Blogger Andy Sernovitz blew the whistle on MGM using comment spam to promote a DVD this week:
MGM is systematically using dishonest blog spam to promote a DVD. I’ve caught them twice, which means there are probably many more examples. (I did give them a week to respond to my request for more info before I posted this).
The offending comments are reproduced there on his blog.
The spam in question is your basic brainless stuff: Hey, speaking of your trip to the Grand Canyon, I bet you’d love this new DVD that’s coming out! Hey, speaking of your dog, have you heard of this new movie? Hey, speaking of… well, whatever! Let me tell you what I want to sell you!
Which of course is the social media equivalent of walking into a cocktail party and screaming, “Shut up and let me tell you about the life insurance policies I sell!”
How does a company with the resources of MGM wind up doing something so stupid? One of Andy’s commenters wonders if it is their agency thinking “outside the box” to show them how they’re using social media to promote them; it’s possible, though in this case the box in question would be called “ethical, honest online behavior.”
I think it’s something a bit more pernicious than that; no matter how many smart marketers take the time to understand social media and learn to use it in ways that benefit themselves, their customers, and other user, there seem to be a whole lot more who simply view every new thing that comes along as a better way to waste your time and insult your intelligence. (For evidence of this, count the number of messages about erectile dysfunction treatments caught in your spam filter.)
In any case, this serves as an incredibly useful example: don’t do this. This poster comes to mind.