Social Media Marketing Backlash Against Target's Use of Paid Shills

[mandy]

Where it all went wrong
Target Rounders is a group of influential college students picked to promote Target. In turn, they receive discounts and freebies. So when Target launched a Facebook page in November 2007, it made sense that the Target Rounders should reside on the page, talking up the company as usual.

Except, of course, for one small thing. Target sent the Rounders an e-mail, which later became public, directing the Rounders “not to let on in the Facebook group that you are a Rounder.”

The social community took this as a deceptive practice, and all of Target’s hard work to show that they valued honesty and customer satisfaction was forgotten. Numerous negative articles and blog posts populated the Internet. And when all was said and done, retailing competitor Wal-Mart jumped ahead of Target after the incident -- and at a crucial time during the holiday shopping season...

full article: http://multichannelmerchant.com/webchann...-backlash/