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What's Ethical Buzz? Word of Mouth Marketing Association's New Code of Conduct Defines Standards for MarketersCHICAGO --(Business Wire)-- Feb. 9, 2005 -- The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) released its code of conduct today, marking the first industrywide effort to tackle the issue of ethics in word of mouth marketing head on. The WOMMA Code establishes guidelines and best practices so that honest marketers have a framework with which to plan and execute ethical word of mouth marketing campaigns. At the heart of the Code is what WOMMA calls its Honesty ROI -- honest disclosure of Relationship, Opinion, and Identity. This demands that advocates (those who are spreading a marketer's message by "word of mouth") disclose their relationship with marketers in their conversations with other consumers; that they be allowed to form their own honest opinions and let those with whom they're communicating form their own opinions; and that everyone be transparent and reveal their identity to anyone with whom they're communicating. Another key provision deals specifically with the issue of marketing to children. In it, WOMMA states that they stand against any word of mouth marketing to children under 13. The code further emphasizes the important responsibilities, sensitivity, and ethical obligations of working with minors. What is Word of Mouth Marketing? Word of mouth (WOM) marketing is the practice of working with people to encourage them to tell their friends about products and services that they enjoy. Top brands see this form of marketing as a change in the fundamental relationship between consumers and marketers, where the consumer is now in control of the conversation and consumer satisfaction is the paramount objective. "The voice of the consumer is what word of mouth marketing is all about," says Andy Sernovitz, WOMMA's CEO. "WOMMA protects the integrity of the industry and the trust of consumers by respecting consumers' rights to open, honest communications - with marketers and with each other - through a strong ethics code." The popularity of word of mouth marketing has grown dramatically over the past few years as marketers search for ways to offset the growing cost and declining impact of traditional advertising. "Research has shown that next to hearing about something from your physician, a friend's opinion is the most trusted source of information about a new product or service," says Rick Murray, an executive vice president at Edelman and co-chair of WOMMA's Ethics Council. Why an Ethics Code? WOMMA members and all honest word of mouth marketers are opposed to all forms of deceptive word of mouth marketing practices, such as shilling, falsifying identities, blog spam, and anything that deceives the consumer. Dave Balter, CEO of BzzAgent, a co-founder of WOMMA and co-chair of the WOMMA Ethics Council comments, "By releasing the WOMMA Code, we're raising the bar for all marketers -- making it clear that respecting the consumer, transparency, and honesty are the core values of this new field." WOMMA's members took the initiative to tackle this challenging issue while the industry is still in its formative stages. "Word of mouth marketing is a huge opportunity, but absent any standards, it's also a bit like the Wild West," says Pete Blackshaw, WOMMA co-founder and CMO of Intelliseek. "Email marketers never took control, and because of that we're still fighting spam daily. This code of conduct is our attempt to define what's right before we all have to live with what's wrong." Our Commitment to an Open Process The Code is being released as a draft for public comment as part of WOMMA's commitment to open, transparent communications. All interested parties are invited to voice their views and contribute to improving this ethical standard. WOMMA has previously emailed more than 1,100 people who expressed interest, inviting them to participate in the discussion. The comment period will remain open for one month, after which a final code will be adopted. Comments can be submitted at http://www.womma.org. "WOMMA members are part of a large community of marketers, consumers, and other stakeholders that all will be affected by the work we do here," says Jonathan Carson, CEO of BuzzMetrics and WOMMA co-founder. "We are committed to building the best possible guidelines through an open process that include the views of all concerned." About WOMMA WOMMA is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry. Its members are committed to building a prosperous word of mouth marketing profession based on best practices, effective standards, and ethical leadership. It was founded in 2004 by a handful of marketing and research firms including Burson-Marsteller, BzzAgent, BuzzMetrics, DEI Worldwide, Edelman, Intelliseek, NOP World, and Rowland Communications, along with noted brands such as Friendster, Intuit, and SC Johnson. Today, the association has 40 corporate members and more than 1,500 active participants in its email discussions. It will hold its first conference March 29-30 in Chicago. For more information on WOMMA or the group's inaugural conference, please visit http://www.womma.org. |
