I had written a few weeks back that I did not quite agree with "paid WOM" ( well almost paid WOM) and building a buzz for brands. It will always work as a short-term tactic rather than a strategic fit for brands.
Here's some news on this front:
Procter & Gamble’s Tremor unit – a company specifically designed to tap into consumer empowerment for Word of Mouth effects, is currently under legal pressure. USA Today and The Enquirer report that consumer advocacy group “Commercial Alert” filed a complaint, claiming that the company targets teens with deceptive advertising.
..Letting your clients, customers or consumers call the shots, by giving them a say your product and how it is promoted. P&G’s Tremor panel of trendsetting teens and moms is perhaps the gold standard in empowered interactivity today – 750,000 consumers voting on P&G’s new products and campaigns – and making everyday groceries talkable by creating the ‘I did that effect’.
P&G/Tremor do not ask their members to spread Word of Mouth. Instead, they allow them access to exclusive information about products, invite them to vote on aspects of the marketing communication, give them products to test before they’re on the market, and collect their feedback about these innovations.
The web is driving some new formats of research, sampling and testing. The member nos. look large and is purely because technology is making these large numbers possible. Nobody could have ever imagined to intreact with such large numbers offline.
If P&G has innovated in research, sampling, testing and "customer collaboration" space, I don't think it is an issue. But, if this group has been "used" to spread the message, then I don't agree with the method.