Someone Might Be Paying for Your Candy

More and more I see journalists and bloggers (including yours truly) quoting recommendations from Daily Candy, a free email newsletter with 12 city editions. Just today, in fact, a Daily Candy Los Angeles rep is scheduled to appear on NBC4's Your LA.

Let's say you own a shop or sell a product in LA. How can you get on Daily Candy? From their editorial policy:

No one can pay to be featured on DailyCandy. That's what advertising is for, and it's always labeled as such. Selling ourselves (literally) would destroy the legitimacy, integrity, and fun of DailyCandy.

But... And there's always a but...

That said, on occasion, we will send out 'Dedicated' e-mails on behalf of sponsors. You'll recognize them from the subject line: 'DailyCandy Dedicated E-mail.' Yes, these are paid for.

Yes, paid for. And sometimes arriving within minutes of a non-dedicated, non-paid-for edition.

• Nov. 17, 11:06am: DailyCandy Dedicated - Philips Sonicare, the most advanced toothbrush ever
• Nov. 17, 11:35am: DailyCandy - Townsend Sakai, a new Long Beach greeting card company
• Nov. 21, 9:24am: DailyCandy Dedicated - Sears
• Nov. 21, 11:40am: DailyCandy - Rings by You Macbeth
• Nov. 28, 2:11am: DailyCandy Dedicated - Becca from PersonalShopper.com
• Nov. 28, 3:38am: DailyCandy - Sample Sale Joy

At a glance, especially looking at the body of these emails, it's hard to tell what's paid for and what's not. Same layout. Similar writing style. Just those tiny "dedicated" disclaimers in the subject and next to the headline. (The home page offers no such distinction, simply listing both of today's DailyCandys side by side.)

If you ask me, this candy is getting too sweet. And a bit more than "daily." Unsubscribe.