David goes to lots of events. David blogs a lot, too. So David innovated a sponsorship that adds value to his readers, not just him. And that makes CK very happy.

Disclaimer: this post is sponsored by the three (marketing) musketeers known as the brave, fighting-for-good forces of: transparency, authenticity and value.

David Berkowitz and I have been going back and forth regarding his brand spankin' new "media sponsorship policy" that he initiated on April 18th (our interactions have been over email). The policy focuses on his blog--and of course him--sponsoring certain marketing events.

And I have to say that I'm very pleased with it.

NOTE: To long-time readers who know how sensitive I am on social media sponsorships and the like, I want to assure you that indeed the world is still spinning even though I actually just wrote that I'm pleased with a sponsorship deal.

Why am I pleased? Because of:

• How David is looking to add value to his blog (clever!) while bringing value to his readers.
• How his new sponsorship is rooted in an authentic passion of his--seriously, that dude gets around a lot, and speaks at and attends conferences left, right and center.
• How upfront and respectful his policy is of his blog's audience.
• How responsive he has been to all my questions and recommendations.

Contribute or Contaminate? You choose (please choose the first)
With how focused I am on doing right by customers and protecting the integrity of the community, many would think that I'm altogether against sponsorships and Blogger Outreach Programs. Nope. What I am, is a supporter of having them done right.

Why do I care so much?

Because we are afforded the astonishing privilege of living in precedent-setting times. And as a result of this groovy disruption, we have an opportunity to make things better. How? By contributing to this space, and caring greatly for the growth of its bloggers and readers.

Moreover, I see these precedent-setting times as a responsibility not to contaminate. Because, let's face it, marketers have so far contaminated every other medium.

Just look at the amount of bogus direct mail that INVADES your home....thank goodness TiVo lets us skip ads that SHOUT at us...we actually have a federally regulated Do Not Call list in this country because people were feeling STALKED by telemarketers while they were trying to enjoy dinner with their kids....and we have entire services dedicated to BLOCKING the pop-up ads that disrupt our online experience--in desperate attempts for us to "click here".

So, um, marketers' track record of not contaminating is not so good. (It's not only our planet that we've polluted, folks.)

It's Deja Vu All Over Again...
Wait...what's that...what's that you say? You say that the above seems to align with what I wrote about here only a year ago? It certainly does. (Yippee)

Long-time readers will remember when I was outspoken on the Nikon program. I also hope you remember that I not only detailed my issues with it, but also provided recommendations on such programs. Because just as I have a responsibility to contribute (not contaminate); when I'm outspoken I have a responsibility to offer solutions (not just rant).

Here again, is the 3-Point Paradigm:

• Transparency: Transparency is crucial, credible and ethical. But it doesn't add value, it ensures honesty.
• Authenticity: The reason that we're the "new influencers" is not because we have it in our power to blog about something and effect the world--it's because we organically decide what products, services, practices and people deserve praise or poor marks and that's pretty empowering. We base it on the virtue of the product's superiority, availability and price--the novelty, too. So the benchmark is: would you organically and authentically blog on this product with no other incentive besides it's just that great, or just that bad?
• Value: The program, product, whatnot, should add value to the community (the entire community) as well as to the company.

Let's assess: Through his policy and blog posts, David has been uber-transparent. He authentically enjoys going to and covering marketing conferences. And the coverage and post-event lessons learned that he shares add value to all, as they are freely available at his blog.  Oh, if you're wondering, he doesn't take money for the sponsorship, he instead gets promotion for his blog--which engages new readers for which he can provide value.

And his sponsorship deal does not affect what he writes about his event experiences: good, bad or indifferent. I should also add a note here that since these conferences cover marketing, search, disruptive technologies and social media, they are very relevant to his blog's marketing audience. So I need to add "relevancy" to that paradigm.

Which would make it a 4-Point Paradigm. (so noted going forward)

And I thank Jonathan Trenn and Alan/Toad who gave me the 'relevancy/targeting' feedback a year ago. Because like David, I, too, am still finding my way in this brave new medium and very much need feedback.

David's media sponsorship policy is here. And his first sponsorship is right here. He really appreciates wants your input.

Comments

[David Berkowitz]

Thanks, CK. To readers of this post, CK doesn't give herself credit for a couple of good ideas that improved the policy, including spelling out that I get a free pass as one of the benefits. If anyone else has feedback, I really do both appreciate and want it.

[CK]

@David: I think it could be cool, too, if you ask your readers to submit questions for the speakers/attendees and then pick some and get either some video footage (think quick "flip video" segments) or even just poll a ton of people on an easy question. The only thing is that you have to be very streamlined...as conferences can be chaotic...so the questions need to be very quick and manageable.

But that's just another way to involve your readers, and give more value ("value" is my favorite of the musketeers--but please don't tell the other two).

[David Berkowitz]

Thanks again, CK. I've tried doing that on the blog without much success, but now that I'm an active participant in Twitter (not just a lurker and occasional visitor), then that should be a good channel for complementing the blog coverage with more interactive participation.

[CK]

@David: speaking of Twitter (which I love), it is quickly (if not already) the standard for covering conferences while there--and then just a great wrap-up post after at the blog. Then we just link to the hashtag for the tweets. Great mix.

[Jeff Larche]

Terrific dialog, CK (and David!). And I've found a phrase just too rich not to use myself: "this groovy disruption." :-)

[CK]

@Jeff: Oh how I dig disruptive times. I’ll never understand why most humans shun change. The Chinese say, “May you live in interesting times.” I say: “May you live through disruptive eras.”

Groovy indeed. What a fabulous time to experiment and get to set better precedents. Nice to ‘meet’ you ;-),