PRWeek: 1 in 5 marketers 'pay-for-play'

Do you “pay-for-play”? According to the latest PRWeek and MS&L survey 19% of senior marketers do. In fact, 10% believe that they have an “unspoken agreement” to trade press coverage for ad buys. While unethical, it is a practice that has been going on since ad sales teams were given sales targets.

However, the credibility of a publisher, or an advertiser, can be put at risk should consumers discover a “pay-for-play” scenario as was demonstrated last year with coverage of PayPerPost.

“Any kind of undisclosed paid placement spells trouble for consumers, the media and the marketing industry,” said Mark Hass, worldwide chief executive officer of MS&L.

“Without full disclosure and transparency, media lose credibility and their value as an unbiased source of information for consumers.”

Tags: advertising, pay-for-play