BlogHer to Promote P&G a Whole Year, No Less

BlogHer has recently partnered with P&G to launch a year-long initiative called “Life Well Lived,” that, according to the official press release, will deliver support, connections and convenience to the 26 million women BlogHer reaches every month. Among other things, BlogHer will sample and review new P&G products, delivering expert advice and providing “access to P&G’s most popular products to help women better manage their daily lives.”

The terms of the deal have not been disclosed – in other words, it is still unclear how much P&G is paying for the fun, but for BlogHer, this is big. It’s another significant accolade and recognition, for a network already trusted by millions of women around the world. The question is; “will P&G reviews featured on BlogHer enjoy the same level of trust from consumers, knowing that BlogHer has an exclusive partnership to promote the brand?” 80% of the BlogHer audience have already reported having bought a product based on a blog recommendation. How many of these recommendations came as a result of a sponsored promotion is another issue.

And, if any controversial issues regarding P&G’s products arise, will BlogHer take a stand, or will they act as P&G brand advocates? The answers are obvious.

The “Life Well Lived” program will imply a framework for distributing curated content and special offers via a network of prominent partner blogs from the BlogHer network. The content will live in a hub on BlogHer.com and will focus on three key areas: Looking Your Best, Getting Organized, and Getting Happy, with trusted bloggers in the BlogHer network sampling and reviewing new P&G products. Considering the deal, it’s hard to believe that these reviews will keep an unbiased note.

So far, it’s not clear on the site that “Life Well Lived” is brought to the readers in partnership with P&G – but maybe we are just picky. Still a proper disclosure in a visible place would make for more transparency, we think. At the right, you see a screenshot with the current appearance of the site. P&G doesn’t even come into the picture (click on the image to enlarge). But maybe BlogHer were just in a rush to distribute the news? Let’s give them the benefit of a doubt: they just didn’t have time to update the page. After all, they made no secret of the P&G deal, press release and all.

P&G works with many PR firms, including MSL Group,  Marina Maher Communications,  and Ketchum PR.