Note: This article is the third of six-part series introducing the concept of Word of Mouth Marketing.
Read Part 1 | Read Part 2 | Read Part 3 | Read Part 4

PART 5
UNETHICAL WORD OF MOUTH TACTICS

Any Word of Mouth practice intended to deceive people is unethical and should not be used. Here’s a list of common unethical Word of Mouth tactics:

Stealth Marketing
Any practice designed to deceive people about the involvement of marketers in a communication.

Shilling
Paying people to talk about (or promote) a product without disclosing that they are working for the company; impersonating a customer.

Infiltration
Using fake identities in an online discussion to promote a product; taking over a web site, conversation, or live event against the wishes or rules set by the proprietor.

Comment Spam
Using automated software (‘bots”) to post unrelated or inappropriate comments to blogs or other online communities.

Defacement
Vandalizing or damaging property to promote a product.

Spam
Sending bulk or unsolicited email or other messages without clear, voluntary permission.

Falsification
Knowingly disseminating false or misleading information.

Word of Mouth marketing cannot be faked. Artificial Word of Mouth marketing is dishonest and ineffective. Word of Mouth marketing must be based on the honest opinions of real people.

Ethical and responsible word of mouth marketers do not:

• Impersonate people, shill or hide their identities
• Manipulate or corrupt honest opinions
• Infiltrate, invade, or violate online or offline venues

Dishonest Word of Mouth marketing will always be exposed and deplored. Marketers must work to oppose and eliminate unethical practices.

All marketers should be aware that unethical practices are currently used by unscrupulous or uninformed companies. The standards of ethics and consumer protection are evolving rapidly, and many marketers have not yet learned about the current standards (or choose to ignore them).

Regardless of intent, such unethical practices jeopardize consumer trust and ultimately harm both consumers and honest marketers.

Marketers must aggressively review the practices of their agencies, vendors and internal departments. Insist on the highest level of ethics, and insist that all of your campaigns comply with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Code of Conduct and the Honesty Return on Investment.

Coming up, Part 6: Learn more about how the Word of Mouth Marketing Association can benefit you.

About WOMMA
WOMMA is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry. Its members are building a prosperous word of mouth (WOM) marketing profession. Thriving markets are built on best practices, effective standards and ethical leadership. Those are the qualities that bring WOMMA members together.

© 2008 Word of Mouth Marketing Association. All rights reserved. Coles Marketing Communications, a full-service public relations, marketing, creative and Word of Mouth agency in Indianapolis, is specially trained in Word of Mouth Marketing by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.