FTC Keeps Bloggers Honest
It’s recently been reported that the Federal Trade Commission will be applying rules to bloggers and social media regarding the relationship between advertisers and product reviewers and endorsers similar to those applied to TV since 1980. (NY Times).
For bloggers, this means full disclosure when they receive payment or gifts in exchange for their reviews. We hope this equally applies to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Ultimately, the FTC’s move is a good thing for brands and brand guardians.
There’s been a lot written over the last few years about the importance and value of “brand authenticity,” the simple idea that presenting your brand and its core values in an honest, genuine way, is more likely to engender trust and loyalty, than, say being disingenuous. Of course, no one likes to be snookered.
No surprise, then, that brands lose value and even die when consumer trust disappears—a trust that largely comes from truthfulness, openness and transparency.
Afterall, what’s good for consumers is good for brands. Consumer’s want to know what’s what. So brands should tell them. It’s a simple thing. Brand deception is a relic from the past—or at least should be—more suitable to an episode of Mad Men than the customer centric marketing environment we live in today.
