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Oct. 11, 2005
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'Is Buzz Marketing Illegal' Story Rebutted
Letter to the Editor From Word of Mouth
Marketing Association
October 10, 2005
QwikFIND ID: AAR01H
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Send letters to Hoag Levins at [email protected].
Oct. 10, 2005
'Is Buzz Marketing Illegal' Story Rebutted
Dear Editor,
The Advertising Age Web site last week ran an article with the headline
"Is Buzz Marketing Illegal" that touches on a valid issue -- the need for
disclosure in word of mouth marketing and stealth marketing practices
that the word of mouth community
aggressively opposes.
That headline received widespread
pickup around the Web, which is
unfortunate because it had nothing
to do with the content of the article.
It misstates what word of mouth
marketing is, and smears honest
marketers.
The headline did not distinguish
between those using word of mouth
in an open, honest way and those
who use deception. Smearing an
entire industry with the sins of a few
does no one any good, most
especially consumers who can
benefit from honest marketing.
Andy Sernovitz, CEO of the Word of
Mouth Marketing Association
The Word of Mouth Marketing
Association (WOMMA) was
founded to promote the open,
Original Story:
IS BUZZ MARKETING ILLEGAL?
honest use of word of mouth
Lawyers Warn of Advertising Law
marketing. From our creation, our
Disclosure Requirements
goal has been to bring honesty to
marketing. We oppose deception in
any and all forms. We are the good guys in the marketing world.
So let's set the record straight. Word-of-mouth marketing is about
getting consumers to talk to consumers. It starts with a product or
service that consumers like enough to talk about.
Word-of-mouth marketing is about honest discussions -- even to the
10/11/2005 9:55 AM
'Is Buzz Marketing Illegal' Story Rebutted
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point where a consumer can tell a company about a problem enabling
the company to respond quickly and honestly at the same time it
addresses the problem.
Word-of-mouth marketing, done properly, encourages all marketing to
become more honest because it puts the voice of the consumer front
and center in the marketing mix.
Word of mouth is not about paying people to pretend they like
something. Has that practice, known in the business as stealth
marketing, happened in the past? Yes. Should it be done in the future?
WOMMA emphatically says no.
WOMMA's ethics code specifically addresses the issue. It states: "We
practice openness about the relationship between consumers,
advocates, and marketers. We encourage word of mouth advocates to
disclose their relationship with marketers in their communications with
other consumers. We don't tell them specifically what to say, but we do
instruct them to be open and honest about any relationship with a
marketer and about any products or incentives that they may have
received."
The code also contains what we call the "Honesty ROI: Honesty of
Relationship, Honesty of Opinion, and Honesty of Identity." When
you're doing word-of-mouth marketing, you say who you're speaking
for, you say what you believe, and you never obscure your identity.
Word-of-mouth marketing is a new profession; we are still in the
formative stages of this new relationship with consumers. The
environment is changing rapidly, but our stand on ethics is clear and
was clear long before this headline appeared.
Headlines or articles that lump the good and the bad together can have
a chilling impact on such a new field, frightening off honest practitioners
who otherwise could keep the dishonest ones out. That's what
happened with e-mail marketing. Articles called every e-mail from any
marketer "spam" -- and reputable marketers were scared to be
associated with the issue. Instead of joining the fight, they left the field
to the real spammers.
We do not want to see that pattern repeat itself in word of mouth.
The future of marketing is word of mouth; the tremendous growth of our
organization in less than a year is proof that marketers are getting that
message. And the message they're getting is one of openness and
honesty.
The world has become too transparent for any other kind of marketing
to succeed. Word of mouth forces companies to be honest because it
gives tools to consumers to call out companies for their mistakes. All
marketing should be held to the same high standards.
Andy Sernovitz
Chief Executive Officer
Word of Mouth Marketing Association
Chicago
~~~
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