In each of my messages above, I clearly acknowledged that BzzAgent offers points to its members, and those points may be redeemed for non-cash rewards. I simply stated that I believe the original blog misrepresented the BzzAgent program when the author stated agents are “paid” by the company to “hawk” products.

Although some may interpret our rewards program as tantamount to compensation, the facts do not support this arguement. No agent is required to spread word-of-mouth (positive or negative) about products in the campaigns they join. No agents are paid cash for joining the BzzAgent community. And fewer than 20 percent of our agents ever convert their points into rewards.

Clearly our volunteers participate in campaigns for reasons other than remuneration. Why do everyday consumers participate in word-of-mouth campaigns if they are not cash? That, I believe, would make for an interesting blog topic.

Regards,
Joe

“Here’s how it works:

1. You tell us a little about yourself, your likes and dislikes, and sign up to become a BzzAgent.
2. When we have a new campaign, we’ll ask you if you want to take part. You only join campaigns for products you like.
3. Once joined, you’ll get a thank you pack with free gifts and your role is simple: help us create Word-of-Mouth.
4. We’ll tell you what the Bzz is, where to create it, and how to let us know what you’ve done. This isn’t homework! You create Bzz when – and if – you want. It only takes a few fun seconds to make the difference.
5. You create the Bzz and we’ll grant you points you can redeem for the coolest products on the planet!”

#5 would seem to directly contradict what you’re saying here.

As the director of public relations for BzzAgent, I very much appreciate the interest you are paying to the word-of-mouth marketing sector. You are right that the roots of this industry drew their early water from Gladwell’s seminal book. That is surely an insight that many have overlooked, and I think it’s a valuable addition to your post.

It strikes me that you would greatly enjoy the WOMMA conference, the very site from which I type this reply. If you were attending WOMMA, you would quickly discover the priority the word-of-mouth industry is placing on ethics, vehemently criticizing “shill” marketing (or the practice of paying people to pretend to be consumers). Shill marketing, and its first cousin “stealth” marketing, are practices specifically designed to deceive consumers. Like you, BzzAgent believes strongly that responsible brands should refuse to conduct business with firms that employ such models.

BzzAgent does not pay a single member of its 125,000- person volunteer community. We offer points for involvement with our system (e.g., completing polls or filing reports), and those points can be later redeemed for rewards or donated to charity (which, surprisingly, are redeemed at a rate below 20%), but there never has been any cash compensation. Nor will there ever be any cash compensation. Why? Because we, like you, believe such a practice would “bring into question their motivation for telling people about the product in the first place.”

Regards,
Joe Chernov
Director of PR
BzzAgent, Inc.