There’s a great story on social media ads reported by the LA Times and savvy writer Jessica Guynn. The piece, entitled “Like it? Social ads turn users into unwitting endorsers”, talks about the policies of Facebook and Google to turn our “Likes” into personal endorsement ads. I am not a fan of endorser ads as you can tell from my quote in the story.
Here’s how the endorsement works: You click on a “like” or Google “+1” and that endorsement might show up in an ad without your approval. We have all participated in “Likes” to get a coupon or enter a contest, but we really didn’t like that brand enough to have our name used as an unknowing advertiser.
Social media is supposed to foster authenticity, transparency and conversation between brands and consumers. It seems that using our unwitting acknowledgements as advertising flies in the face of the basic tenets of social media.
It also seems to work as a deterrent from every clicking on a “like” again. What’s your take? Want to be an endorser?