Consumer group asks FTC to investigate marketing blogs : What do you think?

From the Raw Feed:

The consumer advocacy group Commercial Alert has asked the FTC to investigate ‘stealth’ marketing campaigns, where companies create and maintain blogs that appear to be from ordinary people but are in fact created by CORPORATE MARKETING DEPARTMENTS for the purpose of selling products, among other tactics.

Here’s a copy of the complaint (pdf) filed with the FTC.

There was discussion a ways back about lawyer blogs and professional service companies’ blogs being written by ghost writers. I do not think we’re talking the same thing here. In this case of the complaint, we’re talking of companies running blogs that appear to be published by real people complementing the company’s products in some way.

I also think there’s plenty of room for a law firm or professional services company to sponsor a blog and be in compliance with the law. Can a realtor in Bozeman, Montana sponsor a blog about moving to Montana, which blog is written and edited by a third party? Why not? The realtor is disclosed as the sponsor, not the publisher or writer.

Isn’t it the same thing as the local realtor sponsoring “All Things Considered” on the local Montana National Public Radio affiliate? Just because it’s a more targeted audience should not make it misleading advertising.

What do you guys think? Leave a comment.

Source of post: Micro Persuasion