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http://prsa.org/_About/ethics/disclosure.asp?id...
The WM across America flog wasn't the company's first attempt; they've done this before. And WFWM isn't a publicity stunt, it's an advocacy group, apparently funded by Wal-Mart and organized by Edelman. This is politics, and it's important to know who's talking when they make statements in support of the company.
Besides, most of the heat has bypassed Wal-Mart and gone straight to Edelman, where they *wrote* the WOMMA ethics code (ok, they helped). Set yourself up as a leader, and people will have high expectations of your behavior.
Most companies don't have the same exposure as the world's largest retailer or a leading voice in social media and PR. If you still want to get attention with a stunt, knock yourself out. Just try not to offend the blogging natives too much, and don't drop turkeys from a helicopter.
I think the idea with the "tool" is to help those people that work at PR agencies and who have absolutely no morals figure out what's a bad idea before they launch it into the public, forever damaging themselves, the brands they represent, and further confusing the rest of the world about what's ethical and what's not.
Actually, I agree with you too, but can definitely see a change in the youngsters coming up in the ranks, in that more and more of them have absoltely no idea when something goes too far... I blame that more on our society's loosening of ethcis and morals than on anything else.
If there's a tool that'll help us follow the guidelines that WOMMA has established, and we need that help, I'm glad it's there.
My point was more of a reaction to the "outrage" from folks.
Nathan, great clarification, thanks for the thoughtful comment. I was not defending either by the way - my point was more about encouraging people to at least consider doing some edgy creative things without constantly looking over your shoulder for the rath of the blog posse.
He is the king of authentic publicity stunts!
...</pingback>
I saw a presentation on Audi's "Art of the Heist" promotion a few months ago. Their ad agency folks ( http://www.mckinney-silver.com/ ) talked about how they built this complex, multimedia game around a fictional car theft. They used web sites, blogs and more to follow the story line of what was actually a contest to find the "stolen" car. If you just glanced at it, you might think they were flogging, but if you looked closely, *every* web site and blog clearly identified the promotion and sponsor at the bottom of the page. The audience could see that it was a game, paid for by Audi.
That's the difference. Color outside the lines, be edgy, do whatever you want. Just be transparent (there's that word again) about who's paying for it and whether the participants are people or characters. When agency employees write and a company pays for a blog that doesn't disclose its relationship with the sponsor, that's when people get exercised about ethics.