Friday, January 4, 2008

Got Sick Last Night & Didn't Get This Post Up: Clients and Competitors

Wasn't feeling great last night, but I went to bed with a blog post in mind.

I wanted to talk about blogging on clients' competitor. One of my clients that has yet to launch has a competitor in the space that I'm actually interested in trying. I worry about the ethically issues. If I try it out and write about it--regardless of what I say, there's the possibility of it being taken all wrong and coming back to me in that light. If I right something positive, then I've given a competitor publicity. If I right something negative, it looks like Astroturf.

So clearly, I haven't written about this topic yet. What do you think? Can I review a product or service on my blog knowing it's a client's competitor?

4 comments:

Joe C said...

I think it's a no-win while you're engaged with that client. The only possible out is if you fully disclose who you're working for, but that's probably not possible. And even then, your credibility would be questioned.

Sandy said...

Joe C--I think you're right, which is why I haven't written the post yet.

The client is still in stealth, so I wouldn't be able to talk about it.

This competing company is one that I do legitimately find interesting and would like to try out (and write about).

But it definitely feels like a lose-lose.

Randy said...

No, you shouldn't write about it.
If you feel the compunction to write about it anyway, do it anonymously.

What is it about this other company that makes it interesting?

Sandy said...

Two nos, so I guess I have an answer.

Randissimo-- I'm interested in the company because I think I would find their free online service useful. But I'm if-y on it because I don't want to develop brand allegiance to a company that competes with a client.