Boston-based Todd Defren has posted a rather shocking piece on a proposal from a marketing agency which included this tactical approach:
“After gaining a sense for the community at the blog/user forum, our rep (posing as a typical user) will begin to post up to 10 separate Comments over the course of a week or two, to achieve credibility ““ leading up to the post that will be of-value to the client.
“Then, another of our reps (also posing as a typical user), will come in a day later ““ using a different IP address ““ to thank the original poster for the “˜great find.’”?
The post has picked up many heartfelt comments from PR and marketing professionals expressing disappointment and anger in the suggestion of using astroturfing - a term used to describe fake grassroots support on websites and in blog comments – as a valid PR tactic.
As reported by The Register, new EU laws due to come into force early next year will leave companies posing as consumers on blogs and forums, or providing fake reviews on consumer rating websites such as TrustedPlaces or TripAdvisor facing criminal or civil liability.
What’s more, astroturfers get found out – IP addresses are tracked, users are outed in forums, comments are identified as appearing a little too often in the same places. When this happens, all the positive comments that have been posted are outweighed by the backlash. What started as a seemingly cunning way to use the web to build buzz around your brand has now exploded in your face.
Participation in online debates comes with its own rules. Honesty in relationship, identity and opinion might seem restricting, but they are the fundamental principles of gaining respect from today’s web savvy consumers.
[...] there’s enough jargon to scare away some of the most open minded consumers and marketers! But as we’ve mentioned before, from today, all of those activities become a criminal offence in the [...]