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Consumerist (blog)
Encyclopedia
The Consumerist is a consumer affairs blog
owned by Consumer Reports
with posts provided by regular daily contributors. The blog's focus is on consumerism
and consumers' experiences and issues with companies
and corporation
s, concentrating mostly on U.S. consumers. Some of the topics of its blog entries are originated by the editors, but most come from reader-submitted tips and complaints.
established the blog in December 2005, with Joel Johnson as editor. Johnson had previously edited Gizmodo
for Gawker. The Consumerist was an idea from Gawker Media owner Nick Denton
and managing editor Lockhart Steele; according to Johnson, "they knew they wanted a shopping blog—but not a shopping blog—and that they wanted to address the issues that consumers really find the most frustrating on a daily basis."
In creating The Consumerist he established its slogan and initial focus on readers complaints, "consumer-oriented news nuggets, funny pictures and shopping tips — all with the same snarky tone that characterizes Gawker properties like Wonkette
and Defamer.". Gawker hired Ben Popken to take over as site lead in February, 2006. Johnson left Gawker in July 2006, citing a "disagreement about [his] role within the company."
Gawker put the blog up for sale in November 2008, at the same time that it announced the closure of one of its other blogs, Valleywag
. On December 30, 2008, the New York Times reported that The Consumerist had been purchased by Consumer Reports
.. The site's only two full-time employees, site lead Ben Popken and senior editor Meghann Marco, were retained through the sale.
Due to potential conflict of interest
concerns, The Consumerist does not run display ads for outside advertisers; while owned by Gawker, all display ads linked to other Gawker sites, although the site sold text ads through the Google
AdWords
program. As such, the site was considered a loss leader
, whose primary business role was to help drive traffic to other revenue-producing Gawker sites. Since the Consumer Reports acquisition, all advertising on the site is for the Consumer Reports magazine or website.
Consumer Reports laid off Managing Editor Ben Popken in November 2011. The departure was announced in a final blog post by Popken on Consumerist.
Usually the first post of every weekday consists of a number of online deals or offers, usually on electronic devices.
Great Moments In Commercial History
A popular past feature was known as 'Great Moments In Commercial History,' with a focus on strange and entertaining local commercials. Past features have included Chicago
's Moo and Oink stores, and Eugene, Oregon
's Mr. Appliance.
Christmas Creep
Photos or stories of retail stores advertising Christmas sales, putting up Christmas decorations, or playing Christmas music far before the traditional holiday season. It often appears between September and early November.
Above and Beyond
In a post introducing Above and Beyond, Creator Carey Greenberg-Berger said "Occasionally, corporations do something right. Not all the time. Not most of the time. Occasionally. When they do, we want to give credit where credit is due."
"Worst Company In America" contest
The Consumerist runs an annual "Worst Company In America" contest with the winner determined by a reader poll. The winning company is sent a "Golden Poo" trophy.
and The New York Times
. Consumerist often posts phone numbers and contact information for CEOs and upper level corporate customer support
, and provides information on how to execute an "Executive Email Carpet Bomb".
representative allegedly named John as he tried to cancel his AOL account. The AOL representative initially resisted Ferrari's request by attempting to keep the discussion focused on Ferrari's reasons for wanting to cancel. Vincent asked the customer representative several times to close the account until the conversation becomes confrontational, at which point he adamantly stated, "Cancel the account!" repeatedly until John complied with his request. After the recording of this call, Ferrari both posted it to his blog and submitted it to The Consumerist tip line. The AOL representative who Vincent spoke to was fired from his job. The Consumerist called the story "[t]he best story we ever posted."
clause that gave Facebook
the right to "Do anything they want with your content. Forever." Mark Zuckerberg
, CEO of Facebook, Inc. later claimed that a paragraph was accidentally left out saying that the license to your content was exclusive to one's privacy settings and that the license expired when an account was closed. This event began much media coverage over the controversy of the terms of service.
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
owned by Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides...
with posts provided by regular daily contributors. The blog's focus is on consumerism
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
and consumers' experiences and issues with companies
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
and corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s, concentrating mostly on U.S. consumers. Some of the topics of its blog entries are originated by the editors, but most come from reader-submitted tips and complaints.
History
Gawker MediaGawker Media
Gawker Media is an American online media company and blog network, founded and owned by Nick Denton based in New York City. It is considered to be one of the most visible and successful blog-oriented media companies. , it is the parent company for 11 different weblogs: Gawker.com, Fleshbot,...
established the blog in December 2005, with Joel Johnson as editor. Johnson had previously edited Gizmodo
Gizmodo
Gizmodo is a technology weblog about consumer electronics. It is part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton and is known for its up-to-date coverage of the technology industry, along with topics as broad as design; architecture; space and science....
for Gawker. The Consumerist was an idea from Gawker Media owner Nick Denton
Nick Denton
Nick Denton, born August 24, 1966, is a British journalist and internet entrepreneur, the founder and proprietor of the blog collective Gawker Media, and the managing editor of the New York-based Gawker.com...
and managing editor Lockhart Steele; according to Johnson, "they knew they wanted a shopping blog—but not a shopping blog—and that they wanted to address the issues that consumers really find the most frustrating on a daily basis."
In creating The Consumerist he established its slogan and initial focus on readers complaints, "consumer-oriented news nuggets, funny pictures and shopping tips — all with the same snarky tone that characterizes Gawker properties like Wonkette
Wonkette
Wonkette is a left-leaning American online magazine of topical satire and political gossip, established in 2004 by Gawker Media and founding editor Ana Marie Cox, and edited by Ken Layne from 2006 to 2011...
and Defamer.". Gawker hired Ben Popken to take over as site lead in February, 2006. Johnson left Gawker in July 2006, citing a "disagreement about [his] role within the company."
Gawker put the blog up for sale in November 2008, at the same time that it announced the closure of one of its other blogs, Valleywag
Valleywag
Valleywag was a Gawker Media blog with gossip and news about Silicon Valley personalities. It was initially launched under the direction of editor Nick Douglas in February 2006. After Douglas was fired, the blog was taken over by Owen Thomas. Thomas himself left in May 2009, to be replaced by Ryan...
. On December 30, 2008, the New York Times reported that The Consumerist had been purchased by Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports is an American magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides...
.. The site's only two full-time employees, site lead Ben Popken and senior editor Meghann Marco, were retained through the sale.
Due to potential conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
concerns, The Consumerist does not run display ads for outside advertisers; while owned by Gawker, all display ads linked to other Gawker sites, although the site sold text ads through the Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
AdWords
AdWords
Google AdWords is Google's main advertising product and main source of revenue. Google's total advertising revenues were USD$28 billion in 2010. AdWords offers pay-per-click advertising, cost-per-thousand advertising, and site-targeted advertising for text, banner, and rich-media ads. The AdWords...
program. As such, the site was considered a loss leader
Loss leader
A loss leader or leader is a product sold at a low price to stimulate other profitable sales. It is a kind of sales promotion, in other words marketing concentrating on a pricing strategy. A loss leader is often a popular article...
, whose primary business role was to help drive traffic to other revenue-producing Gawker sites. Since the Consumer Reports acquisition, all advertising on the site is for the Consumer Reports magazine or website.
Consumer Reports laid off Managing Editor Ben Popken in November 2011. The departure was announced in a final blog post by Popken on Consumerist.
Features
Morning DealsUsually the first post of every weekday consists of a number of online deals or offers, usually on electronic devices.
Great Moments In Commercial History
A popular past feature was known as 'Great Moments In Commercial History,' with a focus on strange and entertaining local commercials. Past features have included Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Moo and Oink stores, and Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
's Mr. Appliance.
Christmas Creep
Photos or stories of retail stores advertising Christmas sales, putting up Christmas decorations, or playing Christmas music far before the traditional holiday season. It often appears between September and early November.
Above and Beyond
In a post introducing Above and Beyond, Creator Carey Greenberg-Berger said "Occasionally, corporations do something right. Not all the time. Not most of the time. Occasionally. When they do, we want to give credit where credit is due."
"Worst Company In America" contest
The Consumerist runs an annual "Worst Company In America" contest with the winner determined by a reader poll. The winning company is sent a "Golden Poo" trophy.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Other finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | RIAA | Halliburton Halliburton Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people.... | Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000... , Exxon Exxon Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard.... and Sony Sony , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues.... . |
| 2008 | Countrywide Financial Countrywide Financial Bank of America Home Loans is the mortgage unit of Bank of America. Bank of America Home Loans is composed of:*Mortgage Banking, which originates purchases, securitizes, and services mortgages. In 2008, Bank of America purchased the failing Countrywide Financial for $4.1 billion... | Comcast Comcast Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the... | Diebold Diebold Diebold, Inc. is a United States-based security systems corporation that is engaged primarily in the sale, manufacture, installation and service of self-service transaction systems , electronic and physical security products , and software and integrated systems for global financial and... and Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000... |
| 2009 | AIG AIG AIG is American International Group, a major American insurance corporation.AIG may also refer to:* And-inverter graph, a concept in computer theory* Answers in Genesis, a creationist organization in the U.S.* Arta Industrial Group in Iran... | Comcast | Bank of America Bank of America Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina... and Ticketmaster Ticketmaster Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc. is an independent American ticket sales and distribution company based in West Hollywood, California, USA, with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010 it merged with Live Nation to become Live Nation Entertainment... |
| 2010 | Comcast | Cash4Gold | Bank of America and Ticketmaster |
| 2011 | BP BP BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"... | Bank of America | Comcast and Ticketmaster |
Highlights
Stories initially reported on The Consumerist have been featured in national media such as CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Consumerist often posts phone numbers and contact information for CEOs and upper level corporate customer support
Customer support
Customer support is a range of customer services to assist customers in making cost effective and correct use of a product. It includes assistance in planning, installation, training, trouble shooting, maintenance, upgrading, and disposal of a product....
, and provides information on how to execute an "Executive Email Carpet Bomb".
Vincent Ferrari & AOL
On June 13, 2006, Vincent Ferrari posted an audio file of himself speaking with an AOLAOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
representative allegedly named John as he tried to cancel his AOL account. The AOL representative initially resisted Ferrari's request by attempting to keep the discussion focused on Ferrari's reasons for wanting to cancel. Vincent asked the customer representative several times to close the account until the conversation becomes confrontational, at which point he adamantly stated, "Cancel the account!" repeatedly until John complied with his request. After the recording of this call, Ferrari both posted it to his blog and submitted it to The Consumerist tip line. The AOL representative who Vincent spoke to was fired from his job. The Consumerist called the story "[t]he best story we ever posted."
The grocery shrink ray
The "grocery shrink ray" is a term coined by Meghann Marco for the trend for groceries to be reduced in size while being sold at the same price point. Manufacturers perform these reductions to reduce their own costs, but do not pass any savings on to the customer. Installments of these articles usually included user submitted photographs of the product in question on the shelf, being sold along with a newer and slightly smaller version of the same product. Local and national media outlets such as WTVT-TV FOX 13 in Florida, and National Public Radio have interviewed Popken regarding the trend and his attempts to inform the public at large.Facebook terms of service
On February 15, 2009, The Consumerist broke the news of a terms of serviceTerms of service
Terms of service are rules which one must agree to abide by in order to use a service. Unless in violation of consumer protection laws, such terms are usually legally binding...
clause that gave Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
the right to "Do anything they want with your content. Forever." Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur. He is best known for co-creating the social networking site Facebook, of which he is chief executive and president...
, CEO of Facebook, Inc. later claimed that a paragraph was accidentally left out saying that the license to your content was exclusive to one's privacy settings and that the license expired when an account was closed. This event began much media coverage over the controversy of the terms of service.