Busted Blonde vs the NBR

When Busted Blonde emailed me to support her campaign to win her weight in bubbles in an NBR-Veuve Clicquot competition, I did.

I voted, wrote a post inviting others to vote for her too and then went to Australia. When I caught up with blogs on my return last night I discovered the bubbles had burst.

Busted Blonde had won the popular vote but didn’t win the judges over.

Contrary to the opinions of many bloggers (Cactus Kate, Clint Heine, goNZo Freakpower, Keeping Stock, Kiwiblog, Motella, Oswald Bastable, and Whaleoil) and the we drink anything but Veuve Cliquot Facebook group, I had sympathy for the NBR, Veuve Clicquot and the judges.

If I was wanting to promote my product to discerning readers and drinkers I wouldn’t want the word wanker in the winning entry.

I also understood that the popular vote wasn’t going to be the only criteria on which the judges’ decision was based.

However, NBR wasn’t wise to wait until after the published closing date to announce the top 10 entries would go into a pool from which the judges would pick a winner.

They have been sensible enough to realise that, have made a proper apology and:

In addition, the publisher will personally provide Busted Blonde’s weight in Veuve Clicquot to her to demonstrate that NBR will not allow its integrity, transparency or honesty in its dealings with its readers to be compromised in any way. She received the most online votes in the competition and NBR happily salutes that success.

As a responsible host, the publisher would, however, appeal to Busted Blonde to urge her guests to wear life jackets if celebrating their win on Wellington Harbour.

Let the festivities begin.

I’ll raise a glass to that, to Busted Blonde ( who is overcome with emotion) and to the power of the blogosphere.