Kudos
07 Feb 2007
Kudos to the agency that handled this morning’s placement for Smart Mouth mouthwash on the Today Show. Why kudos you ask?
Well, they did a terrific job on disclosure….as I watched the program this morning, my jaded PR sensors perked up. Here was a lovely dentist talking about how to prevent bad breath.
She started by telling viewers to brush and floss…so far, all seemed fine. Then she discussed brushing the tounge. Okay, still fairly innocuous. Then she talked about the three generations of mouthwash…germ killers, de-ordorizers…and now, a new product…(drumroll please)…Smart Mouth, which does the best job of killing bacteria that causes bad breath.
This is when my PR spidey senses perked up…and I thought…aha, she’s not just some random dentist…she’s a PR placement. I was then VERY pleasantly surprised when Al Roker said, “In the spirit of full disclosure, we need to mention that you work for the company that makes Smart Mouth,” to which the spokesperson responded…yes.
Now, here’s the beauty of disclosure…it didn’t make the segment any less interesting. In fact, as a consumer, I found the information helpful. As a consumer, I also appreciated the disclosure and found that it make both the segment and the spokesperson more credible. After all, as a PR professional, I knew I was getting hoodwinked, but more viewers are ordinary folks who have no idea who’s truly behind a story.
I also give high marks to the Today Show for having the guts to fully disclose that they used a paid spokesperson for a segment. Believe it or not, many reporters feel it will lessen their credibility to admit that a majority of their information is provided by us PR folks. Not so!
Today’s consumers are better educated than ever before…while they may not always be aware of where a story comes from, they can spot a product pitch a mile away and wonder…isn’t it better to be up front. If you have a legitimate story and useful info, people will still be interested.
So, today’s “Ethie” (my version of an ethics award) goes to…Smart Mouth and The Today Show!
