• Pasadena Star News, Tuesday, October 17, 2006 1 PM

As an influential woman in her community, Emily Grant is paid to spread product samples and coupons among friends and acquaintances. She has soaked herself in a Ralph Lauren fragrance called Hot, taken Nutella samples to her sons' play dates, and painted her hallway with a light-blue shade of Benjamin Moore paint.

Word-of-mouth advertising has mushroomed in recent years as companies try to reach an increasingly inaccessible consumer base. Most programs target big-spending groups, such as moms and teenagers. Efforts vary in how aggressive they get. Some agencies and companies--such as Procter & Gamble's Vocalpoint and Tremor programs--do not require their agents to announce that they are pushing products. The Word of Mouth Marketing Association, founded in 2004, defines that approach as deceptive.

"We were formed to take on that particular issue," says CEO Andy Sernovitz. "Tremor and Vocalpoint have not signed on to our code of ethics."

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