LE TOURMENT VERT AND PR ETIQUETTE

I came in late to this as i live in a different time zone and missed most of the discussion concerning this incredible disrespectful and distasteful action by Le Tourment Vert hiring Cashmere to spam bloggers posts about our last TDN which was sponsored by Mata Hari.

This post is my very quick addition to the collective effort by cocktail bloggers to make a point about some questionable practices by marketing and PR agencies.It seems to me like even though i cannot exactly say that i`ve been spammed like they did, i still did receive a cloaked spam comment:

“Anthony” -”absinthe is the new drink of 2009! Thanks for the article on Mata Hari, i’ll have to try that out. But i dont know if it will top my face…LE TOURMENT VERT!”

That comment is now deleted.

What is a cloaked spam comment? well its simply a method from a bad PR firm pretending to be a interested reader commenting a post but really is only made to promote their product. In this case it was my post on the Mata Hari TDN.

It takes a lot of effort, time and money to keep a serious blog going and it really is a labor of love where we spend a considerable time of our spare time doing this and doing our best to provide quality content to our readers.

I really get annoyed when i read about how serious blogs got treated by Le Tourment Vert and this PR firm called Cashmere. It has been said very well by my fellow bloggers in these following posts:

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/02/pr-etiquette.php

http://cocktailnerd.com/?p=1678

http://www.twoatthemost.com/dont-tread-on-me/

http://www.tradertiki.com/the-tormenters-green/

http://sloshed.hyperkinetic.org/2009/02/11/le-tourment-vert/

http://scofflawsden.com/blog/2009/02/11/mata-hari-is-being-stalked-by-idiot-spamming-pr-goons/

http://www.drinkplanner.com/2009/02/11/le-tournament-vert-hired-some-morons/

http://rookielibations.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-were-here-marketing-101.html

http://www.cocktailchronicles.com/2009/02/11/torch-check-pitchfork-check/

http://dearprflack.com/fairies-made-you-do-it/

http://www.gumbopages.com/looka/#11

http://ajiggerofblog.com/2009/02/12/the-great-astroturf-pushback-of-aught-nine/

I myself haven`t tried Le Tourment vert but it already have given me a bad taste in my mouth.

Feb 13 – 2009 UPDATE – THE RESPONSE

Within 6 hours after these posts got up we all personally received e-mails from the PR-firm (asking us to call them) and apologizes from LTV, who were asking what could be done to make it right and asked to speak to as many of us as possible by conference call. (with Vinet-Ege, the distiller and importer of Le Tourment Vert) They decided to make a public apology to the cocktail bloggers they had offended, the readers and the cocktail community at-large. The public apology can be read on cocktailnerds blog here.

I appreciate their apologize, that they didnt ask us to take down our posts and for now looking forward into moving towards a better direction.