29 Nov 08 Paid To Talk At The Cafe

I was just reading Chris Brogan’s interesting and engaging article about Cafe-Shaped Conversations

The major point he makes is this. Why should large corporations only want to talk to relatively small audiences via social media when they’ve already got their own networks in place to address millions?

One issue concerns me here. What is to stop these major corporations planting people within the social media networks to conduct subliminal advertising campaigns? I’m not talking along the lines of magpie style tweets or blatant pushing of a product – that will simply get such people quickly unfollowed.

I’m thinking here of something along the lines of a method I saw described recently, where a company will pay you to talk up a product to your friends and family. Now if this can bring results – i.e increased sales – in face to face situations, why wouldn’t it work online, within social media networks?

I am not for one moment suggesting this is a ‘good thing’ but I could see some larger businesses at least trying this kind of approach.

Would you be willing to write about products, and promote them in places such as Friendfeed, Facebook, and Twitter. Promoted in such a way that it looks like your truly a fan of them?

Personally, I think it’s totally unethical, and that one should declare ones interest, but, money talks.

Your comments, as always, would be most welcome

Tags: advertising campaigns, audiences, chris brogan, conversations, facebook, friends and family, issue concerns, large corporations, magpie, media networks, money talks, subliminal advertising, tweets, twitter