Like we talk talk talk but nothing ever happens.
@slapdashmom
Considering I’ve been passed over for opps just because I’m white – and they were looking for “diversity” but chose all women of color and NO white women.. how diverse is that??.. I’m going to say I don’t know that I believe Maytag chose bloggers based on their color.
How many bloggers were chosen? How many bloggers applied? What did the unchosen bloggers stats look like compared to the bloggers that were chosen? I wasn’t chosen and I’m white…
Sadie recently posted… Win This Bag Giveaway: Tod’s White Leather Shoulder Bag Purse Handbag
Diversity is about a lot more than color. It’s pretty obvious I feel that way just by reading my post.
When was there a campaign by a major brand that used ALL women of color? I would love to know? I have never seen anything like it. I agree. That may not be diverse at all either but I have no idea what campaign you are referring to. Again, diversity is about a lot more than taking a simplistic view by looking at people’s skin colors. I have white blogging acquaintances who may have been passed over for being gay/not “pretty”/poor – WHO KNOWS?
We have no way of knowing if when we ask respectfully we are blocked.
My blog post said nothing about how Maytag chooses their bloggers. My post says that I asked and was blocked.
They used Mom Central as an intermediary for the selection. Reread the post. This is about more than color. It’s about asking a brand a genuine question – being blocked – the brand appearing shady.
I’ve been in touch with Whirpool/Maytag executives and will update this post shortly.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
Sadie,
While Veronica focused on Maytag and this specific campaign, this is bigger than just Maytag. Time and time again many bloggers of color are realizing that we simply do not have access to the same opportunities as a our white counterparts. Even when our blogs are deemed successful, the reality is most of us have ft careers that have nothing to do with blogging or social media. In some cases we are happy where we are professionally and our blogs are side jobs/hobbies but in the so called mom genre why are there few non-white, heterosexual, middle class bloggers represented at the brand level?
Last year I made Babble’s list of top mom bloggers and while many assume that I have access to larger opportunities by virtue of being on that list, nothing could be further from the truth. I have talked with a few other non-white bloggers who also made that same list and our experiences are identical.
If what you are saying is accurate, I think that sucks but at the same time you have had a chance to see what many mom bloggers of color experience regularly and it sucks. Like Veronica said diversity is about more than color though as a Mom of color that is the perspective I speak from.
Blackgirlinmaine recently posted… How to get America working again? Bring back the humans!
@slapdashmom
I’m not good at this replying thing so I hope this makes sense. This is to Veronica and to the other woman that replied to me. Veronica, Britax specifically did a Latina mom blogger opportunity. I, as a white woman, was excluded because … IM WHITE.
“Time and time again bloggers of color are realizing we don’t have the same opportunities as our white counterparts”? Really? Because last time I checked there is the “niche” mommy conference where I was told by one of the speakers (Sassy Mama in LA – Yolanda) that brands are specifically looking for ONLY non-white bloggers.
There aren’t TONS of non-white, non-heterosexual mom bloggers… so of course MOST opportunities are going to include mostly white heterosexual bloggers. It is just a numbers game. I don’t think anyone is being excluded because they’re a woman of color, though I’m sure it COULD happen I have never seen a “white” campaign but I have seen a “latina” campaign.
I don’t see why anyone would want to be chosen based on their race. I’d rather be chosen because I’m an awesome blogger, not because of my race. Shouldn’t we all just work on being better BLOGGERS, not better “white” bloggers, not better “woman of color” bloggers? Ya know?
Okay. But youre missing the point entirely. They TOLD you it was a Latina specific campaign right? They didn’t block you and ignore you until the issue gained traction and possible bad PR for them. Right?
THAT is the difference. THAT is why this is an issue. Why be shady? They couldvve said “hey veronica the bloggers we choose were carefully selected due to their audience/our target demographic/WHATEVER.
They couldve said ANYTHING and I would have said – thanks for your time! Thats not how it played out. This has nothing to do with white versus latina versus black.
I dont know anything about this comment you made: Because last time I checked there is the “niche” mommy conference where I was told by one of the speakers (Sassy Mama in LA – Yolanda) that brands are specifically looking for ONLY non-white bloggers. – but again – transparency is the issue. When you asked Yolanda she didnt slam the door in your face right? She answered your question.
I have a solid business foundation way outside the blogging realm and know how marketing works. I am not stating that brands should work with gay/black/latina/jewish moms just to appease us. Not at all. I am saying that when we as consumers and writers ask questions they should be answered.
Silence makes us question motives and actions.
Not once did I say anyone should be or not be chosen on their race. Not a single time. I have no idea how you extrapolated this from the post above. I definitely agree maybe it is a numbers game – maybe it’s not – it’s *my* right to ask the question – Maytag’s right to block me and *my* right to voice my opinion.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
@kellynaturally
Sadie, when you’re white, you simply can’t argue from a minority perspective. You have an inbuilt privilege that women of color do. not. have. Being colorblind sounds awesome and lovely but it’s not reality. Reality is that people are racist (even when they think they aren’t), and talking about injustices and unfairness and bias past and present is the only way things will change in the future. When people can really look at themselves and the world in which they are living, they can change themselves and their beliefs, and hope for change in others, too.
Veronica, I hope you get some answers and thoughtful discourse with Maytag. Your questions were legitimate and frank; I’m glad you addressed them, and shared here.
kelly @kellynaturally recently posted… I Imagine a Future of Compassion – On Becoming Vegan
Kelly: THANK YOU so much for stating this so eloquently and clearly. I could never say anything like this without being accused of playing “the race card”.
It’s a sad world when one of us can’t ask a question about inclusion OF ALL PEOPLE white/gay/muslim whatever without people coming in and twisting it around to make it seem as if I care that they (white women? As if I was attacking white bloggers specifically?) were given free appliances.
Way to miss the point. Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it so much.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
@slapdashmom
I was told, by Veronica, that this wasn’t just about race – it was about diversity. Now you’re basically saying it IS only about race and because I’m not a minority as far as race is concerned I could never understand?
That’s total crap. In my town, I AM a minority – because of my race AND because of my sexuality. In this country, I can’t even marry my partner of three years. Don’t tell me I couldn’t understand… I understand more than many EVER could.
Sadie recently posted… Win This Bag Giveaway: Tod’s White Leather Shoulder Bag Purse Handbag
@odd_mama_out
You can be sure that there are multitudes of more opportunities for a straight, white female blogger out there than those available to all other groups. It does not compare. At all.
@slapdashmom
For the campaigns I’ve been in charge of, I’ve chosen based on blogging ability. I don’t even look to see what color/sexuality the blogger is.
Sadie recently posted… Week 3 #Cinchspiration Weigh In – Doing Things MY Way
Can you prove it? You *know* for a fact that every single campaign was based on blogging ability? That’s awesome. I’m not being facetious. You’re very fortunate.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
Im going to have to close comments. This has gotten so far off track what the post is about that it isnt even funny. Not you. But. omg.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
This is a complete failure on their part. I agree, it’s not about the chosen bloggers. I read some of them and really like them too. It’s about the unchosen bloggers. This campaign lacks diversity and it’s unacceptable. I think these brands need to stop marketing with their eyes wide shut. It’s not a white issue or a black issue – it’s a diverse issue.
Hugs and Mocha,
Stesha
Stesha recently posted… My Journey To Natural Hair
Thanks Stesha. Agree on all counts and HATE that some are turning this into a race issue.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
That campaign is being run by MomCentral, they hand-picked the women, pretty sure. I’m betting ya that Maytag had little to nothing to do with deciding who to work with.
I think the real people to ask would be the MomCentral folks how they came up with the team, not Maytag.
designhermomma recently posted… five is always five
I don’t think MomCentral is the problem. They’ve chosen many diverse many and women for their campaigns over time. I myself have been chosen for opps through them and while I’m white and heterosexual, I’m also an atheist, so thats should fit in their with the diversity a bit.
However, they wouldn’t really know that I’m an atheist, and probably don’t know if others are Jews, Catholics, or Christian. It shouldn’t really matter. That’s not one of the questions on their applications.
Neither is whether a person is heterosexual or not.
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Really good insight. Thanks so much. I never called into question whether Mom Central was “to blame” because they’re an intermediary. My issue began when I was blocked for asking a question. As a result of that things snowballed and I’m learning a lot more.
@slapdashmom
Hmm. That’s interesting.
Sadie recently posted… Win This Bag Giveaway: Tod’s White Leather Shoulder Bag Purse Handbag
@DesireeEaglin
Now, before I begin I want to say that I can totally understand your frustration at their very apparent misuse of the situation. However, and I could be wrong here, but I believe Maytag used a media partner to facilitate the campaign and work on behalf of them. Therefore, wouldn’t the partner be responsible for choosing which bloggers to use in the campaign?
I actually received a rejection letter from this campaign I believe. And in it, said that the 25 bloggers that were chosen were chosen for 1 readership 2 editorial style 3 likeliness to a specific brand personality.
Also, have you checked out social networks like latina mom bloggers and others? They provide really amazing campaigns specifically to women (and men) of “color”.
Desiree Eaglin recently posted… PRK Products Inc. “Organizing Moms & Dads Around the World” Product Review
I’m saddened by your lack of research. Last I checked, I wasn’t white, and I’m certainly proud (and honored) to be working with Maytag on their Maytag Moms campaign
Had you bothered to read the post you would have noticed my first attempt at research was to speak to the company on twitter. The reason this became an “issue” was because instead of saying hey LivewithLevi is (whatever background you are) and we’re proud of the mom central selection. They blocked me.
Save your outrage for when you’ve actually had time to digest the issue at hand.
I can’t speak for everyone but as one of the Maytag moms, I’m very excited about being part of the campaign. Our family is diverse. While I am a white, non-Christian mother, our family is multi-racial. Not that our race has anything to do with the way we use and review appliances.
Cat Davis recently posted… Dreams Really Do Come True | We’re Going to Walt Disney World!
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Cat. My issue arose when Maytag chose to block me instead of answer my polite question. The blocking gave me the impression that there was something amiss. I’ve communicated with them and will update this post soon. Also congratulations and best of luck with the program. I appreciate your insight.
I can certainly understand your frustration with lack of communication on twitter and I’m very happy to hear you’re discussing your concerns with them. I’ll look forward to an update.
Cat Davis recently posted… Dreams Really Do Come True | We’re Going to Walt Disney World!
Thanks so much Cat. It’ll be up later tonight.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
Hey- I’m another “Maytag Mom” and I just want to put in my two cents. This year we will be a trans-racial family through adoption, but I don’t know if that “counts” to what you are referring
We don’t know how many bloggers of different races applied to this position, do we? What if there were none? (It would be interesting to find out). Shouldn’t people be chosen for campaigns because of their blogs and not because of their race?
I was in a campaign with Cool Whip where people complained of lack of diversity in race and age, but there were four of us: two caucasian women, 1 East Indian and 1 Hispanic mother ages 24-40+. I don’t think a campaign will go by where someone cannot complain or be offended about something. You can never please everyone!
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First of all thank you so much for stopping by. Second huge congratulations on such an amazing milestone. I know that diversity is about much more than meets the eye which is why instead of scanning the lists of moms who I dont know well (i know a few but not well enough to know personal details of their lives) I asked Maytag directly.
I agree. People will always feel left out. That’s the name of the game but we as consumers/writers/bloggers have every right in the world to ask questions. If a brand chooses not to answer unfortunately we draw our own conclusions and then choose to perhaps not support that brand.
Hope that makes sense. This isn’t about who was included and who was not. It’s about me asking a question and being blocked and rebuffed until the issue gained traction.
Best of luck : )
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
@MissCryssi
I’m very surprised by those who’ve decided to respond without reading and, most importantly, understanding this post.
It’s not an issue of just color, as some keep referencing. It’s the fact that the question was asked and ignored. Ultimately blocked. Skirted around. Etc. If a company is going to state it wants a diverse group, it best darn make sure it has a diverse group. Someone is going to notice otherwise, and question it, just as Veronica did. I
Cryssi recently posted… Vacation
I read the post and understand it as I’m sure the others who commented did as well. I only replied to what I could offer a response to ie: race. As others have pointed out, Mom Central does not ask for race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. and has worked with many diverse bloggers before.
Emily recently posted… Our Backyard Escape
Absolutely but let me give you an example. My most recent career was in the defense industry. Our subcontractors made our parts but we delivered/supplied them to the US government. If a weapon failed who got blamed? The intermediary or us? Us.
It is Maytag’s responsibility to ensure that whomever they have contracted to do their work does so within the realms of whatever Maytag’s wishes are – which according to them includes diversity of all levels.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
I definitely understand that point in the article – which concerns me too. I can only “assume” they wanted to discuss the issue privately.
But race and diversity is an issue that was brought up here as well. I can’t see that much research was done into how diverse this group is. Was every mom part of the program researched and questioned about their race, religion and sexual preference? No. I just feel like articles like this (without research) make it difficult for future bloggers to get opportunities like this.
Cat Davis recently posted… Dreams Really Do Come True | We’re Going to Walt Disney World!
They could have said they wanted to discuss the issue privately. They had plenty of time to respond before I blogged.
Also please don’t state that I posted without research I communicated via email with three separate individuals associated with whirlpool and maytag. Not once did they have anything to say about a single maytag mom. They did however point me to one Latina and one gay blogger they worked with in the past. And another blogger whose site I haven’t checked yet.
I did my research by going directly to the company I wanted to speak to. Not to the bloggers because I wanted to avoid drama and the appearance that I was minimizing the work of the women chosen.
I appreciate your comments but I did my research. Please respect that.
I do understand that I have yet to update the post which is why to those of you who haven’t followed this issue on twitter it may appear that I didn’t research. But I did. *edited for grammar /typos – typing one handed here*
I have to say this: I couldn’t care less if my *well* researched post made it harder for bloggers to get free stuff. I’m sorry. That’s not why I blog. Not knocking your hustle or anyone else’s who chooses to make a living from their blog (in fact – good for you guys!) but I do not.
I will not stop asking legitimate questions so a few of you can live happily ever after with new appliances.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
Thank you. That’s all I was trying to say.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
Maybe the block was intentional, maybe it was not. When it comes down to it, they didn’t keep ignoring you and did apologize. I’m not sure why you can’t run with the apology, but have to keep digging at why you thought they blocked you?
As a Maytag Mom myself, I like to think that this was an opportunity that I earned based on hard work, good blogging and a good audience. I almost feel sad that I would be told that I got the opp because I fit into a “mold.” I’ve worked for 4 years to build a blog and brand that I feel confident about.
I would also be interested to know how they choose moms, but I think there were a LOT of factors involved, the application had a lot of questions on it.
I think you have some good valid questions and concerns and hope they are addressed.
(PS – Love your blog header photo, pretty darn adorable.)
Tiff @ Babes and Kids recently posted… The Post Where I Hyperventilate, #MaytagMoms
Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful response.
I’m not digging. I am clarifying my position. People who aren’t regular blog readers are stopping by to defend Maytag and please believe they will hear my side and will *not* be allowed to misconstrue my position on my web property. You know what I mean?
I know better than to take anything a corporation says at face value. It’s served me well academically and professionally. I have no intention of stopping now because I happen to blog. I’m smarter than that and have every right as a consumer and writer to ask questions of brands who want my money.
I’m not afraid of losing an ambassadorship/brand relationship/etc. I freely speak my mind in my space and that is why the few brands I do work with choose *me*. Honesty.
They know they get my honest no BS opinion because I cannot be bought. Not saying you can – I do not know you – but that is why I “dig”.
Thanks again and best of luck with the program.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
Not defending, just stating that they did apologize and some effort is better than none at all. Maybe “dig” wasn’t the right word. I understand being able to express yourself via your blog. That’s the beauty of it. At the end of the day it’s yours.
I do understand where you are coming from in a way. I was a part of a Twitter Moms/Samsung contest that went sour a few years back. I felt like I was ignored at first and did finally end up getting an apology from Samsung which I ran with. I never did get an apology from Twitter Moms which was unfortunate. That said, when it comes down to it, I’m still going to research my products. I now own a Samsung washing machine which I purchased on my own. It’s been incredible.
I hope you get your questions answered that you want answered.
Tiff @ Babes and Kids recently posted… The Post Where I Hyperventilate, #MaytagMoms
@Hsofia
As a Black, Latina woman – also wife and mother in a multiracial (non white) family – I just have to laugh at some of these comments. I have to laugh because what else can you do when folks are stumbling over themselves to defend a company that sells frickin’ washing machines?
All the apologetics on Maytag’s behalf are speculations as to how Maytag defines diversity, or if they are even responsible for the bloggers chosen, etc. Veronica decided to forego speculating and ask them STRAIGHT OUT. And their response? Not cool. Can we all agree on that?
hsofia recently posted… Art for Everyone on the Walk Home
*Slow clapping* Thank you so much.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
As the person who started the conversation I feel the need to respond.
1. This is not an attack on the women who were selected for the Maytag Moms program. No one has said anything that would imply (directly or indirectly) that you aren’t worthy to participate in the program. Congratulations on being selected, I sincerely hope its a wonderful experience for you and our families.
2. Veronica and I asked Maytag about the diversity of the women chosen and they chose, for whatever reason, to not respond. It’s simple. We even posed the question using the #hashtag at that time, any of the women who identify as “diverse” could have said something. No one chose to do that. Not sure why.
3. This also speaks to a larger issue within the blogsphere. I’ve only been blogging for a little over 2 years and I’ve noticed a trend in the selection of bloggers for major campaigns. Granted I don’t know the statistics on the diversity of every woman who owns a blog. However, I do think there is a slant towards excluding (intentionally or unintentionally) women of color. Why is that? And why is it problematic for me to ask that question?
I’m sad that some of you have chosen to make this about you personally instead of using it to think about why this is even a concern.
@slapdashmom
How many bloggers are out there? How many are white? It’s a numbers game. Of course mostly white bloggers will be chosen because mostly white bloggers apply for these opps. I’m in MANY blogging groups and the number of bloggers of color is usually very small – we don’t exclude anyone. So unless these women of color come to our group there is no way to know about them. It’s the same with campaigns. If 99% of bloggers that apply are white, it’s logical that most (or all) of the bloggers chosen will be white. Now if it was 90% bloggers of color that applied and the 10% that were white were chosen, obviously that’d be an issue, but I’ve never seen that happen. Have you?
Sadie recently posted… Win This Bag Giveaway: Tod’s White Leather Shoulder Bag Purse Handbag
Again. Sure. You could be right. You could know state that you know that as an exact statistic throughout the blogosphere (but I know that you don’t know because you’re only one woman and not Jesus so that would be impossible) that does not negate the fact that I asked an innocent question and was rebuffed, ignored, and blocked at first.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
I hope everyone reads that. Especially Miss LifewithLevi.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
@lucilleinthesky
Thank you for raising awareness on this issue. Racism is alive and kicking and the only way to lessen it is to talk about it. Call out the perpetrators and put them in their place. I haven’t read the previous comments, but I see there is a lot. I just want you to know that I am proud of you. These are hard points to address, but our children will live in a better world because of it.
Lucy recently posted… sailing in style + wishes for america
That means so much to me Lucy. Thank you for taking the time to stop by even though you had a totally crappy day. xo
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition.
Did you seriously post this? Who cares if the bloggers are white or black. It’s more discriminating for a company to say “oh wait, we have to find a black blogger to use in our program” and go out of their way to include a person of color. Why do people of different races other than Caucasian go out of their way to discriminate themselves?… There aren’t white scholarship funds or white clubs. Just let it go and realize they didn’t go out of their way to only choose “white” bloggers; they chose people who met their criteria for the program.
“There aren’t white scholarship funds or white clubs.”
Clearly there are. What planet are you living on? Stick to the topic.
lol what just happened here?!?!
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition. – Update
I’d take the time to respond with some sort of eloquent statement but your ignorance has stunned me. Way to miss the point of the post. Also there’s been an update. Read it. Read the whole thing. Clearly you missed the point the first time. Take your misguided anger elsewhere and work on your reading comprehension skills. I have no idea where you got any of that because it was most certainly not said in my post.
Oh and my husband is half white and so are my kids. So nice try there.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition. – Update
@momdot
I am on the campaign as well. I personally think it might be a numbers game. How many women of color applied? I run a blog forum that has 100s of active social media and professional bloggers and I can tell you out of the bloggers that chat daily, we only have a handful of women of color and a handful of men. We have a PR forum as a separate part of that group that co-share blog opps and out of the 200 bloggers that are within that, I only have 1 African American (female) blogger a part of it.
Our group is 100% open to ALL bloggers but it has lead me to believe that there may be a clear majority of (white) women within this niche.
Additionally I run a small blog to business PR firm and I can tell you when we release campaigns, out of 100 applications, there may be 1 that contains a woman of color. We make sure all blogs are looked at and pick the best suited for the campaign (stats, layout, influence in specific social media markets, etc) and if that does include the woman of color…great…if it doesn’t…that’s fine too. At the end of the day it really does boil down to the blog.
As a four year veteran in the blogosphere, I can say that I have been a part of many long term campaigns and the women and bloggers have been very diverse in personality and online presence. I won’t deny there appears to be a separation of white and women of color bloggers, but I don’t believe its an intentional one. Being a blogger is a very independent and self sustaining thing and just finding a tribe or a community online at all is a difficult task. What I do find amongst campaigns like this is more of a numbers game regarding stats and online klout/influence and online experience.
If you are interested in joining our blog community, please let me know. We are happy to have you.
~trisha
trisha recently posted… Blogging Planner Giveaway
Hi Trisha. Thank you very much for your response. I appreciate it and it makes perfect sense to me. It could absolutely be a numbers game BUT when I chose to ask a brand instead of going up and down the list of maytag moms to avoid drama and get blocked? I get curious. I am sure you understand.
I am on your forum. I am CrunchyVTMommy. This is my new blog. I haven’t been as active because of the nature of our life right now (MBA/moving/traveling/etc) but there are tons of amazing women there who are always helpful and kind. You have always been helpful to me.
This post was in no way, shape, or form meant to denigrate or lessen the hard work that many women put in.
My point was – someone wanted to know how these bloggers were chosen – I asked – was blocked – why? – Maytag/Whirpool responded – and now we have our answer.
The fact that people (not you) have managed to turn this into a race/color issue speaks volumes. I didn’t say that. It wasn’t the point. Sad that I (because I happen to be Latina?) can’t ask a simple question about ALL BLOGGERS without being accused of trying to exclude white people/hoard opps for Latinas/whatever.
Transparency is a good thing. No one owns me and I will continue to question anything and anyone I choose to. If other bloggers want to take issue with that? That’s fine.
Your insight is valuable to many of us who haven’t been around as long or worked extensively behind the scenes. Thanks so much for providing that.
I appreciate you stopping by and best of luck with the campaign. I saw your post already and it looked great.
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition. – Update
I don’t feel it as an attack, just trying to provide my two cents as someone chosen for the program. Just clarifying I am not trying to stick up for Mom Central or Maytag, as I do not have the inside scoop, but I’m sure this will be addressed in someway.
Racism is very prevalent and I will stand up for it in anyway I can. I know I’m going to deal with this issue first-hand in the future with my son/s and I don’t think this was a purposeful act by a brand to exclude race, religion or sexuality in a campaign. I have not ever personally spoken with someone from Maytag, but I would think they would have responded to a sincere email first (or Mom Central) on the issue rather than right away being bombarded with tweets and public posts.
I will be interested to hear the outcome of the issues/concerns being brought up in this campaign.
Emily recently posted… Our Backyard Escape
Hi Emily. Thanks again but I didn’t bombard anyone. I sent a few DMs and was blocked. They were wrong. Not me.
I know youre new here (and welcome) but Im not one to get loud about brands/online drama. It isn’t a regular thing nor is it my style. My blog is pretty low key.
I felt very strongly about this due to the blocking. In the past when Ive had a question the brand responded via DM or gave me an email and we finished our discussion there. Politely. Blocking me was grimy. Point blank.
I’ll check out your post too. I’m sincerely happy for you and very happy you stopped here. You took the time to read my post and see my point of view and that means a lot to me. I also want to applaud you for having the foresight to know this issue may come up with you kids in the future. Congratulations again : )
Veronica recently posted… Brands behaving badly. Maytag edition. – Update