BlogHer 2010 - A brand's perspective

Gettington.com made its first BlogHer appearance this year.  It was a fast-paced weekend that went by too quickly.  In the spirit of blogging, we wanted to share our experience as a brand at BlogHer 2010.

From what I’ve read through blogs and tweets as well as the conversations at the show, the attendees had a variety of reasons for going to the BlogHer conference.  Among the reasons I’ve heard was to meet new bloggers, learn more about writing, catch up with old friends and learn how to monetize their blog. 

Obviously brands had agendas for the conference as well.  At Gettington, our agenda was to build awareness of our brand and connect with a powerful community.  We are just shy of our first year birthday – so yes, we are still a baby.  We sponsored the BlogHer 10 conference bag because it was a great brand fit to bring the BlogHer community a cause that we support and believe in – providing women choices.  (visit my earlier post on the BlogHer conference bag).

We also manned a booth in the exhibition hall.  We were surprised by all the BlogHer conference attendees who came by to either say Thank You for the bag and/or learn more about Gettington.  We marveled at the level of engagement by all the attendees.  Our experience was less about people coming through looking for swag and more about real conversations about who we were. 

We were so encouraged by the positive feedback about our business.  This was important to us as we are not your typical online shopping site.  We help consumers manage their budget by providing payment options.  Our shopping assistant shops along with you showing your payment options for each item that you add to your shopping bag.  We believe informed decisions are the best and don’t hide interest fees by clearly display the total price you will pay including interest.   And our payment options are a better choice than most store credit options (see for yourself – JC Penney is 23.99% APR and Target is at 25.24%) 

Our brand tenets center on choice, transparency and a healthy dose of fun.  Yes, we gave away some fun prizes – an iPod, Dyson DC-14 vacuum, Wii Sports Resort bundle,  Kitchen Aid stand mixer, Rachael Ray cookware, Paula Deen cookware, Wolfgang Puck knife set.  Goodie BagTM is our weekly fun.  It’s a great deal or even a freebie such as the Freeset bag.  All you have to do is register on the site to get your virtual Goodie Bag.

We are also thankful to everyone who took the time to write a note for the women of Freeset.  It means a lot to be able to provide them with the encouragement to make bold choices in life.  We’ll post a link to the digital scrapbook once it is completed.  Lara David (@laradavid) is pictured with her note to the women of Freeset.  Visit her blog as well.

I am very happy for the new connections too.  But I also realize that our view of the world from our booth may be distorted.  I’ve also heard about a few faux pas that brands can easily make (i.e. not every female who blogs is a mommy, not every blogger is interested in writing product reviews)  What is the best way to engage you at BlogHer?  Any suggestions on how to make an impact that works for you and for us?  I would love all your feedback (positive and opportunities) so that we can digest what we’ve learned and connect with you in the way that is optimum. 

Warmest regards from Gettington.com