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July 22, 2005
The stealth marketing virus spreads
This time, it's from USWeb, a marketing agency.
USWeb is recruiting and paying bloggers to mention clients like Dot Flowers. Problem is, neither the bloggers, Dot Flowers or USWeb are disclosing their pay-for-play word of mouth system.
The Boston Globe rightfully questions the ethics of this effort as well as the companies' lack of transparency. (Here are two blogs apparently involved in the Dot Flowers game, replete with saccharine evangelism such as, "You can get fresh flowers delivered THE SAME DAY to anyone, anywhere in the continental USA! Holla!")
This shortcut stealth marketing program is unfortunate. Undisclosed paid referrals in an evangelist context rusts the credibility of legitimate evangelism for Dot Flowers and everyone else.
''In our opinion, paying bloggers is no different than Tiger Woods getting money to wear the
The difference, of course, is that everyone knows Nike pays Tiger Woods millions ($105 million, says Forbes) to shill the swoosh. What USWeb doesn't disclose is that bloggers are paid to shill flowers on the down-low.
If Dot Flowers is so terrific -- and perhaps it is -- why can't the company create a system for its gregarious and influential customers to spread the word online and offline voluntarily? Why not create an Amazon-like Associates program tied to specific products that generate referral fees transparently?
Be smart: Dump the circumspect pay-for-evangelism program before it destroys longer-term credibility.
''We try to be as ethical as possible," says Ed Shull, chief executive at USWeb.
Try harder.
UPDATE: A few other bloggers have written about this as well: Craig at CKP Creative takes the above-mentioned parties to task, as does Spike at Brains on Fire, who writes: "There's a difference between trying to be ethical and being ethical."
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Exactemente!
The sad thing is that it is not that hard to build buzz around a good product on the web. They may just not have known what other options are out there.
Great post! I blogged about this issue here: http://ckpcreative.com/lohad/?p=27
I wonder: Is the fact that this hasn't raised more hell on more blogs because bloggers either (a) are doing more of this than anyone would care to admit, or (b) are hoping to get a piece of the action?
Hey Craig,
I blogged about it here as well: http://www.brainsonfire.com/blog/post92.aspx
Keep on, keepin' on Jackie and Ben!!
