The interactive agency Imc2, has launched a character blog running on Movable Type for P&G’s product, Secret Sparkle Body Spray. AdWeek covered the blog and some blogger purists have complained that a character blog, because it masks the true identity of its writer and in this case is blatant in its intent to market a product, goes against the spirit of blogging.
I posed the question of character blogs to Esther Dyson at the recent AdTech conference in San Francisco and her response was at once simple and obvious. I’m paraphrasing here but essentially Esther said that character blogs are just another use of the medium. They are neither right nor wrong (is there such a thing as “wrong” blog?) The overriding principle is to make the character blog (and this applies to any blog) clever, informative, and engaging.
Me? I’ll confess I’m not subscribed sparklebodyspray.rdf but I’m pretty sure they’re not trying to reach out to 38 year old married men anyway!
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