Cialtroneria virale o nuovi percorsi di comunicazione?

La situazione è come quella di dieci anni fa, quando agli esordi di internet come strumento di comunicazione per il business, volenterosi sottoscalisti, cugini dell'amante del titolare di azienda, informatici riconvertiti alla comunicazione, proponevano pagine web vendute a peso.

Oggi le stesse problematiche si ripresentono puntuali per nuovi soggetti che si improvvisano esperti della fine arte del marketing virale.

Queste dinamiche preoccupano e non poco chi lavora seriamente, ovvero quelle agenzie qualificate che si riconoscono nei principi della Word of Mouth Marketing Association.

La WOMMA ha pensato bene di pubblicare un codice etico, per cercare di fornire alle aziende uno strumento di assessment sottoforma di un questionario a cui le agenzie dovrebbero dare risposte concrete prima di lanciare qualsiasi forma di campagna di word of mouth

Honesty of relationship

1. Do we insist that our advocates always disclose their relationship with us - including all forms of compensation, incentives, or samples?

Honesty of opinion

2. Do we insist that all opinions shared with the public express the honest and authentic opinion of the consumer or advocate without manipulation or falsification?
   
3. Are those individuals who are speaking for us free to form their own opinions and share all feedback, including negative feedback?
   
4. Is all of the information provided to advocates, consumers, and the media factual and honest, and are all of our claims accurate?

Honesty of identity

5. Have we repudiated and forbidden all forms of shill, stealth, and undercover marketing?
   
6. Does everyone working on our behalf use their true identity and disclose their affiliation with our company and agencies?
   
7. Do we forbid the blurring of identification in ways that might confuse or mislead consumers as to the true identity of the individuals with whom they are communicating?
   
8. Do we forbid the use of expressly deceptive practices from our employees/advocates, such as impersonating consumers; concealing their true identities; or lying about factors such as age, gender, race, familiarity with or use of product, or other circumstances intended to enhance the credibility of the advocate while deliberately misleading the public?

Taking responsibility

9. If we use agents or volunteers of any sort, do we actively instruct them in ethical practices and behaviours and insist that all of those working under our instructions similarly comply with this standard?
   
10. Do we instruct all advocates to repeat these instructions and responsibilities in the downstream conversation?
    
11. Do we have a plan to monitor any inappropriate word of mouth generated by our advocates?
    
12. Do we know how will we correct any inappropriate or unethical word of mouth done by volunteers or resulting from actions taken by us?
    
13. Do we insist that campaign organisers disclose their involvement when asked by consumers or the media and provide contact information upon request?

Respecting the rules

14. Do we respect and honour the rules of any media we might use, including all such procedures and stipulations as may be deemed appropriate by specific websites, blogs, discussion forums, traditional media, or live events? (Examples of actions that break the rules: violating the terms of service of any online site, spamming, violating privacy rules, or defacing public property.)
    
15. Do we prohibit all word of mouth programmes involving children aged 13 and younger?
    
16. If our campaign involves communicating with or influencing minors aged 14 to 17, do we have mechanisms in place to protect the interests of those teens, and also have parental notification mechanisms in place, where appropriate?

When hiring an agency

17. Does the agency subscribe to the same high standards of ethical behaviour and practice, and are they willing to guarantee the ethics of their own work as well as that of all subcontractors?
    
18. Do they have reporting and operational review procedures in place permitting us to ensure full compliance with all ethical standards?
    
19. Have they previously engaged in unethical practices?
    
20. If they have ever engaged in such practices in the past, do they now prohibit them, and will they guarantee that they will not use employees who have engaged in fraudulent practices to work on our behalf?

And - purely as a final safety check - ask yourself: Would I be uncomfortable if my family or friends were involved in this campaign? And is there anything about this campaign that we would be embarrassed to discuss publicly?

Qui trovate il codice etico (ne avevo già scritto) e qui l'assessment tool.