Acknowledgem Ent

1

Acknowledgem ent ‘’Success

is to be measured not so much by the position one has reached in life but by the obstacles that he has overcome while trying to succeed’’ We express our sincere thanks

to our respected lecturer as well as our term paper guide MRS DEEPALI MAM for his guidance and tremendous encouragement bestowed throughout our Endeavour. Priyanka

2

CONTENTS SL.NO

TOPIC

PG-NO

1

Introduction astroturfing marketing Word origin Astroturf organization Astroturf campaigns & media Media control Astroturf& Microsoft Microsoft strategy Microsoft values Product time line Early examples Business Fictional examples Issues in Astroturf marketing Carve niche in blogosphere Astroturf “grassroots” campaigns References

4-5

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

6-7 8 9 9 9-10 11 12 12-13 14-16 17-18 19 19-21 22 23-24 25

3

ASTROTURF MARKRTING LLC Founded 1964 Headquarters Dalton, Georgia, USA Bryan Peeples-President of AstroTurf, Michael DennisChairman and President of Key people General Sports Venue, Jon Pritchett-CEO of General Sports Venue Astroturf is a brand of artificial turf. Though the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as antimicrobial protection, rubber infill, backing systems and nylon yarn fibers.

Definition Astroturfing is the artificial creation of a grassroots buzz for a product, service or political viewpoint. Commercially-motivated astroturfing is called "astroturf marketing." Astroturf marketing has a negative connotation, primarily because disreputable marketers have used deceptive tactics to build their buzz by taking advantage of the anonymity the Internet provides. Astroturf marketers typically use blogs, message boards, podcasts, wikis, vlogs, chat rooms and social media Web sites like MySpace when building an artificial buzz. Deceptive AstroTurf marketing techniques include impersonating someone in the targeted demographic, creating an entirely fictional character (called a meat puppet) that's meant to appear to others to be a real person.

4

Astroturf marketing is sometimes called green marketing.

History AstroTurf was co-invented in 1964 by James M. Faria and Robert T. Wright, employees of Monsanto. It was patented in 1967 and originally sold under the name "Chemgrass". It was renamed AstroTurf after its first well-publicized use at the Houston Astrodome stadium in 1966. In 1987 Monsanto consolidated its AstroTurf management, marketing, and technical activities in Dalton, Georgia, as AstroTurf Industries, Inc. In 1988 Balsam AG purchased all the capital stock of AstroTurf Industries, Inc. In 1994 Southwest Recreational Industries, Inc. (SWRI) acquired the AstroTurf brand. In 1996 SWRI was acquired by American Sports Products Group Inc. (ASPG). In 2001, SWRI launched a turf system called NexTurf.In 2003 SWRI changed its name to SRI Sports and one year later filed for bankruptcy and the parent company, ASPG, retained the AstroTurf rights. In 2005 Textile Management and Associates (TMA) acquired the AstroTurf assets and intellectual property from ASPG and began marketing the AstroTurf brand under the company AstroTurf, LLC. In 2006 General Sports Venue (GSV) became TMA’s marketing partner for the AstroTurf brand for the American market.

Astroturfing marketing Astroturfing in American English is a neologism for formal public relations campaigns in politics and advertising which seek to create the impression of being spontaneous "grassroots" behavior, hence the reference to the artificial grass, Astroturf. The goal of such a campaign is to disguise the efforts of a political or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some political entity—a politician, political group, product, service or event. Astroturfers attempt to orchestrate the actions of apparently diverse and geographically distributed individuals, by both overt ("outreach", "awareness", etc.) and covert (disinformation) means. Astroturfing may be undertaken by an individual pushing a personal agenda or highly organized professional groups with financial backing from large corporations, non-profits, or activist organizations. Very often the efforts 5

are conducted by political consultants who also specialize in opposition research.

Word origin The term is said to have been used first in this context by former US Senator Lloyd Bentsen. It is wordplay based on grassroots democracy efforts -- truly spontaneous undertakings largely sustained by private persons -- as opposed to politicians, governments, corporations, or public relations firms. Astroturf refers to the bright green artificial grass used in some sports stadiums, so "astroturfing" refers to imitating or faking popular grassroots opinion or behavior. This practice is specifically prohibited by the code of ethics of the Public Relations Society of America, the national association for members of the public relations profession in the United States. As a private organization, the most significant punishment PRSA can hand out to members who engage in astroturfing is revocation of membership in the association. Although the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), does not specifically mention astroturfing, it does require honest communication.

Techniques Astroturfing is a form of propaganda whose techniques usually consist of a few people attempting to give the impression that mass numbers of enthusiasts advocate some specific cause. US Senator Lloyd Bentsen, believed to have coined the term, was quoted by the Washington Post in 1985 using it to describe a "mountain of cards and letters" sent to his Senate office to promote insurance industry interests, which Bentsen dismissed as "generated mail." The National Smokers Alliance, an early astroturf group created by Burson-Marsteller on behalf of tobacco giant Phillip Morris worked to influence Federal legislation in 1995 by organizing mailings and running a phone-bank urging people to call or write to politicians expressing their opposition to laws aimed at discouraging teens from starting to smoke.

6

In 1998, a combination of television ads and phone-banks were used to simulate "grassroots" opposition to a bill aimed at discouraging teenage smoking. According to the New York Times, "Those smokers who are reached by phone banks sponsored by cigarette makers, or who call the 800 number shown in television ads, are patched through to the senator of their choice. " In 2003, apparent "grass-roots" letters appearing in local newspapers around the US were denounced as "astroturf" when Google searches revealed that identical letters were printed with different (local) signatures. The signers were electronically submitting pre-written letters from a political website that offered 5 "GOPoints" for sending one of their letters to a local paper plus an addition 2 "GOPoints" if the letter was published.In business, astroturfing is one form of stealth marketing, which can include the manipulation of viral marketing. Several examples are described as "undercover marketing" in the documentary The Corporation The term "astroturfing" is also used to describe public relations activities aimed at "falsely creating the impression of independent, popular support by means of an orchestrated and disguised public relations exercise....designed to give the impression of spontaneous support for an idea/product/company/service," according to the CIPR Social Media Guidelines which cautions members that an astroturfing campaign is "self-evidently likely to contradict the CIPR Code." It has become easier to structure a commercial astroturfing campaign in the electronic era because the cost and effort to send an e-mail (especially a pre-written, sign-your-name-at-the-bottom e-mail) is so low. Companies may use a boiler room full of telephones and computers where hired activists locate people and groups who create enthusiasm for the specified cause. Also, the use of psychographics allows hired supporters to persuade their targeted audience.

Grassroots Organizations There are approximately 7.5 million grassroots organizations in the united sates and are created to promote and bring awareness about sociopolitical issues affecting society. Most of grassroots organizations transcend boundaries. Nearly every grassroots association gets involved in public affairs/issues when they are relevant to current events and their topics are highly researched and factual. For instance, during the time of 7

political elections grassroots organizations will lobby about issues such as healthcare and education to bring awareness of these topics. The main objective is to serve as a catalyst for positive social change and deliver clear and objective information that is usable by everyday global citizens through forming demonstrations, putting up posters and by having petitions signed to support their cause. These organizations are strong in terms of participation however they are extremely weak in terms of funds required to run such organizations. Grassroots organizations range from creating aids and cancer awareness to environmental concerns about global warming.

Astroturf Organizations Astroturfing is a form of public relations used in politics and advertising. The objective is to conceal the agenda of politicians, political groups, products, services or events which are generally expressed through grassroots. The information advertised through these organizations is completely uninformed and is publicized on mass. Astroturfing comes in a variety of single individual wanting to express their own personal agenda to small organizations who are strongly funded by large corporations who have their own agendas. Astroturf organizations are generally funded by larger organizations who provide them with a variety of resources including sophisticated computer databases, telephone banks and organizers who are capable of luring in uninformed people into sending out letters and informing others of their cause. Those working for Astroturf organizations are instructed on what to say and how to say it so that it appears their thoughts are spontaneous which gives off the impression that their grounds are real and in support of grassroots rather than what it actually is; an orchestrated campaign to hinder realities that might be affecting their clients business. While this phenomenon seems rather current, Astroturf organizations and Astroturfing has existed since the turn of the twentieth century. During this time it was common for political parties to sponsor newspapers in major cities in the United States, however these relationships were not common knowledge as politicians did not want the public to be aware that they were influencing the reality of the news. Furthermore, in Stalin’s era he groups organize public demonstrations against “the

8

enemies of the people” and those who attended were forced into doing so. This gave off the impression of reality when in fact it was all staged to better his political status. Astrotufing today has become a major part of most organizations and is moremoney driven.

Astroturf’s Campaigns and the Media It is more common today for large organizations and their Astroturf organizations to use social media and other marketing tactics to promote themselves. The online video is the latest venue for tactics regarding Astroturfing. Moreover, politicians and marketers make a wide use of email lists and blogs, as it is an efficient way to distribute information over the internet while disguising the origins of the information. Youtube.com is a website that shows videos which are produced by anyone. As a result, employees from big companies can create their own video without being known (example: “Anti-Gore penguin video”). Consequently, the videos have a big impact on people, because they stimulate viewers’ emotions powerfully and directly.

Media Control Generally speaking the media is being controlled by large organizations and by the government. Consequently truth is easily distorted due to the influences of these controllers.

Medias’ Ethical Responsibility Most of the developing countries have free information for free press and free expression. In the American system the free media is an essential source of information that which is essence of a free society. This critical role endows the media with its own power, which, when used irresponsibly, can threaten a free society. Journalists everywhere have a vital role to provide the public with knowledge and understanding.

9

Microsoft and Astroturf Microsoft has been using two Astroturf organizations to promote their organization which includes Americans for Technology Leadership (ATL) and Citizens against Government Waste. ATL is an Astroturf organization founded in 1999 and is heavily funded and by Microsoft. They advocate to consumers who are concerned with wanting less government regulation in the technology sector. In August 2001 it was reported that ATL was behind a well organized nationwide plan to give off the impression that they were a Grassroot organization supported by Microsoft. They went to extensive lengths to create false letters from normal citizens which appeared to be spontaneous opinions of how they felt about this legislation. They were trying to separate themselves from actual lobbying tactics. The second Astroturf organization is Citizens against Government Waste (CAGW) which is an organization that campaigns on behalf of the tobacco industry and more importantly they campaign in favor of Microsoft. With regards to Microsoft, CAGW campaigns against open source software. Suggesting that users should be paying fees to maintain, receive training and support for their software rather than it being free. As this is a ploy for Microsoft to make more money.

Microsoft’s Strategy Astroturfing permits Microsoft to transform the negative image people have of them and to defend them from the government. Microsoft states that there are four primary reasons for their use of Astroturf’s which include communicate, overstate, moderate and enervate. They have achieved this for the following reasons: Communicating: Everyone knows and hears about Microsoft Corp. Overstating: Microsoft representative use very strong words such as “through the market into chaos”, “death”, “dismember the company” and “confiscation of its intellectual property assets”. They use it as an astroturfing technique, in order to have a strong impact in the Medias. Moderating: the actual debate has been moderated through prepared

10

answers and pre-framed issues Enervate: Microsoft has been successful at disrupting its opponents including the government. Microsoft has done an astounding job of obscuring the findings and reducing the issues to their lowest common denominator.

Microsoft’s values “As a company, and as individuals, we value integrity, Honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, and mutual respect. We are committed to our customers and partners and have a passion for technology. We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality.” While Microsoft’s values are bold and convincing, they are hardly being respected as they are consumed with using Astroturf organizations to support their strategy to acquire and maintain all market share. As gaining the entire market share has become significantly more challenging, they must use Astroturf organizations to promote them against their competitors even thought what they are promoting is false and unethical.

Product Timeline 1960s 1964 •

The Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, installs AstroTurf.

1965

11

•

The Houston Astrodome opens with natural turf and a glass roof which causes glare for the fielders. The glass panes with a view of the sun are painted white, and the grass soon dies. The field's dead grass is replaced with AstroTurf the next year.

1966 •

AstroTurf is first installed in the Houston Astrodome. The infield was in place in April, but due to lack of supply, the outfield is not completed until July, when the Astros are sent on an extended road trip. The all-synthetic field is ready for play following the All-Star break in July. The first football game played on AstroTurf occurs when the Houston Cougars beat the Washington State Cougars.

1967 •

AstroTurf is first installed in an outdoor stadium - Indiana State University Stadium, Terre Haute, Indiana.

1968 • •

AstroTurf manufacturing facility opens in Dalton, GA. Husky Stadium at the University of Washington in Seattle becomes the second major sports facility in the U.S. to install AstroTurf, Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also installed the surface that year..

1970s 1974 •

Miami Dolphins play Minnesota Vikings on AstroTurf in Super Bowl VIII – Rice Stadium, Houston, TX.

1975 • • •

AstroTurf is installed at New Orleans Louisiana Superdome] and Pontiac Silverdome. First international field hockey game played on AstroTurf at Molson Stadium, Montreal. Cincinnati Reds play World Series on AstroTurf.

1976 •

Cincinnati Reds play back-to-back World Series on AstroTurf. 12

1978 •

Dallas Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos (27-10) on AstroTurf in Super Bowl XII – Superdome, New Orleans, LA.

1980 •

1980 World Series is first to be entirely played on AstroTurf as the Philadelphia Phillies (Veterans Stadium) defeat the Kansas City Royals (Royals Stadium) in six games.

1981 •

Oakland Raiders play Philadelphia Eagles on AstroTurf in Super Bowl XVI – Superdome, New Orleans, LA.

1984 • •

Women's World Cup Hockey (field hockey) games are played on AstroTurf. AstroTurf installs first North American vertical drainage systems in Ewing, NJ at Trenton State College (now known as The College of New Jersey).

1989 •

First E-Layer system (Elastomeric) installed at William and Mary, as well as University of California, Berkeley.

1990s 1993 •

The fourth (and thus far last) World Series to be played entirely on AstroTurf features the Toronto Blue Jays defeating the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2.

1996 •

Atlanta Olympic Field Hockey installs AstroTurf System.

1999

13

•

Real Madrid C.F. (Spain) become the first European football club to purchase an AstroTurf system for their practice fields.

2000s 2002 •

Buffalo Bills install AstroTurf system in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

2007 •

South Pasadena High School is one of the first high schools to install AstroTurf in California.

Examples Early examples In the late 1800s, King Leopold II of Belgium used extensive astroturf lobbying in the US and Europe, including setting up a front organisation known as the International African Association, to facilitate his private colonialism and economic exploitation of the Congo Free State. At the turn of the 20th century, it was common to have newspapers in major American cities sponsored by local political parties. Some were open about this practice, but many of these relationships were hidden. Other examples include political "clubs" which front for voter fraud and intimidation. In one case, documented in the book All the President's Men, the Committee to Re-Elect the President orchestrated several campaigns of "public support" for decisions made by President Nixon in the period preceding the 1972 election, including telegrams to the White House and an apparently independent advertisement placed in The New York Times. Manipulation of public opinion was also used in the Soviet Union. Political decisions were often preceded by massive campaigns of orchestrated 'letters from workers' , pisma trudyashchikhsya) which were quoted and published in newspapers and radio. In Stalin's era, massive "public demonstrations" were organized against "the enemies of the people"; those attending were often forced or intimidated into doing so. Examples from the 1990s 14

•

In 1991 a memo from PR firm van Kloberg & Associates to Zairian ambassador Tatanene Tanata referring to the "Zaire Program 1991" was leaked. The memo outlines steps the firm was taking to improve the image of Mobutu Sese Seko's regime, including placing dozens of letters to the editor, op-ed pieces, and articles in the American press praising the Zairian government.

•

In 1998, Paul Reitsma, former member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, was accused of writing letters to newspapers under assumed names praising him and attacking his political opponents.

• •

A Parksville newspaper had asked a former RCMP handwriting expert to compare a sample of Reitsma's handwriting to that of letters to the editor submitted by a "Warren Betanko", and then ran a story titled "MLA Reitsma is a liar and we can prove it". For this, Reitsma was expelled from the caucus of the British Columbia Liberal Party and then compelled to resign his seat after it became obvious that an effort to recall him would succeed.

•

In 1996, Philip Morris funded the creation of the "Guest Choice Network," which opposed regulation of smoking in restaurants, bars, and hotels. The group, now called the Center for Consumer Freedom, today is primarily funded by agribusiness and food companies, including Wendy's, Pilgrim's Pride and Tyson Foods.

•

The American Stop Smoking Intervention Study (ASSIST) was formed with federal funding through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), but was jointly operated with -- and for the benefit of -- voluntary health associations such as the American Cancer Society (ACS) and American Heart Association. The program was conceived to prevent in-fighting over the allocation of cigarette taxes in the wake of such fighting over California's Proposition 99 of 1988. Since ACS could not receive federal money without running afoul of IRS restrictions on its activities, the idea was to use federal money to develop efforts that would lobby for state taxes and funds which could then be directed into the cofferes of the non-profits. The NCI used the funding to hire the Advocacy Institute to teach lobbying techniques to the ASSIST staff. In the states, these ASSIST-funded and advised non-profits established front organizations to advocate for tobacco taxes and for the allocation of those toward the non-profits.

•

15

Recent examples Political •

In August 2006, a science journalist for the Wall Street Journal revealed that a YouTube video, "Al Gore's Penguin Army", which was claimed to be an amateur work, in fact came from the computers of DCI Group, a Washington, D.C.-based PR firm whose client list includes ExxonMobil and General Motors. (See Al Gore's Penguin Army video controversy.) This hoax was discovered when journalist Antonio Ragalado noticed that the YouTube video was the first sponsored listing when he performed a Google search for Al Gore. The fact that someone was paid to have the alleged amateur film promoted was in itself suspicious.

•

In July 2006, an article by Vladimir Socor, a veteran analyst of East European affairs for the Jamestown Foundation, claimed that a report on Transnistria issued by the International Council for Democratic Institutions and State Sovereignty, "State Sovereignty of Pridnestrovie (PMR) under international law", was a Russiansponsored attempt at disinformation.

• •

A spokesperson for the organization, Megan Stephenson, has denied these charges. Shortly afterwards The Economist published two articles highlighting the ICDISS's lack of a physical presence and its disinclination to provide independent verification of its activities and previous existence. The Economist also reported that prominent academics cited as sources in the ICDISS report on Transdniestria disclaimed any connection with the organization. The Economist noted the Wikipedia entry for ICDISS created as part of the apparent disinformation exercise.

16

•

In September 2008, Dutch columnist Margriet Oostveen wrote about her experiences ghostwriting letters for the McCain presidential campaign. Her editors at Salon.com asked her for proof that she had ghost-written letters, and she provided sample letters and lists of talking-points that the McCain campaign had provided to her.

Business •

In 2001, the Los Angeles Times accused Microsoft of astroturfing when hundreds of similar letters were sent to newspapers voicing disagreement with the United States Department of Justice and its antitrust suit against Microsoft. The letters, prepared by Americans for Technology Leadership, had in some cases been delivered via a mailing list to deceased people or incorrect addresses, where the recipients forwarded them without correction.

•

In 2002, The Guardian newspaper revealed the philosopher Roger Scruton had offered to place pro-tobacco opinion pieces in major newspapers and magazines in return for a fee £5500 from Japan Tobacco International.

•

In July 2004, RealNetworks tried to press Apple Inc. to open up their FairPlay DRM for the iPod with the Harmony plug-in. The work-around allows users to purchase songs from Real Networks' Rhapsody and then convert it for use for the iPod. They also set up an internet petition "Hey Apple! Don't break my iPod" (www.freedomofmusicchoice.org) and slashed the prices of its songs to below that of iTunes. Many posters reacted negatively and accused Real Networks of astroturfing.

•

In March 2006, the Save Our Species Alliance was exposed as a front group created by a timber lobbyist to weaken the Endangered Species Act. Its campaign director is Tim Wigley, the executive director of Pac/West Communications. Wigley was also the campaign director for Project Protect, a front group which spent $2.9 million to help pass President Bush's Healthy Forests legislation, which has been criticized for its pro-industry bias. The 17

Save Our Species Alliance web site portrays itself as a grassroots organization but is criticized by environmentalists for being a front group for wealthy cattle and timber interests which consider federal environmental legislation an impediment to profit. •

•

In March 2006 video game manufacturers faced over seventy antigames bills across the country. Embattled, they established the Video Game Voters Network, “a new grassroots political network for gamers” which publicly portrayed itself as a populist effort to lobby state and federal legislators against supporting violent video game-related legislation. In April 2007, in an interview on video game news website Game Daily, consumer advocate and founder of the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA), Hal Halpin, stated that "The Videogame Voters Network is very needed and wanted by the industry, but it's supported by the industry, so it's called 'astroturfing', where[as] our organization is grassroots and the difference in the two pieces of terminology is significant when it comes to legislators because they'll look at an astroturf organization as one that's backed by the industry; funded by them, run by them, organized by them." The following day Entertainment Software Association (ESA) spokesperson Carolyn Rauch responded in a written statement, "...calling the VGVN 'Astroturf' is not only counterproductive and just not correct, but it also demeans the passion and energy of its members."

•

Working Families for Wal-Mart portrays itself as a grassroots organization, but was started and funded by Wal-Mart. It paid former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young to head the organization. Young created a controversy in his response to a journalist's questions; when asked by a California newspaper about Wal-Mart hurting independent businesses, he said that, "But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us — selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables... I think they've ripped off our communities. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs. Very few black people own these stores"

•

In December 2006, the "All I want for Xmas is a PSP" marketing campaign by Zipatoni and Sony sparked outrage[from the gaming community when it was discovered that the fake blog was in fact assembled by a marketing terms. In August 2007 Comcast Corporation's public relations representatives were accused of astroturfing by posing as fans on internet college team message 18

boards in an effort to spread their negative views about the newly created Big Ten Network. Additionally, Comcast created their own marketing campaign "Putting Fans First" on radio and on the web. At that time Comcast and the Big Ten Network were involved in acrimonious negotiations. •

In January 2008 Daniel DiFiore, the customer service manager of social networking site Moli.com was caught posting 'booster' comments under an alias on several web sites, including GetSatisfaction.com, Techcrunch and Digg.

•

In February 2008 Comcast paid individuals to take up seats at an FCC hearing into Comcast's network management practices, including RST packet spoofing using Sandvine. These individuals fell asleep, applauded on cue, and took up so much room that a number of people with anti-Comcast sentiment were shut out.

•

Hands off the Internet (HOTI) purport to be a campaign for internet users' rights but in fact the site is owned by big telecom companies and is actually a front to push the telecom industry's objections to internet neutrality.

Fictional examples •

Government astroturfing, as well as other sneaky tricks including an eleven-day war waged to distract from a sex scandal, are depicted in the film Wag the Dog.

•

The satirical newspaper The Onion had an opinion piece titled "I'd Love This Product Even If IWeren’t a Stealth Marketer," which is written as though by a young employee for Pepsi-Cola who is paid to AstroTurf. the Christopher Buckley novel Thank You for Smoking, Nick Naylor mentions several astroturf groups, including a "Smokers' Rights" group made up of Hispanic smokers that was called "Fumamos", Spanish for "We smoke

19

ISSUE IN MARKETING

ASTROTURF

Astroturf Marketing Done Ethically Summary Learn how to use a very powerful online marketing strategy with virtually no expenses involved. But you have to be very careful! In an era of the all-pervasive Internet in which novel and innovative marketing theories and concepts are giving tradition a run for their money, the concept of astroturf marketing is slowly but surely becoming the order of the day. If used correctly, astroturf marketing can propel your site visitor count exponentially in a matter of weeks. But then, beware of pitfalls! Astroturf marketing can, and has misfired and got many into serious trouble.

What on Earth is Astroturf Marketing It is believed that the concept of astroturf marketing was coined by US Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas to refer to situations in which people with no political agenda present grassroots perspectives on major issues. Simply put, astroturf marketing is the notion of promoting your product or service in forums designed for discussion and not for advertising. Where the promotional message is projected in a context that is in no way related to promotion. What makes astroturf marketing so attractive for many is its high-impact character and negligible cost. The platform in which astroturf marketing is leveraged usually involves audiences that do not expect any advertising to take place. More often than not, any form of advertising is strictly prohibited on these platforms and there are strict penalties for violators.

20

Two Ways for you to Astroturf-Market your Product or Service Here are two unique ways in which you can astroturf-market your product or service and not even have to pay to do so.

Post Intelligently to Special Lists and Discussion Groups There is no knowledge domain on the planet today that does not have an associated discussion group, bulletin board, message board or listserv. If you happen to be a manufacturer of metal castings for automobiles, chances are that there is a discussion list for this industry. Promoting your product on such lists can be hugely rewarding because many potential customers also subscribe to these types of lists not to mention consultants and contractors. But since you can rarely advertise on these lists and in many cases, can't advertise even if you wanted to pay for it, visibility on these platforms can be tricky to achieve. Consider the following. When commenting on a topic, a thread or a hot issue, use the signature feature in your e-mail client. Your signature should include: • • • • • • •

Your real name Your designation or title at the company The name of your company A "one line" short descriptor such as "the New England photocopying experts" Physical mailing address Phone number and URL e-mail address

Never modify your signature once you start using it except on rare instances in which information needs to be updated. Chances are that your list administrator won't ever object to this form of veiled marketing not only because there are others doing it but also because this practice has gained momentum and is gradually becoming ubiquitous. Your posts should always be original and intelligently crafted. The value addition should be worth the time it takes to read your post on the list.

21

Carve your Niche in Blogosphere Setting up your own blog on a free hosted blogging platform such as Google's Blogspot, Type Pad or Word Press can generate significant ROI for your time and effort. However, it has to be done right. If you start posting your company's marketing collateral on your blog, it will drive away more traffic than it will generate. Therefore, it is a wise idea to engage in constructive commentary in your blog posts. For instance, did you "almost" make a mistake yesterday when hiring a manager? What was the mistake and how did you prevent it? Have you just come across a new vertical search engine for your industry? What is your assessment about its functionality? How extensive is it? Mention your company and the services you provide but only in a context and that too in passing. Contrary to what many believe, you don't have to post to your blog every day. Post two or three times a week. It is the quality of the content that matters, not the quantity. Always provide links to your company's website, preferably, to specific and relevant pages when possible. This can generate valuable back- links for you. Your name at the end of each blog entry should also link to your company's home page and not to your profile on the blog site which is what most bloggers do.

Never Become or Use a Meat Puppet A meat puppet is an anonymous and fictitious entity that you either create or pay to create in order to present your point of view. Using a meat puppet while astroturf-marketing is both unethical and impractical. Even the courts disapprove of such gimmicks. Communicate your message judiciously on the Internet and watch your ROI soar. Astroturf your way to success in your online endeavors!

22

Astroturf “grassroots” campaigns: the art of manufactured networks Strangers or friends advocating a product or a cause may not always be expressing their true value. And the meteoric rise of undiscovered products or people may be less organic, and more orchestrated than people think. More and more examples have occurred recently, including an interesting article in today’s WSJ about rising singer Marie Digby (link at end of post), reveal corporate interests promoting ‘fake’ or AstroTurf marketing campaigns. (Other examples are LonelyGirl15 on You Tube which professed to be a home-schooled sheltered teen and proved to be a Creative Artists New Zealand-based professional actress Jessica Rose looking to sign a movie deal; or many of the ‘environmental’ grassroots campaigns that profess to be anti-environmentalist but are in reality corporate fronts.) Jonathan Ressler, a Marketing Specialist, recently profiled in the documentary, The Corporation, explains how companies pay individuals to play up how great various brands are to their friends, pretending that they are just telling their friends from the heart, not out of self-interest. [This has been called undercover marketing, stealth marketing, covert marketing, guerilla marketing or self-interest marketing.] These guerilla marketing campaigns may be good for raising sales of products — for the moment we trust our friends’ recommendations more than corporate pitches — but as more horror stories emerge of shills pretending to be ‘friends’, it runs the risk of having all of us trust our friends and their opinions less. ’Just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you!’) Or a more just market punishment is if shills who are uncovered are ostracized by their friends for trading their social networks for lucre, but that presumes that people will know who is shilling. The NYT magazine recently featured an interesting profile of Rick Rubin, the new president cum-yogi of Columbia Records. In it, Rubin mentions his amazement with Paul Potts (the British mechanic who hides an amazing silky baritone voice).

23

Potts has become a YouTube sensation after his win on the British equivalent of American Idol (with over 20 million YouTube views). But the article makes one wonder how big a role Columbia Records played a part in stoking his ‘grassroots’ viral marketing campaign, especially since Rubin is so savvy about using young employees to create more buzz. “A 24-year-old singer and guitarist named Marie Digby has been hailed as proof that the Internet is transforming the world of entertainment. “What her legions of fans don’t realize, however, is that Ms. Digby’s career demonstrates something else: that traditional media conglomerates are going to new lengths to take advantage of the Internet’s ability to generate word-of-mouth buzz. “Ms. Digby’s simple, homemade music videos of her performing popular songs have been viewed more than 2.3 million times on YouTube. Her acoustic-guitar rendition of the R&B hit ‘Umbrella’ has been featured on MTV’s program ‘The Hills’ and is played regularly on radio stations in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Portland, Ore. Capping the frenzy, a press release last week from Walt Disney Co.’s Hollywood Records label declared: “Breakthrough You Tube Phenomenon Marie Dingy Signs With Hollywood Records.” Ms. Digby feigned surprise at her marketing rise in an Aug. 16 My Space blog entry and never mentioned the backing of Hollywood records or the role they played in her rise. Digby admitted in interviews that she left out Hollywood Records because “I didn’t feel like it was something that was going to make people like me.” But Hollywood Records played an integral part, advising Ms. Digby, 18 months before her meteoric rise to feature video covers of popular hits by Maroon 5 or Nelly Forted so that searches for these songs would ‘discover her’, they bought her an Apple computer and software and advised her on how to get her songs online.

References 24

• • • • • • • • • • •

http://www.southwestrec.com http://www.astroturf.com http://www.wikipidia.org http://www.fctigers.org/ http://www.sandrinevenet.com http://www.anwer.com http://www.climatecrisis.net http://nielsenhayden.com http://ngin.tripod.com http://www.gmwatch.org http://www.sourcewatch.org

25