Deutsche Bahn PR boss stumbles across covert marketing in blogs
Placing unlabeled marketing statements in blogs not only violates the rules of the blogosphere but is also unethical from a journalistic standpoint. Ralf Klein-Bölting (46), Chief Representative for Marketing and Communications at Deutsche Bahn, has now stumbled upon this form of surreptitious advertising.
It is not only against the rules of the bloggosphere, but also unfair from a journalistic point of view to place unmarked marketing statements in blogs. Ralf Klein-Bölting (46, photo), Chief Representative for Marketing and Communication at Deutsche Bahn, has now stumbled across this form of surreptitious advertising. He is accused of placing prefabricated media reports, letters to the editor and editorial articles about Deutsche Bahn's planned IPO and the train drivers' strike on internet forums and blogs in 2007. He also published opinion polls in which the client, Deutsche Bahn, was not stated. This was reported by dpa with reference to "company circles". Deutsche Bahn paid 1.3 million euros for the surreptitious advertising.
The Lobby Control initiative drew Deutsche Bahn's attention to the practices on May 19, as reported by the Group. One day later, the new CEO of Deutsche Bahn, Rüdiger Grube, brought the case to the attention of auditing firm KPMG. "I firmly reject this form of PR activity," said Grube. Such activities are in no way compatible with the principle of transparent and honest dialog with the public.
"This type of advertising always backfires," emphasizes Peter Hogenkamp, professional blogger and managing director of the publishing house BlogWerk, in an interview with Werbewoche. "Bloggers are too attentive and the dialog media too transparent for such an approach to go undetected."
Werbewoche also spoke to Markus Gabriel from the Zurich agency Angelink and Sara Stalder from Swiss Consumer Protection about marketing in blogs, which is not yet so widespread in Switzerland. In the next print edition of Werbewoche on Friday, June 5, 2009, you can read what opportunities and risks the three experts see in marketing in blogs and what future they predict for this advertising channel.
Don't miss it! (= advertising on our own behalf)
(afw)
The Lobby Control initiative drew Deutsche Bahn's attention to the practices on May 19, as reported by the Group. One day later, the new CEO of Deutsche Bahn, Rüdiger Grube, brought the case to the attention of auditing firm KPMG. "I firmly reject this form of PR activity," said Grube. Such activities are in no way compatible with the principle of transparent and honest dialog with the public.
"This type of advertising always backfires," emphasizes Peter Hogenkamp, professional blogger and managing director of the publishing house BlogWerk, in an interview with Werbewoche. "Bloggers are too attentive and the dialog media too transparent for such an approach to go undetected."
Werbewoche also spoke to Markus Gabriel from the Zurich agency Angelink and Sara Stalder from Swiss Consumer Protection about marketing in blogs, which is not yet so widespread in Switzerland. In the next print edition of Werbewoche on Friday, June 5, 2009, you can read what opportunities and risks the three experts see in marketing in blogs and what future they predict for this advertising channel.
Don't miss it! (= advertising on our own behalf)
(afw)
