It seems that nowadays these two things can be easily emeshed and confused. On the one hand they are the same; affiliate marketing (word of mouth advertising) is when you recommend a product and are paid a commission if those you are marketing it to purchase the product and Flogs (fake blogs) are when the company, or someone they hire, post about the product (making a recommendation) and posing it in a positive light to increase sales. In both cases, neither the affiliate marketer nor the Flogger reveals that they are in some way being paid for what they are saying.
I see both sides of the issue on this one, as I use affiliate links on my beauty blogs. I may be in the minority, but I give honest reviews on every product I post about regardless of whether or not a good review could possibly earn me some cash. I certainly haven’t become rich using affiliate links, however there are plenty of Bloggers who have. While most of us never out and out say, “If you buy this product, I will earn a paycheck,” I do feel that it is obvious when I write about a product and upon clicking on the link it brings the reader to Amazon or a makeup store, that it is an affiliate related product. I also feel that most readers are aware of it. It isn’t said out loud, but the awareness is there.
My take on Flogs is different because it is the company directly, or someone directly employed by them, to write the fake review. There was the scandal with Wal-Mart and now the scandal with Sony PS3. In both cases, someone working for the brand created a website that deceived readers into thinking it was an everyday person posting their rave reviews about the product. Flogs are based entirely around one brand and one brand only, compared to the typical blog with affiliate links that may be affiliated with several different webstores. Flogs are controlled by the brand, while blogs with affiliate links cannot be controlled by the brand.
The Washington Post wrote an article about how the FTC is now going to start cracking down on Word of Mouth Advertising. This is both good and bad. Good because a brand will not be able to create a flog to pitch their products, but also bad because each time an affiliate marketer writes a great review or even when pitching a product offline, one would have to disclose that they could potentially earn money for a sale on that item. I can’t imagine ending each of my posts with, “I am affiliated with X company.” It seems to take the steam out of the review, even if it is a really good one. It’ll make people suspicious of my motives, even if they are sincere.
Word of Mouth Advertising can be defined in many ways and isn't necessarily only affiliate marketing and flogging. What are your thoughts on Flogs and Word of Mouth Advertising?
Posted by Shannon Nelson on December 13, 2006 9:41 AM
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