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Patrick Galvin, Galvin Communications

http://buzzbuilder.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/02/the_ethics_of_b.html

The Ethics of Buzz
Viral marketing, reality engineering, buzz building - collectively, these terms are what used to be known simply as word of mouth. But unlike days past, word of mouth is no longer just something that happens to you or your business by accident. Instead, it has become an integral part of the marketing mix, something that is planned, executed and subsequently measured.

As proof that word of mouth has gone mainstream, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) was founded in 2004 as the industry's official trade association. With a mandate to establish standards for what is still a relatively new frontier, the group has grown to 40 corporate members and includes organizations such as Friendster, SC Johnson, Intuit and Harvard Business School.

For any business considering a buzz building campaign, the existence of a formal trade association with its own code of conduct is welcome news. It reinforces what we've been saying about buzz all along - to be effective, it must be part of an overall strategy. To see what can go wrong when it's not, consider the following examples:

A British agency created a viral video for Volkswagen which depicts a suicide bomber's failed attempt to blow up an outdoor café thanks to the car's solid construction. To be fair, Volkswagen adamantly denied any involvement in the ensuing uproar. Nonetheless, the company has failed to squelch speculation that the video was deliberately leaked (it uses expensive 35mm methods, cost over $75,000 to make, and showcases the very latest model of the VW Polo). Moreover, the same agency was behind a viral video for Ford's SportKa. It, too, generated considerable backlash for a tasteless simulation of animal cruelty.

Jonathan Cheban, a 31 year old publicist in NY, charges a hefty fee to make sure his clients' products are photographed in the hands of stars like Paris Hilton and Courtney Cox. With his celebrity connections, Cheban is a frequent commentator on VH1's "The Fabulous Life." In an episode on Cameron Diaz, Cheban revealed that she "really hates the water in L.A." and washes with Evian. Unfortunately, Cheban neglected to tell VH1 that he had been hired by Evian as part of a $10 million dollar campaign to revitalize its brand. (VH1 ultimately terminated Cheban for his undisclosed plug, but the show continues to air).

Last year, an Internet blog by "Kid Halloween" appeared to be the online diary of a 23-year old photo assistant in New York. Fellow bloggers quickly noticed that the site didn't contain much more than links to videos of a new car by Mazda, and it was revealed that the marketing department at Mazda was behind the effort. Needless to say, the Internet community was unforgiving and the nasty comments live on forever in cyberspace.
These cases show that effective buzz is not about shock value, nor does it require disguising your identity and/or purpose. Indeed, companies that incite artificial buzz and fail to disclose their intentions can alienate consumers and create long-term, irreparable damage to their brands.

These issues are tackled in WOMMA's new code of ethics, which was revealed last week. Specifically, it states that marketers "should disclose relationships, ruling out fake endorsements, shilling, falsifying identities, blog spamming and other practices that could otherwise give the field a worse rap." Furthermore, it states that word of mouth marketing is inappropriate for those under the age of 13 (others argue that the age limit should be raised to 16).

So what does this mean for you? Develop buzz campaigns that are in keeping with your business objectives and your brand values. Encourage word of mouth, but be upfront about your intentions. Remember that true honest opinions can only be formed with complete transparency.

At the end of the day, it's all about delivering superior goods and services, providing excellent customer service, and maintaining ethical business practices. Without those, you'll be generating word of mouth - but the kind that'll get your mouth washed out with soap!

February 18, 2005

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