Following public relations firm Edelman's acknowledgement that it was behind a
series of
flogs, or fake blogs, for its client Wal-Mart, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association has placed the agency under a 90-day review.
In a statement posted with little fanfare on
its Web site last week, WOMMA said it had "determined that the company has breached the WOMMA Ethics Code--a code that Edelman helped write."
While the statement recognizes Edelman's recent
recommitment to the code, it also says the Board of Directors believes it is necessary to put the firm under a 90-day review, during which time Edelman will be required to take a series of corrective
actions:
We ask that you take the following corrective actions, some of which already appear to be in progress:
Provide assurances that all inappropriate programs have been stopped.Provide
a briefing to the WOMMA Executive Committee to fully explain the details of the incident. Implement a training program to educate all employees on ethical practices and disclosure requirements.
Institute systems to prevent violations from happening in the future, and to correct them if they do. Formally participate in upcoming WOMMA ethics programs and comply with all new ethics
requirements for members. Provide detailed documentation of compliance with the above requests. "We're abiding by the board's decision to post the letter and let it speak for itself." said Andy
Sernovitz, WOMMA's CEO. Edelman CEO Richard Edelman did not return calls by deadline.