Articles discussing this brief have popped up on Micro Persuasion and AdWeek, among others. The research brief talks about how sponsored blog posts and conversations are going to become more common and this will be a great way to reach consumers. I agree that online influencers such as bloggers are a great way to reach consumers, but is paying bloggers really okay? To me it seems like this rides a fine line between editorial coverage and advertising. There have been ‘sponsored posts’ on blogs for some time, and the distinction between these sponsored posts and regular posts have always been obvious. So if this is done totally transparently, as it should be done, would it really have the same impact as a typical blog post, or would you just skip past it like I do with those ‘sponsored posts’?

Forrester discusses that these “sponsored conversations” are somewhere between editorial coverage and advertising. That is illustrated in the following chart pulled from the report:

Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

And what does this mean for bloggers? Although they are not officially considered journalists, many work in the same way that journalists do. By paying them, we are making them more brand ambassadors than journalists. Would you keep reading your favorite blog if you knew the blogger was being paid for everything they write, or do you read that blog to find out their personal, uncensored opinion?

If this is the future, I hope it is done transparently and ethically. What do you think? Is the “Influencer Program” the new online advertising?

For example late last year, the brand Motrin ran into issues while marketing their product to moms. As we watched online chatter come to its boiling point, one thing that was very intriguing was how much FREE data the brand was getting as a result. Motrin could now pinpoint specific social media areas where customers were discussing their brand. Twitter seemed to emerge as the front runner in terms of conversation ‘hotspots’, giving the brand a virtual road map on how to locate, and truly engage their core audience. Specific mommy bloggers became the brand’s marketing targets as online influencers, or the ‘gate keepers’ to getting information to their core audience.

Most recently popular R&B star Chris Brown is dealing with his own PR nightmare on top of some very serious legal troubles thanks to a late night incident with his mega star girlfriend Rihanna. While I’m sure social media marketing is on the bottom of his to-do list, other digital marketing professionals can learn key demographic information while this incident unfolds.

Where are Chris Brown and Rihanna fans talking about this incident?

How much are they talking about this incident? Is this audience most active during a specific time of day?

Are they new to social media, or, as I assume, are they veterans of the space?

After the celebrity, personality, corporation or brand has the necessary legal conversation most publicist or lawyers make arrangements to release a statement about the incident. In recent years, celebrities have issued statements on their website; some have a formal statement read to press. Why not explore other options more conducive to their audience? Possibly a statement released to fans via Twitter? A video blog on their website or social network? A direct statement to your Facebook fan page moderator? If the idea is to get information directly to your fans, then what better opportunity to do so when you, the brand or the celebrity is in your darkest hour?

TMZ revolutionized how traditional media outlets perceived online outlets – citing stories from gossip blogs and sites in their national broadcasts and asking Harvey Levin to speak as an expert guest.   In an ever-changing digital world the public is given free reign to consume only the news and media they care about. Put those two together, and a PR nightmare can end up giving back more then it may have taken. FREE data on your fans, your digital influencers and possibly a place to mend your strained relationship with fans by showing them they are the only opinion that matters.