Gray Matter

As the stakes continue to get higher and the impact of mass media continues to dwindle, the concept of "viral marketing" has become more prevalent. And - as always - there are companies that do it an an effective and ethical manner, as well as companies that ignore ethics all together.

But what about that ubiquitous "gray area?" In no marketing medium is this more of an issue.

Two companies spring to mind immediately. The first is a Boston-based firm called BzzAgent. BzzAgent is a brilliant company that recruits people to spread the word about their clients' products. People sign up online for a particular campaign, receive the product in the mail, and are then charged with the task of telling friends, co-workers and strangers about it. They then submit "bzzreports" about what they said or did to spread the word, which they receive points for submitting. The points can be traded in for prizes (which are very cool, by the way.)

I've been a BzzAgent for a little over a year (they push a lot of books, which I talk about all the time anyway.) They seem pretty picky about who they work with, which means that the products and services they market are usually cool. And the people spreading the word are doing so consciously. In fact, BzzAgent doesn't give you a spiel - they ask you to try out the product and make up your own mind.

In short, they approach viral and word-of-mouth marketing from a very responsible, ethical standpoint.

Compare this with another word-of-mouth company, the "Girls Intelligence Agency." They, too, have agents who have consciously signed up to participate. But does a 10-year old girl have the intuition necessary to understand that the "slumber party" they are hosting with their friends represents a marketing ploy?

I'm not a 10-year old girl, so I can't comment on their behalf. But I do remember how easily I could be influenced as a child from mass media - and this appears to be much more subversive than a television advertisement.

Are they right or wrong? Who knows - it makes for an interesting dialogue. But in situations like this, I think a good rule of thumb is "if you're not sure whether it's wrong but it makes you feel a little guilty, you probably shouldn't be doing it."

Looks like I learned something from my parents after all.