This week, our readings oriented us to the virtual realm and presented us with diverse perspectives on emerging technologies. The readings illustrated that technology is confounding contemporary organizations and subverting traditional methods of conducting business. Through blogs, search engines, and a host of other virtual channels, entrepreneurs have discovered ways to bypass the mainstream press and promote their products. However, utilizing techniques such as blogging as marketing tools raises questions about candor.

To begin with, a blog is typically defined as a hybrid diary that is an amalgam of a person’s thoughts and a current event. Given that a blog is associated with a diary, the majority of readers assume the writing is authentic. But what happens when a company launches a marketing campaign under the guise of a blog? Well, Sony was a culprit of this exact act when they created a fictional character named Jeremy who touted the benefits of the PSP on an independent blog. Skeptics quickly linked the blog back to a marketing company and Sony has since issued an apology.

Sony’s failed marketing ploy demonstrates that blogging is a burgeoning trend and its nascence means that ethic provisions have yet to established. Entrepreneurs can easily create online content and pawn it as a consumer’s innocuous interest in a product. However, unlike ads, when reading a blog, a viewer cannot readily discern that an external party is attempting to persuade them to purchase or develop an affinity for a good.

In sum, blogging can be an insidious and deceptive marketing tool. As it emerges as a ready source of consumer information, we should consider the implications such technology has on brand loyalty, customer satisfaction, and the marketing industry as a whole.

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