The FTCs new guidelines on endorsements is sure to effect online advertising.

Remember our post last month on the pros and cons of paid Tweets and blog entries? The FTC just added a huge tally mark to the ‘cons’ section.

Presented Oct. 5, the Federal Trade Commission stood by their promise of reviewing their two-decade-old guidelines overlooking the use of testimonials and endorsements in advertising by introducing a new set of rules.

The new policies dictate, among other things, that bloggers who are paid to post must present to their readers that they were compensated, as it is considered a paid endorsement.

Via the FTC announcement :

“The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that “material connections” (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers – connections that consumers would not expect – must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other “word-of-mouth” marketers.”

Another kicker is the FTC’s new policy on the fine print, making it more difficult for ads that are notorious for presenting unusually positive results as the status quo:

“In contrast to the 1980 version of the guides—which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as ‘Results not typical’—the revised guides no longer contain this safe harbor.”

To drive the point home that the FTC is cracking down on ad fraud, they’ve also included brand new clauses about celebrity endorsements.

While the new rules obviously affect everybody in the advertising world, they will no doubt hit online advertising the hardest, as less-than-truthful ads seem to be as prevalent as ever.

Penalty for violating the new rules includes an $11,000 fine, along with other lesser charges.

Read the full set of the FTC advertising rules here.

*image obtained from stock.xchg.

—Melinda is an intern with Wicked PR in Atlanta. She recently graduated from The University of Tennessee with a degree in journalism and electronic media. Follow her on Twitter @WickedMel7.

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1. Sponsored Blog Posts and Paid Tweets: The Case For and Against
2. Wicked Quick in Social Media – 11/2/09
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Companies are clamoring to have their message heard— but at what cost?

As the worlds of social media and advertising continue to intertwine, many are revisiting the ongoing debate of sponsored posts and comments on blogs and social networking sites. While some say that companies paying people to share a corporate idea in settings usually reserved for public opinion is a matter of ethics, others note it’s just another way to pay the bills.

Here are some proposed points for each side of the argument of paying for posts:

FOR:
:: Add a tally in favor of the company shelling out the bucks to get the word out: It seems that together, paid and earned media are more powerful than either alone. [AdAge]

:: It’s not like blogs haven’t always been self-serving to begin with: Just like some people watch Fox primarily and others get their news exclusively from MSNBC, most blogs already appeal to a specific audience. Some argue that people who surf the blogosphere are just looking to reinforce an opinion they already have, therefore paid posts and comments aren’t really swaying anybody’s thinking one way or the other. If a person wanted an unbiased opinion of a product, they would have probably gone to a more reputable source. [NakedPR]

AGAINST:
:: You know, that whole ethics thing: For the (few) out there who believe that blogging or status updates equals journalism, the idea that paying these “citizen journalists” to dish out someone else’s opinions quite obviously puts a ruffle in some critics’ feathers. [Twistimage]

:: Customers getting the short end of the deal may have bigger consequences: Critical readers are less likely to trust a sponsored post than one written by your average Joe. Like with anyone, when a customer realizes she has been duped by false (or, at least, misleading) advertising, she’s more reluctant to trust anything similar in the future. Some critics go as far to say that sponsored posts devalue the entire social media world. [Toughsledding]

What do you think about it? Leave a comment and let us know.

*Image obtained from ConcurringOpinions.

—Melinda Hanna is an intern with Wicked PR in Atlanta. She recently graduated from The University of Tennessee with a degree in journalism and electronic media. Follow her on Twitter @WickedMel7.

Related posts from The Wicked Blog:

1. Study Finds 1 In 5 Tweets Are About Brands
2. Wicked Quick in Social Media – 11/2/09
3. FTC’s new ad regulations to hit home with bloggers

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What kind of digital shadow do you cast across the web? Photocredit: Geekadam

Today’s Wicked Quick explores ways to help optimize your Public Relations practices and highlights articles about everything from ways to build committed relationships with consumers to conducting regular brainstorm meetings to improving creative writing skills.

• PR Squared suggests having biannual brainstorm meetings to keep ideas fresh. [PRSquared]
• Build a committed relationship between your brand and your consumers. [FreshInfluence]
• Ask “why” before moving ahead with the “what.” [BadPitchBlog]
• Understand the digital shadows you cast across the web. [PR2.0]
• Have a vivid and unique voice when writing. [Ragan]

**Raven L. Everidge, is an intern at Wicked PR.  She is a 2nd year Graduate student at Auburn University in the Department of Communication and Journalism, specializing in Public Relations.  She completed her Undergraduate degree at Samford University in Journalism and Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations in May 2007. Follow her on Twitter @Raveve.

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1. Wicked Quick in Social Media – 11/2/09
2. Wicked Quick On Social Media Week 2010
3. Wicked Quick In Marketing – 10.20.09

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Just a few of the points Rosati touches on include:

• How to send a pitch and preferred follow-up methods
• What makes a pitch stand out
• Newsworthy and relevant subject matter
• What mistakes to avoid when pitching

Check out the full video here. Happy Pitching!

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This screen shot of local Atlanta Station WXIA's website shows a great example of how to get more stories told through citizen video submissions.

By now, almost every public relations professional is “in the know” or even a regular practitioner in the growing trend of social media marketing and PR, but a good amount of work with traditional media outlets still takes place. And although print newsrooms seem to be adapting fairly quickly to gain an online presence, it definitely appears that TV newsrooms are falling behind.

Over the past few months while pitching Camp Jam’s 16-citywide Spring Tour, I realized that weekend staffers have been the first to go from print publications, with arts and entertainment writers or any specialized beat reporters in the living/lifestyle departments in a close second. Typically this would mean a serious decline in the amount of feature stories being covered, but print newsrooms are including an array of online editorial sections, such as staff-written blogs, citizen-media blogs and niche blogs. The additional online reporting allows for more opportunity and therefore more stories, even the “weird” stories that certain publications are now dedicating space to (i.e. MSNBC.com). And even better, the niche blogs reach targeted groups, like the mom blogs that I pitched for Camp Jam’s Spring Tour, so that the story becomes more relevant for readers.

Fortunately, this medium allows for the ability to easily share links, bookmark pages and store information permanently, which is actually better for the news outlet, client and reader. See examples below:

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• Pioneer Local

These features also help eliminate the need for clipping services, which is a whole other story in itself, so I won’t digress.

On the other hand, this is not the case with most local TV stations. TV newsroom staffs are also declining, again on the weekends, however this time there are no alternate means for the story to be told to the built in audiences of local television outlets. While CNN and other mainstream networks are stepping things up with video podcasts and the acceptance of video submissions from non-journalists for citizen-told stories, the majority of local stations are doing none of the above. Granted, most stations do archive videos that can be easily shared (i.e. Fox 2 Now), but this is simply a repeat of what’s already been broadcast for the day. In short, some local stations are catching on, like http://www.nbcwashington.com/, but the majority hasn’t yet gotten there.

What does this mean? That the company being pitched, the TV stations and viewers are all missing out. Not only does said company not get its story told, but stations lose the opportunity to get more news to its audience and viewers are left without a good mix of local breaking news, community events and entertainment stories.

I think local stations should start taking tips from the major players and begin investing more resources toward online-only video stories, whether from their own staff or outside contributors. Another option could even include student journalist interns, who work on weekends and shoot web videos with a focus on softer news. It would be cost-effective and a great learning experience for up and comers.

Point being: regardless of what the exact solution is, and it could be different for each individual station, TV could be doing more. And, I hope they do it fast, as it will be a win, win situation for everyone.

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Cutrone (left) with MTV's "The City" co-star Whitney Port

• Fineman PR shares seven tips in the form of a letter to young PR job seekers. [PR Buzz]
• Fast Company’s expert blogger Francine Hardaway reviews Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridges’ new book Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing The Aging Business of PR. [Fast Company]
• Also, Jeremy Pepper pops up in the comment thread and shares that he put the public back in public relations nearly 5 years ago. [Fast Company]
• PR fashion guru, MTV reality star and owner of People’s Revolution, Kelly Cutrone lands own reality show on Bravo titled Kell on Earth. [Fashionista]
• Unilever CMO Clift to lather up in social media and shares that public relations may become the fastest-growing focal point of marketing services for Unilever in the years ahead. [Ad Age]
• MS&L digital’s David Binkowski and Attention! PR’s Colin Nagy talk about real relationships, media impressions and social media strategy at  mediabistro.com’s Social Media Essentials For PR panel. [mediabistro.com]

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1. Wicked Quick in Social Media – 11/2/09
2. Wicked Quick On Social Media Week 2010

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Editor-turn-publicist Keith O'Brien likes the future of PR.

At a time when some bloggers and journalists are saying PR is dead, a well-respected one is betting his future on PR.

In an interview with PRNewser earlier this week, the editor-in-chief of PR Week, Keith O’Brien, announced that he’s leaving his position at the magazine to join New York-based agency Attention! PR, whose clients include The Daily Beast, Consumer Reports, SocialMedia.com and Mashable.com.

In his first post on the Attention blog, titled “Why The Future Of PR Lies In Social Media,” O’Brien said he’s making the move because he believes the public relations industry is fundamentally changing and he wants to be part of it.

Shared O’Brien:

People no longer solely consume top-down media, they create and share their own. This explosion in content, coupled with the finite amount of consumer attention, means brands must figure out new, creative ways to communicate. It is an exciting time for media and marketing, and I’d like be involved directly.

We here at Wicked PR couldn’t agree more with O’Brien. Indeed, PR is not only far from dead but it is actually best positioned to help brands leverage the social web to communicate with consumers and measure its effectiveness. True, many public relations firms continue to pitch off topic, pitch the wrong reporters or simply just don’t get social media, but those who do get it– i.e. know how to talk with consumers and not at them and know how to engage them, not push them away–can best serve brands online.

I look forward to hearing more from O’Brien after he starts at Attention on April 29, and you can expect more about the future of PR here at The Wicked Blog. Tell O’Brien congrats via Twitter @keithobrien.

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1. Wicked Quick in Social Media – 11/2/09
2. Wicked Quick On Social Media Week 2010

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The Motrin "Baby Wearing" Ad: Social Media Crowd tested (and slammed) but did mothers actually approve?

Some Wicked Quick links on PR from around the web:

• 2009 PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey shows reporters are working harder and participating more in social media than ever before, yet still prefer to be pitched via email. [PRNewswire]
• Ten reasons why PR matters in a down economy. [PR Week]
• If you’re a publicist you may want to search #prfail on Twitter and hope your name doesn’t come up. [Twitter Search]
• Flacker shares tips on how to get PR experience beyond internships. [Flacker]
• Todd Defren revisits the Motrin Moms flap after a recent study shows most consumers liked the ad. [PR Squared]

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1. Wicked Quick In Marketing – 10.20.09
2. Wicked Quick On Social Media Week 2010

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• Lee Odden interviews KD Paine & Partners’ Katie Delahaye Paine, the “First Lady” of PR and social media monitoring and measurement. [TopRankBlog]
• Brian Solis sits down with Deirdre Breakenridge from Loic Le Meur and Seesmic to talk about his new book Putting Public Back In Public Relations. [PR 2.0] (video below)
  
• Social media release site Pitchengine shares video tutorials on how to use Pitchengine and SMR’s in general. [PitchEngine Blog]
  
• @prsarahevans, @skydiver, @melissahourigan, @edunigan and @briansolis launch MediaOnTwitter, the first shareable media database available to Twitter users. [PRSaraEvans]

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1. Wicked Quick in Social Media – 11/2/09

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