Producers have the ability to use flashy advertising as a substitute for a good product, and to deceive the customer through paid, sponsored relationships with bloggers and advertisers. Consumers may still have difficulty understanding when a blogger is in the employ of a company. Producers may find their good name impinged upon by reviewers who do not have legitimate grievances with a company.
Staying offline and focusing on broad-based real world relationships is more important for companies. If companies focus on generating good products and high-quality consumer relationships with a wide range of customers, rather than pursuing the next 'new' online thing and trying to use market research to segment their product, they will prosper in the 21st century.
Closing Remarks by the Proposition
Producer segmentation of different consumer demographics and online product promotions convey value and ease for the consumer, when shopping and researching products. Although abuses do exist, no they are no worse than the ethical lapses that have occurred with previous media.
The producer ignores the Internet at his or her peril: he or she will lose valuable consumers. And the consumer also should not shy away from the additional product information, good and bad, that the online format can bring.
Work Cited
Allard, Heather. FTC targets bloggers. The Mogul Mom. October 8, 2009. April 9, 2010.
http://www.themogulmom.com/2009/10/ftc-blogger-requirements/
