VIRAL: Ethics...Pass it on

The Word of Mouth Marketing Association released its code of conduct today, an industry wide effort to tackle the issue of ethics in word of mouth marketing. The WOMMA Code establishes guidelines and best practices so 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 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. [ Adrants ]

Wonder how Dave Balter from BzzAgents and WOMMA founder will reconcile his paradox? Remember BzzAgents? They're the company featured in a NYT Magazine piece in December that exposed the dark world of BzzAgents. BzzAgents are an army of word of mouth drones who secretly leverage the trust and confidence of family, friends and coworkers to talk-up their life changing experiences with Al Fresco sausage and other consumer goods.