How not to pitch to bloggers

I was reading Stuart Bruce's blog and came across this reference to Charles Arthur, technology editor of The Guardian, and his frustration at the ineptness of PRs, especially in relation to pitching in to bloggers, of which he is one.

The following needs very little comment. I am not sure if it is funny or irritating but it is worrying, especially as the PRs represent sought after brands / clients.

Here goes:

PR: “Hello, you blog, don’t you? Do you want to write about our new brand?”

Gdn: (confused) “Your new brand?”

PR: “Yes, it’s London 2012, the Olympics, the new brand has been unveiled today.”

Gdn: “Do you mean logo?” (This would be the logo - described by everyone else including me - as “one of the worst marks I’ve ever seen. It’s just plain ugly”).

When the people touting your stuff don’t know the difference between a logo and a brand (hint: one can be included in your accounts under “intangibles” and have a value reaching into the millions; the other just costs that way), you’ve got a problem.

Later: phone rings. My phone. It’s been passed on by a colleague who works on blogs.

PR: “Hello, do you blog?”

Me: “Er, yes.” (Thinks: among other things.. what an odd way to open the conversation.)
PR: “I’m calling from Panasonic because they’ve got a new camera that’s come out and we thought you’d like to write about it.”

Me: “So what’s different about it? Cameras come out all the time.”

PR: “I don’t know exactly, but you’re a blogger aren’t you? Would you like to write about it?”

Me: (feeling slight stroke coming on): “Why? What’s this blog stuff? What is it about the camera? What’s special, different, newsworthy, if anything, about it?”

PR: “Umm, well, that’s not what I’m doing but I thought that because you blog…”

Me: “I edit the Technology section of the Guardian. Google me. Goodbye.”

If you can stomach anymore the full entry on what not to do PR wise is here.