Irving Silberstein, marketing director for the Spitzer Group, a growing regional marketing and corporate communications firm, was
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P&G pointed out. According to a company press release issued shortly before Vocalpoint went national in early 2006, members 'are never obligated to do or say anything.° One of the things Vocalpoint members weren't obligated to say. Irving knew, was that the women were essentially unpaid participants in a P&G-sponsored marketing program. When asked about the policy, Vocalpoint CEO Steve Reed replied. 'We have a deeply held belief you don't tell the consumer what to say.° However, skeptical observers speculated that what the company really feared was that the women's credibility might be affected adversely if their Vocalpoint affiliation were known. Nondisclosure really amounted to lying for financial gain. Vocalpoint's critics argued, and furthermore, the whole campaign shamelessly exploited personal relationships for commercial purposes. Others thought the critics were making mountains out of molehills. P&G wasn't forbidding participants from disclosing their ties to Vocalpoint and P&G. And the fact that they weren't paid meant the women had no vested interest in endorsing the products. So. as Irving designs the word-of-mouth campaign for his agency's client, just how far should he emulate the company that even its detractors acknowledge is a master of the technique?
What Would You Do?
1. Don't require Spitzer -connectors' to reveal their affiliation with the corporate word-of-mouth marketing campaign. They don't have to recommend a product they don't believe in.
2. Require that Spitzer participants reveal their ties to the corporate marketing program right up front before they make a recommendation.
3. Instruct Spitzer participants to reveal their participation in the corporate marketing program only if directly asked by the person they are talking to about the client's products.
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