I thought this was interesting and timely to this subject:


FTC Moves to Unmask Word-of-Mouth Marketing - washingtonpost.com

Good article, Mary, tbh I hadn't thought about that sort of marketing, but it definitely happens. Some years ago there was a huge problem with time-share companies in Spain and in other countries where an individual would 'bump' into people, aologise and then launch into the company spiel and before the tourist knew it, they were reeled into an agreement.

In the UK it is mostly outlawed now, but not entirely, especially with the wider range of methods at reaching people.

hmmmmmmmmm

Company bribes its fans to secretly flood websites with praise

I think that no matter what RCI say in their defence of this scheme, any innocence attached to it (and I dare say there have been some innocent people 'taken in' by this scheme by the PR agency) has now been well and truly stamped on. The article also confirmed my own concerns that once one cruise forum has been used in this way, then that same tar will be painted on every other cruise forum...and that is not only a shame, but it is also unjustified.

I don't agree with the article saying that the RC's are "sent them back off into the world with express instructions to say as many nice things as possible?"

I have read a lot about this and I do believe that these people were not given any express instructions to say anything. I think that is blowing things out of proportion. I think the other forum board and RCI were wrong in not telling the posters what they were up to, but I believe the posters themselves, (Royal Champions) innocent in all this.

Insofar as the way this was handled by the other board, it does boil down to a trust & disclosure issue. The other board seems to have known alot more than they were prepared to admit to and those who were chosen as RC's have been brought into a scheme that they assumed was legitimate and directly connected with RCI, when infact it was initially something from a PR firm acting on behalf of RCI.

The cruise line and the PR firm both made a mess of this and it has come back to haunt them. Add in the other board and all 3 parties should have handled this better from day one, as it stands now people are always going to doubt the honesty of cruise reviews of RCI ships/itineraries and a seed of doubt has been planted which need not have been the case had the 3 parties been open and honest from the start.

Any damage limitation done now will inevitably be greeted with an understandable amount of distrust that could have been avoided quite easily.

Yet another interesting viewpoint on these type of marketing tactics. The article does agree that transparency is the key to success. Without it, the whole campaign can (and did!) backfire.

Royal Caribbean's Brand Evangelist Loyalty Program: Erroneous or Brilliant? » techipedia | tamar weinberg

This article is also on the subject of the viral campaign, but many of the comments reflect my own concerns...

Is Royal Caribbean manipulating message boards at cruise websites? - Cruise Log - USATODAY.com

I am also pleased that at least one other forum admin would not allow this sort of thing to happen and would take action against members who flouted the TOS which essentially outlaws any form of paid review/post whether that pay is in cash or in kind (perks).

Bending or breaking the rules just to stay 'in' with a cruise line is wrong. Having staff who are not allowed to have opinions of their own is wrong, last night on the darkside one staffmember did speak his mind and was publicly rebuked for doing so. If staff on a site are being forced to 'tow the company line', they lose all impartiality and they become a mouthpiece. The staff here DO have their own thoughts and opinions and they are encouraged to voice them without fear of rebuke and that is how it should be.

This episode has shown the real danger of being too cosy with cruise lines. It starts off with little things like meetings on board the ships but can soon escalate into a cruise line driven site, a case of 'must not upset the sponsor/advertiser cos they might up and leave us'. We do not have any ties with any cruise line and to me that is the best way to be, it means that we are not beholden to anyone and we can be free in our opinions and we don't have to tug the proverbial forlock and make sure we don't upset the balance.

Another layer to this onion.

Other cruise lines: We wouldn't do what Royal Caribbean did - Cruise Log - USATODAY.com

The UK travel industry sites have also picked up this onion too...

http://www.travelmole.com/stories/1135238.php

Having read all of the articles etc, I have come to the conclusion that RCI knew this was a risky measure so needed a fall guy incase the proverbial hit the fan, thus leaving them relatively untarnished.

You have RCI and the PR firm who instigated the scheme, you then add to the mix a well known and respected discussion board or two as the fall guys. The discussion boards chosen have a very close working relationship with RCI, so they aren't going to be in a position to argue when the proverbial hits the fan...reason is simple.

RCI needs boards to 'spread the good word', boards need cruise lines like RCI to pay advertising revenue which then keeps the board online.

RCI have come out of this mess reasonably OK...they ducked when the fan went into overdrive. The boards that were the fall guys, well they have got it right in the fizzog cos that was why they were used...you know, incase it all went wrong, we can shift the blame over to the cruise boards.

Now hindsight is a wonderful thing if you can get it in advance, I imagine that if they have any sense, the boards who caught the backlash full in the fizzog will distance themselves from this sort of scheme in the future...if any cruise line is stupid enough to try it after this debacle with RCI.

Regardless as to whether RCI and the cruise board try and plead not guilty, the seed of doubt has been sown, so no matter who they try to shift the blame to or how they try and talk themselves out of it, the general public will now approach cruise boards...all of them, not just the one in this mess...and have doubts about the integrity, honesty and plain truth of what they read.

That above all else is the greatest tragedy of this whole episode. The fact that people can join a board hoping to learn about what to expect on a ship or itinerary are now going to think twice. It was bad enough when newbies on the board in question were belittled and jumped on by the forum thugs, but now they have to consider what they are reading as truth or embelished in some way. The innocence has been tainted and it will take a long time to gain what confidence has been lost back...moreso on the board in question, as the saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and RCI really did use them as their fall guy.

Others have now joined the argument over this scheme, including Arthur Frommer...

Cruise Critic's message board scandal casts further doubt on user-generated websites on Arthur Frommer Online

Another view of the scheme is shared here...

Viral Marketing And The Wisdom Of Crowds - Jeanne Leblanc | Coach Class

Seems to me that the vast majority of cruise lines, consumer groups and cruise media have all come down with one opinion....RCI behaved very badly and made a lousy choice of PR methodology, CC has also been singled out for quite considerable criticism - some understandable & justified. Having seen the views of members here and on other cruise boards, it looks like many of the public who use the boards also feel that RCI have undermined their trust and integrity of boards in general.

It has certainly caused many to take a sharp intake of breath right across the cruise industry...both the providers, agents, media and guests (past, present & future).