October 5, 2009
FTC Sets New Guidelines for Blogger Endorsements and Word-of-Mouth Marketing
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued new regulations regarding blogger endorsements and word-of-mouth marketing campaigns. If a blogger is paid to do a review - either through money or product/service - said blogger must reveal said payment.
Ever been annoyed by posts in message boards that ended up being written by a company employee? The new guidelines crack down on such behavior as well.
The word-of-mouth guidelines don't just extend to employees. They involve anyone who has signed up for a word-of-mouth marketing program, such as a Street Team.
To be clear, bloggers can post paid endorsements and people can post in message boards and join street teams or similar efforts. But if there is a relationship between marketer and company, it must be disclosed. If you don't, get ready to pony up $11,000 when you're caught.
How it must be disclosed was not defined by the FTC. But, if you're a blogger, I recommend something like "Acme video game company sent me a free copy of this hot new game and here is my review."
Consumers like it when they know the relationship you have with the product you're pushing. If I had to guess, I'd say transparency begets loyalty.
However, the new guidelines opened up a can of grey areas the FTC needed to tackle. One such scenario is a blogger who already writes glowing reviews of Acme Video Game company. If all of a sudden, the blogger receives a free copy of a new video game and writes a review of the game, s/he needs to disclose the receipt of the game from Acme.
Another funky area of the new guidelines is the issue of liability if/when/should these regulations be enforced. If you're an advertiser engaged in digital public relations, reaching out to bloggers or word-of-mouthers, you could be liable if the endorsers make false or misleading claims about your product/service.
The FTC said that they would consider reasonable effort on the part of the advertiser to keep the endorsers in line. But then they offered up this scenario:
A skin care products advertiser participates in a blog advertising service. The service matches up advertisers with bloggers who will promote the advertiser's products on their personal blogs. The advertiser requests that a blogger try a new body lotion and write a review of the product on her blog. Although the advertiser does not make any specific claims about the lotion's ability to cure skin conditions and the blogger does not ask the advertiser whether there is substantiation for the claim, in her review the blogger writes that the lotion cures eczema and recommends the product to her blog readers who suffer from this condition. The advertiser is subject to liability for misleading or unsubstantiated representations made through the blogger's endorsement.
The blogger is also liable (in addition to any liability gained if the relationship was not disclosed). But the FTC says advertisers need to provide training and then keep a close eye on the ramblings of bloggers and other endorsers.
The guidelines should serve as a warning for companies hiring interns and other young people to head up your social media efforts. The FTC isn't really proposing anything here that isn't already frowned upon by the general public.
Sponsored blog posts are pretty easy to detect and kill reader loyalty. Many companies have had to repair damaged reputations after they engaged in blogging or forum posting efforts pretending to be random people when a PR effort was really transpiring.
Social media has always been best implemented under these guidelines unspoken rules. Use today's news as a means of lining up your core social media values with how consumers truly wish to interact with your company.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 5, 2009, 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
eMarketer Report Says Keep Video Ads Short and Relevant
David Hallerman, eMarketer senior analyst, has just written new report entitled, "Marketing to the Online Video Audience."
Although online video viewership has never been higher and marketers are eager to reach this large and growing audience, many online video viewers dislike intrusive video ads -- even though they freely accept TV commercials.
Hallerman thinks this audience perspective can shift if marketers increasingly implement two key concepts.
First, he thinks they should focus on "making the length of video ads suitable to the length of content, so that they are not too pushy." Second, he believes they should also focus on "devoting resources to develop high-quality video creative that is well-targeted to the intended online audience."
"The Internet and TV audience are not one and the same," says Hallerman. "The Internet audience does not necessarily respond to the same ads in the same way they would after viewing them on TV."
For example, younger people are more comfortable than their older counterparts with online media, which can lead to higher levels of engagement. A drill-down look from Nielsen Online shows that audiences ages 30 and younger are more likely than older viewers to find online video advertising funny, emotionally touching and informative -- essential qualities for brand marketing.
The net-net: Keep it short and keep it relevant.
If you want more details, read the article, "Engaging Online Video Viewers," which was just posted on eMarketer.
You can also read more about this topic in my book, "YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day."
Back in the 1990s, I worked for William B. Ziff, Jr. He often said a special-interest magazine was a like a magnet and a screen: It attracted readers interested in a topic but also sifted out those who weren't as interested. This created an audience that endemic advertisers could reach cost-effectively, because a high percentage of readers were interested in their products.
Although it is still early days for online video advertising, it appears that viewers attracted to a video like Monty Python's Argument Clinic might also be interested in buying The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus on Amazon.com.
In fact, when Monty Python launched their YouTube channel in November 2008, not only did their YouTube videos shoot to the top of the most viewed lists, but their DVDs also quickly climbed to No. 2 on Amazon's Movies & TV bestsellers list, with increased sales of 23,000 percent.
You find this case study and plenty of other practical tips in my book. If you don't believe me, you can read Lee Odden's, "Review: YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day," on his Online Marketing Blog. Hey, if Odden says "You cannot afford to miss this story," then you probably shouldn't.
Or, if you'd like to have an argument, just let the receptionist know if you want to start with a five-minute argument or take a full course of 10 arguments.
Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 5, 2009, 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Wolfram Alpha to Host 'Homework Day' on October 21
Wolfram Alpha is reaching out to educators, students and parents to attend their first "Homework Day" on October 21, 2009. The day will feature a live, interactive webcast where founder Stephen Wolfram will answer questions submitted by the public. The event begins at noon CDT.
Here's what to expect from the event:
- Quick, step-by-step lessons that will give everyone the ability to use Wolfram|Alpha to tackle problems in a variety of subjects, including math, science, engineering, health and nutrition, English, history, economics, and many more
- Content and segments tailored to specific age groups
- Ideas and examples for how to make subjects like math and science more engaging and relevant to students
- Live interviews and demonstrations by educators who are already using Wolfram|Alpha in their classrooms
- Conversations with guest participants who will further discuss the role of technology in education
Those interested can visit http://homeworkday.wolframalpha.com/ to submit questions and videos about how they will incorporate Wolfram Alpha their lesson plans and homework.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 5, 2009, 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
AdSense Now Available for Full HTML Mobile Sites
Many mobile devices are now featuring a full HTML web browsing experience. As a result, web developers have often created mobile sites that offer a richer experience than a page full of text links.
Google AdSense is now allowing publishers and web developers to use bigger ads than the typical tiny mobile display ads.
The AdSense team has developed a snippet of Javascript that's easy to embed on your mobile site that gives you more control over the ads displayed on your mobile site. If you're targeting all mobile devices or, for whatever reason, are unable to change your website, AdSense will detect the full HTML mobile browsers and serve up bigger ads for you.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 5, 2009, 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Steve Ballmer Says Microsoft Search Acquisitions Unlikely
Steve Ballmer, after addressing Britain's CBI business lobby organization, said that search acquisitions were unlikely to be part of the strategy to knock Google off its rocker, according to Reuters.
The clarification came after a false press release last week announced an acquisition of Local.com by the software giant.
Local.com was quick to shoot down the news, with the following statement:
Local.com Corporation today commented that a false press release was issued that stated Local.com was being acquired by Microsoft. The company has not been acquired, nor is it in discussions with Microsoft about a potential acquisition.
Posted by Nathania Johnson on October 5, 2009, 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Go to SES Berlin or SES Chicago for "Four Keynote Themes"
During the past three weeks, I've given you three great reasons for going to either Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. For those who want to catch up, they were "three key trends", "two early birds," and "a ranking in the top three."
This week, I'll focus on a fourth compelling reason -- and it isn't to hear "four calling birds."
You should plan to attend SES Berlin or Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2009 to hear "four keynote themes."
Let's start with SES Chicago 2009, where there will be three keynote themes well worth hearing.
On Day 1, the opening keynote is being given by Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do? He is associate professor and director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York's new Graduate School of Journalism. He is also consulting editor and a partner at Daylife, a news startup.
Jarvis writes about media, technology and business on his blog, BuzzMachine. A former TV critic for TV Guide and People magazine, as well as the creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly, he has also been assistant city editor and reporter for the Chicago Tribune and a reporter for Chicago Today.
"My keynote, like my book, isn't really about Google," says Jarvis. "It will be about the profound changes in the economy and society brought on by the Internet -- as seen through the success of the one company that has figured out and exploited them better than any other: Google."
Jarvis adds, "We'll have fun discussing the impact of search and the Google economy on every sector from media to advertising to restaurants to government.
On Day 2 of Search Engine Strategies Chicago 2009, the keynote speaker is Peter Morville, author of the best-sellers Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become and Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites. He is also the President of Semantic Studios and blogs at findability.org.
During his keynote, Morville is expected to expand on the themes found in his published works, including the idea of findability and the importance of a navigable and friendly user interface.
"At SES Chicago, this will be my first opportunity to talk about ideas in my new book - about the future of search and discovery," says Morville. "In addition to exploring the relationships between information architecture, ambient findability, and search engine optimization, we'll also be covering mobile search, decision engines, augmented reality, and emerging technologies that will change the way we find everything from answers and articles to products and people."
On Day 3, the keynote speaker is Dan Siroker, the web entrepreneur known for leading the analytics team for the Barack Obama presidential campaign. He also served as the Deputy Director of New Media on the presidential transition team.
Siroker's team of software engineers and analysts were responsible for optimizing the effectiveness of the Obama campaign's online operations that ended up raising over half a billion dollars, registering over 2 million voters, and enabling 3 million phone calls to be made in the final four days of the campaign.
Before joining the Obama campaign, Siroker was a Product Manager for Google Chrome and, before that, he worked as a Product Manager for Google AdWords.
"SES Chicago is, of course, in the President's hometown, so I'm really looking forward to sharing the lessons my team and I learned during the Obama campaign and how these practices can be applied to any data-driven decision," says Siroker. "Whether you're a developer, designer or marketer, if you're building a product or selling an idea, you can use data to do it better."
The fourth keynote theme will be delivered by Bill Hunt, the President of Back Azimuth Consulting and co-author of the best selling book "Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site", who will be the opening keynote speaker at Search Engine Strategies Berlin.
Hunt is currently on the Board of Directors of the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization and writes Bill Hunt's Rants & Raves blog, which provides digital marketing commentary from a global marketing road warrior.
Hunt firmly believes that when we understand the searcher's intent, where a searcher is in the buying cycle or even understanding the type of search they are doing, advertisers can better intersect with the current demand for their type of products and services to increase sales. That's a keynote theme worth going to SES Berlin to hear.
Next week, we'll look at more reasons to go to either Search Engine Strategies Berlin or SES Chicago 2009. In the meantime, keep singing "four keynote themes, three key trends, two early birds, and a ranking in the top three."
Posted by Greg Jarboe on October 5, 2009, 3:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
