Not trying to make this sound unimportant, but I've gotta know:
Does it actually surprise any of you guys that this type of thing might be going on? Not on any specific topic, but forum spies exist. They are super cheap compared to real would ad campaigns, and they have a MASSIVE captive audience. Think about it, the internet is a marketer's wet dream!
The real question you need to ask when looking for a "clean" forum: "Does this outlet have enough eyeballs to justify funding ads here?" Because that is the only question a private interest asks before doing so. Read up on the basics of business economics and marketing, and this stuff gets real obvious. The tactics don't change just because the medium is digital instead of tangible.
It doesn't take a genius to be a forum spy, which is why they're so obvious.
If I were a major private interest (say, big pharm for example), I would hire a PR/advertizing firm. From there, the PR firm would send a few agents out into cyberspace to gather foot-solders. That is (in theory) what we are seeing here, middle men (these are usually the smart ones, I'd imagine) payed in lump sums to sway opinion for a set about of time.
So to answer your question, my guess is they could simply hire any major PR firm, and that firm would have an internet-advertizing division with contract agents like I described.
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Sciency ago
Not trying to make this sound unimportant, but I've gotta know:
Does it actually surprise any of you guys that this type of thing might be going on? Not on any specific topic, but forum spies exist. They are super cheap compared to real would ad campaigns, and they have a MASSIVE captive audience. Think about it, the internet is a marketer's wet dream!
The real question you need to ask when looking for a "clean" forum: "Does this outlet have enough eyeballs to justify funding ads here?" Because that is the only question a private interest asks before doing so. Read up on the basics of business economics and marketing, and this stuff gets real obvious. The tactics don't change just because the medium is digital instead of tangible.
Calvin ago
I have always been curious how a company finds another company that advertises manipulating social media.
Sciency ago
It doesn't take a genius to be a forum spy, which is why they're so obvious.
If I were a major private interest (say, big pharm for example), I would hire a PR/advertizing firm. From there, the PR firm would send a few agents out into cyberspace to gather foot-solders. That is (in theory) what we are seeing here, middle men (these are usually the smart ones, I'd imagine) payed in lump sums to sway opinion for a set about of time.
So to answer your question, my guess is they could simply hire any major PR firm, and that firm would have an internet-advertizing division with contract agents like I described.