Latest Updates: word of mouth marketing RSS

• WOMMA Guide to Social Media Disclosure — Feedback Requested
  
  

  Paul Rand 9:15 am on November 27, 2009 | 17 Comments Permalink
  Tags: Ethics (14), FTC (3), social media disclosure, womma (8), word of mouth (4), word of mouth marketing

  As most of you know, WOMMA has helped shape and lead the charge for effective and meaningful social media disclosure.  The recently introduced FTC Guidelines, in fact, make numerous positive references to WOMMA’s Ethics Code.

  As a next step in the process, WOMMA is working to finalize the explicit best practices for social media disclosure for both marketers and bloggers* (like the FTC, WOMMA applies the term “bloggers” to refer to individual posting online content, whatever the channel).   Comments will be accepted until January 5 and final guidelines will be submitted shortly thereafter.

  Our goals:  Facilitate dialog around and provide explicit recommendations around:

  • Where and how marketers can effectively and transparently disclose — and be in compliance with FTC Guidelines
  • Where and how “bloggers” can effectively and transparently disclose — and be in compliance with FTC Guidelines

  WOMMA has been following a very deliberate process to gain membership and industry consensus on these issues

  • Began dialog at 2008 WOMMA Summit
  • Convened expert panel on transparency and disclosure
  • Facilitated discussion on “Living Ethics” blog
  • Drafted preliminary disclosure guidelines
  • Reviewed preliminary disclosure guidelines at 2009 WOMMA Summit (November 20)

  Our next steps are to post current guidelines here on the Living Ethics blog for feedback and then to issue final recommendations.

  Please review all of the following information and provide any specific suggestions on what would make the direction either clearer or most consistent.

  Key platforms we’re covering:

  • Blogs/forums
  • Video and photo sharing sites
  • Social Networks
  • Review Sites
  • Twitter
  • Other forms of user generated content

  Our Guiding Principles:

  • Disclosure must be clear and conspicuous
  • Language must be unambiguous
    • Considerations must be given to targeted consumer
  • Disclosure must appear “above the fold”

  Marketers’ responsibilities:

  • Educate “bloggers” regarding responsibilities
  • Educate internal corporate audiences regarding responsibilities: create a “culture of compliance”
  • Require disclosure from “bloggers”
  • Monitor to ensure disclosure is happening

  “Blogger” Responsibilities

  • Confirm understanding of responsibilities with marketers
  • Disclose all material connections
  • Communicate proactively with marketer to demonstrate compliance

  Best practices for: Blog Disclosure:

  • Editorial blog
    • Disclose any product, service or compensation provided by a marketer
    • Disclosure requirement:
      • As part of editorial copy
        • “I received ____ from (company X) as a sample, to review, etc.”
  • Review blog
    • Disclose any product, service or compensation provided by a marketer
    • Disclosure requirements:
      • As part of editorial copy
        • “I received (X product or service) from (company X) to review”
        • “I was paid by (company X) to review”
    • Create “Disclosure and Relationships” section on web site

  Best practices for: Video Sharing Sites

  • Video sharing sites
    • Disclosure options:
      • As part of video content
        • “I received (X product or service) from (company X) to review/create this video
        • “I was paid by (company X) to review/create this video”
        • As part of video description

  Best practices for: Photo Sharing Sites

  • Photo sharing sites
    • Disclosure requirement:
      • As part of photo description
        • “I received (X product or service) from (company X) to create this
        • “I was paid by (company X) to create this”

  Best practices for: Social Networks

  • Social networks:
    • Disclosure options:
      • As part of photo or video description (see photo and video sharing sites best practices)
      • As part of status update
        • “I received (X product or service from (company X)
        • “I was paid by (company X)
    • Create “Disclosures and Relationships” section on profile

  Best practices for: Review Sites

  • Review sites:
    • Disclose any product, service or compensation provided by a marketer
    • Disclosure requirements:
      • As part of editorial copy
        • “I received (X product or service) from (company X) to review”
        • I was paid by (company X) to review”
    • Create “Disclosure and Relationship” section on profile of website

  Best practices for: Twitter

  • Twitter
    • Disclosure requirement:
      • Must clearly state hash tag within tweet
        • #spon or #paid
    • Create link to “Disclosures and Relationships” section on profile
   

• 11 Minute Slideshare Recap
  
  

  Kristen Smith 8:53 am on September 28, 2009 | 0 Comments Permalink
  Tags: disclosure (2), Ethics (14), slideshare, word of mouth marketing

  View more presentations from Word of Mouth Marketing Association.
   

• Ethics & Disclosure: What is Adequate Disclosure?
  
  

  Paul Rand 11:02 am on September 14, 2009 | 6 Comments Permalink
  Tags: Ethics (14), Living Ethics (3), WOM (11), womma (8), word of mouth marketing

  Today, at 2 p.m. ET, a group of leading WOM and Social Media thinkers will participate in the WOMMA Webinar Panel on Ethics and Disclosure. We’ll provide a summary of the comments soon after the event — and look for your feedback — but in the interim, please feel free to post any pre-event (or immediate after event) comments here.