Josh Spear runs a very well respected ‘cool’ site from his base in Boulder Colorado. His ability to spot superb new products and services has won him readers and work – 21 year old Josh recently gave a lecture to senior execs at ad agency Leo Burnett recently and on the trip he embarks on today to Asia he will be conducting consultancy project, he told us.
After two years, Josh has relaunched his site with a new design that not only brings a fresh face to his blog but it allows us to see how brands are beginning to work transparently with bloggers to take their marketing messages beyond the banner. For example, Malaysia Airlines sponsor Josh’s Geo-Locator – a live map that pin-points the cool hunter’s location around the globe. But the brand partnerships go beyond ’sponsorship’ – they help him deliver his product too. His blog reads:
I’m leaving on Monday morning for the next couple of weeks to Asia. I’ll be hunting around Taipei for a day and then on to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I’m planning on hunting for everything from restaurants, stores to shops and studios off the beaten path… This trip wouldn’t be possible without the air travel support of Malaysia Airlines, the luggage from Tumi and photo equipment from Pentax.
It all makes the notion of advertising on blogs rather quaint – and rather one way. Is this an early sign of how brands can work with a blog to bring the readership a far richer experience?
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