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FTC to viral marketers: suck it

TheProfessor said:
Does this mean many gaffers will need to add

"I am being paid to spread the word on how good <insert game console> is "
to their signature

oh noes!

Hopefully this will stop the amount of "I am buying a 360 today" threads
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withsympathywhiteflower.jpg
 
GoFreak isn't in the US, so I doubt FTC guidelines even apply to him. Fear not.

BTW, I work for MS, but I'm not in gaming. No, I'm in one of the profitable parts of the company.
 
Lost Fragment said:
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.
Click to expand...
Define "compensated"?
 
it would be great if we were all viral marketers and we didn't know it. and we'd just be advertising our products to each other.
 
The real problem is that people whoring out for 2 companies will have to reveal to both companies that they're double crossing them.
 
davepoobond said:
it would be great if we were all viral marketers and we didn't know it. and we'd just be advertising our products to each other.
Click to expand...

what do you mean "it would be..." I thought that's what the gaming forum was for and then we all just hung out in the OT.



Thank You For Smoking is the best film of the year.
 
Red Steel is awesome. Checkout the trailer. </sarcasm>

Does the lure of free Nintendo and Ubisoft stuff qualify as compensation before the fact?

I and a few other GAFfers who shall remain nameless are members of the Dojo of Pain which is a viral marketing website for Red Steel. I was really into it when I believed the game would be awesome. Now that I give it a decided meh, I'm still promoting it though links that have propagated the web so well that I consistently get more views for my links than the maximum the Dojo will allow. I even put up Red Steel pictures just to take pictures of them and then immediately take them down. I'm still driven by the free stuff, but am too ashamed to continue promoting the game to uninformed strangers. I could have kicked myself when I heard that my brother bought it only to go back to the store a couple of days later to get Zelda. I know Red Steel is not the worst game for Wii by any means, but I wish I'd played it before I promoted it so heavily and lost some of my integrity.

Were Nintendo's ambassadors paid or did they just get free Wii systems and games? Where should the line be drawn? I mean, a large percent of GAFfers get free stuff from gaming companies.
 
X26 said:
Looks like that fat bastard Major Nelson is out of a job
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He's not a viral marketer.

This might be a good time to state I'm Canadian and don't have to adhere to these laws. And I have no shame, or conscience. Will trick others for food. :D
 
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.
Click to expand...
I think the tougher thing to define is "word-of-mouth". Most of the viral marketing stuff takes place on the net, either through sites, blogs, or forums. None of those things actually use a "mouth".

Also... if this does apply to sites and blogs, does this mean that online reviewers will need to stop accepting gifts from publishers/developers or will they have to say "EA got me totally wasted, set me up in a really nice hotel, and gave me tons of swag" at the bottom of each of their articles?
 
Luigison said:
Red Steel is awesome. Checkout the trailer. </sarcasm>

Does the lure of free Nintendo and Ubisoft stuff qualify as compensation before the fact?

I and a few other GAFfers who shall remain nameless are members of the Dojo of Pain which is a viral marketing website for Red Steel. I was really into it when I believed the game would be awesome. Now that I give it a decided meh, I'm still promoting it though links that have propagated the web so well that I consistently get more views for my links than the maximum the Dojo will allow. I even put up Red Steel pictures just to take pictures of them and then immediately take them down. I'm still driven by the free stuff, but am too ashamed to continue promoting the game to uninformed strangers. I could have kicked myself when I heard that my brother bought it only to go back to the store a couple of days later to get Zelda. I know Red Steel is not the worst game for Wii by any means, but I wish I'd played it before I promoted it so heavily and lost some of my integrity.

Were Nintendo's ambassadors paid or did they just get free Wii systems and games? Where should the line be drawn? I mean, a large percent of GAFfers get free stuff from gaming companies.
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are you ******* for real??

uibisoft hired viral marketers for this game? UGH....
 
Just because a company has to disclos the relationship does not necessarily mean the marketer will have to disclose the relationship.

Though I can see see a rule that states that if an "viral" marketing agent were questioned on the nature of their relationship, and whether they were compensated that they could only reply to affirm the question.
 
jukester: You made that topic about how low Sony is going to sell their units, right
AdmiralViscen: yea
AdmiralViscen: the fake blog
jukester: Did it say anything about trying to get PS3s off the shelf too?
AdmiralViscen: no
jukester: hmm
jukester: ok
AdmiralViscen: it was abotu that dumb blog site, thats it
jukester: Because I, and apparently a bunch of other kids, got this invitation on Facebook to go play PS3 with what appears to be a fictional person in Michigan.
jukester: "Sweet - I scored a new PS3!
Come over and play. Sunday at 7PM
rinf me up to RSVP 817.235.2123"
AdmiralViscen: lmao
jukester: Her name is "Isabelle Noel"
jukester: which could be translated to
jukester: "Is a beautiful Christmas"
AdmiralViscen: yea
jukester: some 17,000 kids were invited
AdmiralViscen: thats hilarious
jukester: only 26 have confirmed going so far
jukester: 1100 have decline
jukester: 32 may show up
jukester: it's pretty sketchy

Hope this doesn't get lost in this topic, didn't think an AIM conversation was threadworthy.
 
Gazunta said:
Can't wait to hear the disclaimers at the end of the next 1up Yours. :)

Buy The Legend of Spyro
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PAY ME
 
I think I've always been very upfront about the money I get from this forum. Has nothing to do with viral marketing of course.
 
So in other words...

All you 'paid' mother****ers can see yourselves to the mother****ing door.

Don't want to be poor? Stay the **** out of the Art House.

Pussies...
 
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