I've been trying to prod my friend Andy Sernovitz, who heads the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, to write something for this blog, but he's constantly blowing me off....


He's SO BUSY , he tells me.
Well, sure. Who isn't? Sheesh.
I'm just kidding ya, Andy. The truth is that there's lots going on at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, also known as WOMMA.
This week, WOMMA announced that Fortune 100 firm DuPont has officially endorsed the WOMMA Code of Ethics, making it applicable to all sales and marketing employees and vendors. WOMMA described as a milestone in consumer protection and word of mouth marketing. DuPont also said it would engage only those word of mouth marketing services providers that adhere to the Code of Ethics. DuPont is the first major marketer to screen vendors for word of mouth ethics.
WOMMA calls DuPont's endorsement "huge."
"By ensuring that everyone acting on behalf of the company subscribes to the highest ethical standards in their dealings with the public, DuPont has issued a call to U.S. businesses to follow its path," Andy said. "DuPont's action sends an important message: Honest word of mouth marketing firms will be getting more business, and deceptive stealth marketers will find it impossible to find customers."
Gary Spangler, DuPont's representative to WOMMA, said, "DuPont's proactive adoption of this ethics code is a leading example of self-regulation in this emerging field."
At the core of the WOMMA Ethics Code is the Honesty ROI: Honest disclosure of Relationship, Opinion, and Identity. This demands that consumers disclose their relationship with marketers; that they be allowed to form their own honest opinions; and that everyone discloses their true identity.