Prompt's TechBlog
Word of mouth advertising regulated. Or so I've been told.
08 May 2008
Posted by Duncan Heaney
The internet has revolutionised our lives, giving us 24hour access to a dizzying amount of information. Unfortunately, a lot of it is inaccurate, misleading or completely incorrect. As the old adage goes, don't believe everything you read.
With the exception of this blog, naturally.
There have been a number of reports over the last few years of marketers posing as consumers online, and trying to create a buzz around their products. Sony famously did this, with its "All I want for Christmas is a PSP" campaign. An 'amateur' viral video spread across the net, alongside a blog, supposedly written by the friend of one of the characters in the video. Both of these had actually been produced by Sony, and when this was revealed people were... unhappy. Very unhappy.
The best marketers know that they need to be honest and clear with their identity, particularly when promoting their message online. As reported by Advertising Age, at the end of May, those in the UK are not going to have a choice. As of the 26th day of this month, it will be a criminal offence for businesses to seed positive messages online without making it clear who they are. Brand owners can be hit with fines, or even prison sentences if they break this law. Of course, the exact penalties are not yet clear and it will likely take a test case to establish this.
Over in the US, marketers are apparently hoping self-regulation will be enough to make sure brands behave. If not, it is possible the government will have to establish regulations there too.
I have a dream of a Utopian society, where all information online is accurate, or clearly marked as advertising or opinion. It'll never happen, but even a small step towards this is to be applauded. Nobody likes being duped, which is why the reaction against Sony was so strong, but they do appreciate clarity of purpose. The marketing industry has been around long enough to know how upset people get over blatant dishonesty, and although the internet is still a new and exciting playground for marketers, there should be no reason why these basic lessons should be forgotten.
With the exception of this blog, naturally.
There have been a number of reports over the last few years of marketers posing as consumers online, and trying to create a buzz around their products. Sony famously did this, with its "All I want for Christmas is a PSP" campaign. An 'amateur' viral video spread across the net, alongside a blog, supposedly written by the friend of one of the characters in the video. Both of these had actually been produced by Sony, and when this was revealed people were... unhappy. Very unhappy.
The best marketers know that they need to be honest and clear with their identity, particularly when promoting their message online. As reported by Advertising Age, at the end of May, those in the UK are not going to have a choice. As of the 26th day of this month, it will be a criminal offence for businesses to seed positive messages online without making it clear who they are. Brand owners can be hit with fines, or even prison sentences if they break this law. Of course, the exact penalties are not yet clear and it will likely take a test case to establish this.
Over in the US, marketers are apparently hoping self-regulation will be enough to make sure brands behave. If not, it is possible the government will have to establish regulations there too.
I have a dream of a Utopian society, where all information online is accurate, or clearly marked as advertising or opinion. It'll never happen, but even a small step towards this is to be applauded. Nobody likes being duped, which is why the reaction against Sony was so strong, but they do appreciate clarity of purpose. The marketing industry has been around long enough to know how upset people get over blatant dishonesty, and although the internet is still a new and exciting playground for marketers, there should be no reason why these basic lessons should be forgotten.
# posted by Duncan Heaney at 11:13 AM 
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