Tim Barker of the Orlando Sentinel sums up the current brouhaha over so-called stealth advertising, asking industry veterans if the practice has hit its peek, and whether it may be an
inappropriate way to market products. The piece stakes out no position but reports on various campaigns and industry reactions to them. One academic, Stuart Fischoff, professor emeritus of
media psychology at CalState, Los Angeles, tells Barker, "It's desperation as well as innovation. And it's never going to stop." Acknowledging that stealth marketing is both
controversial and unproven, a number of industry insiders share their skepticism over its use. "It's an issue the industry, through the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, is
battling," Barker writes. "More than a year ago, it introduced an ethics code with a central theme: 'You never, ever deceive consumers under any circumstances,' says Andy Sernovitz, the
group's chief executive."
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at Orlando Sentinel via Sun-Sentinel »