Amid FTC Move Toward Blogger Disclosure, Cie Studios CEO Available to
Discuss ?Rules of Engagement? ? and Why Advertisers Should Embrace
Transparency
LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the Federal Trade Commission floats ?truth in blogging? rules ? aimed
at persuading those promoting products for a fee to say so upfront ?
much of the blogging community has been critical of the FTC move as
unnecessary and unenforceable.
Justin Choi, co-founder and CEO of Cie Studios (www.ciestudios.com),
takes a different view. Choi sees the FTC?s action as an opportunity to
bring authenticity and openness to a process sorely in need of both.
?Whatever the final shape of the FTC?s policy and the guidelines
implementing it,? he says, ?disclosure is an imperative for bloggers,
advertisers and anyone else making claims for ? or even against ? a
given product.?
|
WHO:
|
|
Justin Choi earned a business degree in Computer Information Systems
(CIS) and a minor in business management from Cal Poly Pomona. He
co-founded Cie Studios in 1998 as an interactive services firm
providing innovative digital marketing campaigns for companies like
Pioneer Electronics, Chrysler and Toyota/Scion. Choi has grown the
self-funded company into a team of 40 interactive designers and
developers ? ?a swat team? of digital inventors. Cie Studios has
created large multiplayer online games, online advertising software,
social media and mobile applications and online 3D visualization
tools.
|
|
|
|
WHY:
|
|
?Digg and a handful of blogs have already started to allow
ad-sponsored content that is clearly labeled as advertising but
otherwise blends in with the non-advertising content,? says Choi.
?If blogs, online forums and other social media don?t provide a way
for advertisers to participate, they will create demand for
underhanded methods of promotion ? which doesn?t serve anyone well.
Solutions that encourage and enable transparency, and are effective
for the advertisers, serve as a ?release valve,? removing the
pressure from advertisers and agencies to engage in what could be
considered untruthful and disingenuous advertising.
|
|
|
|
|
?The fact is, advertisers who want to communicate with a specific
audience will find a way to do it because it?s effective, whether
the endorsement is out in the open or not. Providing the option for
transparent communication provides a ?win-win? alternative.?
|
|
|
|
WHAT:
|
|
Cie Studios recently introduced PostRelease (www.postrelease.com),
a sponsored post solution built around transparency and relevance.
PostRelease was designed expressly to enable companies to
advertise openly to effectively influence word-of-mouth forum
discussions. ?PostRelease embodies the principles that the FTC is
now advocating,? Choi says. ?We?ve created a sandbox where
everyone can agree to the rules and play together. The industry
needs standards and engagement guidelines ? and ideally, they
should be voluntary.?
|
|
|
|
WHEN:
|
|
Justin Choi is available immediately for media interviews.
|
|
|
|
HOW:
|
|
To speak with Justin Choi, contact:
|
|
|
Ken Greenberg
|
|
|
Edge Communications, Inc.
|
|
|
ken@edgecommunicationsinc.com
|
|
|
(818) 990-5001
|