So, Coca Cola ‘rented’ the blogs of 9 prominent bloggers in Brazil to promote the launch of their new product i9 Hydrotonico in Brazil.

And the Blogosphere went mad….

Bloggers came from everywhere to state they were “not to be bought” and derided not only the ‘rented’ blogs but also Coca Cola themselves.

There was even a new manifesto developed:

“A blog is a personal page, is a time logbook, is expression, is someone saying what they think/reckon/believe for those who want to read it. There aren’t bloggers’ union, wages, holidays, but we do lots of overtime. A blogger is not a journalist or an advertising agent: they can be everything and nothing, teenager or mother, hairdresser or CEO. Each one has the audience they deserve, the credibility they have conquered.”