What does Astroturfing have to do with online reputation management? Unlike the common definition referring to synthetic grass used for yards and most sporting arenas, this term has a new meaning when it comes to the internet…<\/p>\n
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In general \u201castroturfing\u201d is the practice of masking the advocates of a message or organization in order to make it appear as though it was posted organically, out of good merit, instead of the business paying for the positive exposure.<\/p>\n
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Simply put, astroturfing in the business world is a less-than-honorable way to build brand<\/a> trust<\/a> amongst your potential audience and peers. Although it may be deceitful it is done by publishing misleading news to cover any negative press that may exist online.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When most brands undergo what we call a \u201cbrand crisis,\u201d they can get desperate and start to contact all the media outlets in their surrounding area and pay them to publish positive content on their behalf.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While this is great, the average consumer may simply believe that the newspaper wrote that article due to that company\u2019s \u201cstellar reputation\u201d. Little do they know that the brand is trying to cover up something negative.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n