[arg_discuss] FTC Moves to Unmask Word-of-Mouth Marketing

[Brian Clark]

No, I think you'd still be fine. 

The key issue that drives the FTC crazy is "fake incentivized consumers".

For example, BzzAgents got in a bit of hotwater (and spawned legislation in
their home state) because their "volunteers" would take marketing actions in
order to earn money. So, one person would send dozens of letters to the
editors at newspapers about a book they read ... identical letters ...
without disclosing that they were being compensated for doing that. Drove
the newspapers CRAZY.

What you're describing is more like "product placement" which I don't think
the FTC gives much of a crap about.

-----Original Message-----
From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [mailto:arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org] On
Behalf Of Mike Stein
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 7:04 PM
To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG
Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] FTC Moves to Unmask Word-of-Mouth Marketing

But if I had an ARG that used selling merchandise to fund the game, I'd 
be prohibited from any character in the ARG actively pushing the 
merchandise, right?

-Mike

Brian Clark wrote:

> As a long-time practitioner in that space, I think we're safe as ARG

> developers: what they are really trying to legislate against is "stealth

> marketing" (where someone is significantly trying to "fool" people into

> believing that it is a consumer.)

>

> Fake stories = fiction = OK

> Fake consumers = deception = soon to be illegal

>

>

> Brian

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [mailto:arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org]

On

> Behalf Of Ed Davis

> Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 1:13 PM

> To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG

> Subject: [arg_discuss] FTC Moves to Unmask Word-of-Mouth Marketing

>

> "The Federal Trade Commission yesterday said that companies engaging in

> word-of-mouth marketing, in which people are compensated to promote

> products to their peers, must disclose those relationships.

>

> ...

>

> Word-of-mouth marketing can take any form of peer-to-peer communication,

> such as a post on a Web blog, a MySpace.com page for a movie character,

> or the comments of a stranger on a bus."

>

> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/AR200612

> 1101389.html

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