The Puck Stops Here

I received an email a couple days ago from the Versus TV station. They are asking me to promote their playoff hockey coverage using their content. They offer press releases, banners and NHL playoff video anthems. These can be found here. In exchange for doing their marketing, I can be given "Thank You items" that include Versus Hockey - Air hockey puck ice trays and mallet and Versus NHL playoff posters. If my site goes "above and beyond" in promoting the playoffs on Versus I can receive merchandise including jerseys autographed by (Ryan? - they only give last names) Miller, Zach Parise and Martin St Louis and other autographed hockey memorabilia.

Here (April 15th post I don't know how to bring it up without the entire monthy archive) is an example of a blog running a Versus press release, although he has done a good job of balancing it with other television networks as well. Here is another less classy shill job for Versus.

This is not the first time that Versus has used this marketing plan. During the All Star Weekend they did the same thing. This got them some blog coverage such as this.

Although it might be a good thing for Versus and the NHL to try to get their message out through viral marketing, it is bad for the independent blogosphere. You read very positive advertisements for hockey on Versus and think a blogger wrote them, but it compromises the integrity of an independant blogosphere. Blogs used to advertise for the Versus or the NHL will not be critical when it is needed. It shuts sown a lot of the independant thought surrounding hockey. That is a bad thing. The biggest power of hockey blogs is that they are independent. Many writers exist who do not make a livelihood from writing. They do it because they love hockey and want to share their opinions. Those that gain a readership are the good ones that people want to follow. When the NHL or Versus provide prizes for spreading their stories, it compromises those blogs who partake. I do not like this marketing plan and I thought it was best to make it known to anyone who happens to read this post.