Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Getting on my soap box a minute.....
Today Stampin' Up! announced several changes to the demonstrator agreement which we sign when we join the company. Basically, the new requirements prohibit us from selling or promoting products other than Stampin' Up@ on our personal blogs, Facebook, Tweeter, etc. We can no longer post a card or a project, for instance and say that the brads used came from Michaels. Or that we bought the lace at JoAnn's. We also will not be allowed to have a blog roll that includes other people who sell or promote for companies other than SU and as I read it, that would include posting to SCS for example because they promote other stamp companies who sponsor them. I have chosen to remove the SU catalog link from my blog and I will no longer say where the materials I use can be purchased. You may of course email me privately for any information you need. . I don't think they control my email yet! Many demos have chosen to drop from SU because of this assault on their freedom of expression. I am still a Stampin' Up@ demonstrator and will be glad to take anyone's order. I don't know how long this will continue and I guess it depends on the fall out from all of this. I understand the company's reason for doing it but I think they have gone too far. I will continue to post my creative projects as always and I thank my readers and followers for their feedback and support.
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4 comments:
I think that many of us will be up on that soap box with you over the next month! Personally I think it is suicidal for SU to pursue this tack with their demonstrators. It's causing lots of consternation among demonstrators and will eventually cause ill will among customers as well. I am going to remove the SU info off my blog as well. I wish it hadn't come to this, I really enjoyed being a Stampin' Up demonstrator. ~chris
I haven't decided what I'm going to do. I am a hobby demo, and I am my only customer. I have so much $$$$ invested in CS, inks etc, that I'm at a loss. I don't even have a link for people to buy SU products from me on my blog! However, I really am irritated that Shelli thinks she can come into my personal life & dictate what I can & can't do on my blog. Just my 2 cents!!!
Don't know if you saw this on the demo website, but its not as bad as we all thought:
"First, the new IDA does not restrict your personal use of any product. You can still create your projects using anything you like--that has not changed! You can post samples that use competitive products on any of your electronic media resources. The new guidelines simply require that you refrain from marketing for competitive companies, or selling competitive products. Using non-Stampin' Up! paper on your projects, for example, is not in violation. Advertising for the competitive company, or even personally selling that paper, however, is in violation.
Second, the changes in requirements are meant to protect the Stampin' Up! brand and business as a whole, not restrict your personal freedom of creative expression. For example, consider the famous spokespeople that companies contract to represent their products, like Michael Jordan for Nike. Not only would it have been unethical for Michael Jordan to promote Reebok on the side, but Nike likely had a specific agreement with him not to do so. Your response to this comparison is likely, "But we don't have million-dollar bonuses from Stampin' Up!" That may be true, but we do compensate you for the work that you do, and you are definitely our superstars! We consider our demonstrators our partners in business, and an exclusive sales agreement between us is an important aspect of that partnership."
Ughhhh! This type of personal invasion is simply not right from a big company....your personal blog is just that, personal. This absolutely chokes your creativity because there is no way that each and every element you use in a project you've created can be from SU each and every time. I'm sorry Mary, this is quite a dilemma...
Thank you for always leaving such sweet comments for me ~ and for stopping by to see me too! hugs and love, Dawn
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