I’ve been researching Facebook’s Promotion terms and compliance for a number of clients lately and always run into the same question – if it’s not technically allowed and everybody does it anyway, is it still a good strategy?

The key ingredient in most Facebook promotions is the “Incentivised peer promulgation” – ie. Tell-a-friend. I discovered the Westfield promotion through (many) friends’ status updates. In fact, status updates are part of the entry mechanic:

When the Westfield Facebook application has been uploaded, individuals must then update their Facebook status to read as “All I Want for Christmas is a Westfield Gift Card” using the application functionality.

BUT: Based on my reading of the Facebook Terms & Conditions of promotions, requiring ANY action on Facebook (becoming a fan, status updates, wall posts) as a condition of entry is a no-go? Or am I confused (as others seem to be)?

4.2 In the rules of the promotion, or otherwise, you will not condition entry to the promotion upon taking any action on Facebook, for example, updating a status, posting on a profile or Page, or uploading a photo.

I’m not saying Westfield is in the wrong – more power to them for promoting a very successful campaign and raising awareness of their Gift Cards as a Christmas gift option – but perhaps it’s time for Facebook to step in and clarify their guidelines to agencies, so that compliance-focused maraketers can rest easy that their promotion won’t be yanked a la section 6.4:

6.4 We may remove any materials related to a promotion at any time, regardless of whether the promotion was approved, where we determine the continued marketing or administration of such promotion may be unlawful under applicable laws, rules, regulations or guidelines or may cause unreasonable liability for us.

If only so that I get my chance to win $10,000 to spend on puppies at Pets World.

[UPDATE] Just wanted to clarify my post above: At 369,000 + users, I don’t think anyone can argue this has not been a successful promotion. For a $10,000 wholesale cost, plus ~$2k – ~5k to build the app, I’d say this stands up as an excellent example of how you can engage 1/3 of a MILLION people in less than 5 days through Facebook.

My issue isn’t with Westfield’s (or the app’s users) SPAM ACT 2003/4 compliance, as my reading of it certainly includes this kind of activity within compliant action.

My question, rather, is around the murkiness of Facebook’s promo T&Cs. Is this app promotion legit, and if yes, how exactly so? This would be a good test case for all digital marketers to know the right way (or maybe, the wrong way) to go about marketing via Facebook within regulation.

From B&T Magazine (Australia)

YELLOW.COM.AU OPENS UP
Sensis has opened the door of www.yellow.com.au, to search engines for the
first time. The move enables search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Live
Search to index the 2 million-plus listings on www.yellow.com.au and make
them available to people using search engines to find local businesses.

Now the big search-marketing question will be: what link-juice will a keyword-rich inbound link from Yellow.com.au direct to its customers?

How Yellow Pages manages outbound links

Link text: Domain printed out its entirety only, no description of services at all, just http://www.jcandsonsplumbing.com

Anchor url: Convuluted. The server code Yellow.com.au use to redirect and track outbound links to their customers would probably confuse, or simply annoy, the Googlebot. At least it’s no longer “NOFOLLOW”

PageRank of Yellow.com.au: PR7. This puts it amongst the big hitters, which opens opportunities for them to start up-selling their (I assume) declining customer-base with offers of paid link inclusion. Craftily disguised of course as some kind of editorial business-directory , so as not to attract the wrathful attention of G’s web-spam team.

Overall: I’ll be interested to see how Yellow.com.au upgrade their offering to leverage their PageRank and offer value-added inbound links to customers with websites.

Save your money, create a $200 website and SEO it

The move to open up Yellow’s walled-garden to Google et al might be seen as an acknowledgement that a growing proportion of Australian consumers now turns to the Big White Page rather than the Old Yellow Pages for their commercial search requirements. I often get asked by clients whether they should place an ad in the Yellow Pages, and increasingly I tell them: “Pay some kid with half a clue to make you a one-page website, organise some good inbound links and you’ll get more inbound phonecalls.”

Oh *SNAP* – Google don’t list in Yellow Pages

Search for “Google” in the Yellow Pages. Go on, I’ll wait. … … HAHHHAHA funny, no?

Comment bait – Do you *ever* use the Yellow Pages?

Print version? Or yellow.com.au ? I’m curious who actually uses this service anymore?

A smorgasbord of non-usual, interesting short format talks (in the vein of TED) about topics that interest the speakers – and in most cases – the audience.

The talk that interested me most was Russ Tucker’s review of his year-old “Viral Waistcoat” experiment.

What is the waistcoat?

The Viral Waistcoat is literally a faux-leather waistcoat that Russ rescued after a particularly seedy fancy-dress party (or particularly seedy night at Manacle?). Russ (or whomever handles the waistcoat at the time) encourages random aquaintances to wear the waistcoat, take a photo, sign it in white ink, and pass it along. The coat itself has run out of signature real-estate, but Russ has found room for a NTT Docomo-friendly QR code, ready for when it next tours Japan.

Russ exerts very little control over the proceedings (and doesn’t even have insurance!) yet has managed to document on his Viral Waistcoat blog hundreds of individual wearers and passers-on.

Why is it viral?

The object of the experiment is to make a physical object “viral”. That is, for the idea to be interesting enough that it becomes contagious, and the wearer will gladly pass it along. Of course, unlike digital media, the faux-leather physical object can only be transmitted at a one-to-one ratio. It follows a decidedly linear progression of exposure, not able to be copied and transmitted exponentially.

Why is it interesting?

I was intrigued by the de-virtualising of the idea of “viral”; solidifying the concept and studying it, like a bug trapped in resin. So often, it takes an unhealthy obession with a discarded piece of fetishwear to highlight the curious nature of viral marketing online. This is no exception.

Big props to Ian, Katie, Emily and enthusiastic MC Tim Longhurst for a well-organised, well-directed and above all interesting night.