Do We Need "Organic Labeling" For Consumer-Generated Media (CGM)?
Do we need the equivalent of "Organic Labeling" for consumer generated media (CGM)? I really think it's time to have that debate, and I'm more convinced than ever after reading today's Advertising Age blog entry by Bob Garfield, who asks hard questions about whether advertisers are overstepping the line with pseudo online videos. While we don't know FOR SURE whether LonelyGirl15 is advertiser-supported (as Garfield suggests), the core issues Garfield raises (and which is the subject of an excellent NPR OntheMedia segment) merit fresh and focused attention by the advertising community. What's clear is that marketers are now flooding the online video space, and some of this involves the deliberate (sometimes unwitting) co-optation of consumer generated media. Is some respects, this debate represents a multi-media resurrection of the early "buzz marketing" disclosure debate. What is truly authentic, and do consumers deserve a heads-up when characters like LonelyGirl15 turn out to be the product of an advertising campaign. Again, if the term "organic" is so valuable when we shop, why not when we surf?
A health warning for viral advertising- interesting idea, but no one's going to watch.
They scream foul when commericals play in movie theaters.
So how about keeping it the way it is and if the brand is cool enough, smart enough and entertaining enough, it gets away with it?
However, if it isn't, the brand bears the brunt of a backlash for wasting everyone's time and pays the price.
Sort of like a game of russian roulette, which is a bit more exciting than a health warning.
Posted by:Edward Cotton | September 05, 2006 at 07:51 PM