Crackdown on Corporate Fakes (Watch Out Wal-Mart, Sony and McDonalds)
Cowbag — April 15, 2008 — Pop Culture
References: oft.gov.uk & andybeard.eu
Sony, Wal-Mart and McDonalds are amongst companies who could soon find themselves subject to criminal prosecution under a new UK law that bans fake blogs.
Specifically, the law would ban the use of 'fake consumer blogs' which mislead real consumers.
Several examples have been observed in the past, including the following:
- Wal-Mart created a fake blog called 'Wal-Marting Across America'
- Sony created a fake "All I Want for Christmas" blog about a boy who only wanted a PS3 for Christmas.
- McDonald's created a blog called '4Railways' where 'someone' wrote about their desire to get all four railway cards in the McDonald's monopoly game.
Called the "Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008", the law comes into affect this May.
Specifically, the law would ban the use of 'fake consumer blogs' which mislead real consumers.
Several examples have been observed in the past, including the following:
- Wal-Mart created a fake blog called 'Wal-Marting Across America'
- Sony created a fake "All I Want for Christmas" blog about a boy who only wanted a PS3 for Christmas.
- McDonald's created a blog called '4Railways' where 'someone' wrote about their desire to get all four railway cards in the McDonald's monopoly game.
Called the "Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008", the law comes into affect this May.
Trend Themes
1. Banning Fake Blogs - Opportunity for social media platforms to develop stricter policies and algorithms to identify and remove fake consumer blogs.
2. Consumer Protection Regulations - Opportunity for legal consultancies to offer expertise in navigating and complying with the new consumer protection regulations.
3. Transparency in Marketing - Opportunity for marketing agencies to promote and implement transparent marketing practices to build trust with consumers.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media Platforms - Opportunity for social media platforms to innovate by developing advanced algorithms to detect and remove fake consumer blogs.
2. Legal Consultancies - Opportunity for legal consultancies to provide guidance and compliance services to businesses affected by the new consumer protection regulations.
3. Marketing Agencies - Opportunity for marketing agencies to differentiate themselves by promoting transparent marketing practices and strengthening consumer trust.
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