Third-party+endorsement


 * __Third-party Endorsement__**

As defined in [|businessdictionary.com], third party endorsement is the solicited or unsolicited recommendation or [|testimonial] from an entity (usually a customer or user) other than the manufacturer and seller of a product or service. (1) Because a public relations practitioner aims to provide information in hopes of persuading an audience to buy a product, support an issue, or vote for a candidate, third party endorsements are a popular tool of the profession. From the birth of newspapers, advertisers realized that the third party endorsement of apparently independent editorial reporting delivered their message more cheaply – and arguably more credibly – than paid advertising. (2)  // Expert // endorsements are often used in business for marketing purposes. A third party endorsement is typically a statement or recommendation about a products and/or services from customers and business associates, but these endorsements work especially well when the person who is considered a specialist or an authority in a particular area communicates their positive opinion about the product or service being offered. // Journalists // and alternative media also provide sources of third-party endorsement. The news media can add credibility to an organization’s message and the added credibility of being endorsed by a reputable journalist can go a long way toward achieving the acceptance of objectives of the organization. The media has the power of third party endorsement because an entity outside the organization preparing the message, in this case reporters, editors and news directors, is in some way attesting to the significance and validity of the information being presented. (4) Through a mixture of lobbying, public campaigning, and polling, a range of oppositions can be galvanized and help feed third party opinions to the media, the effect of which, is bypassing the need for institutional legitimacy. Instead, a voice is gained using the legitimacy possessed by other sources such as the public, “experts”, politicians, or another supposedly neutral group. (3) === // Celebrity // product endorsements are also particularly popular. A public figure expresses his or her interest in a product or service in an effort to pique consumer interest. [|Oprah’s Book Club], for example, is a celebrity endorsement that practically guarantees that the selected authors become instant best sellers. Oprah’s viewing public is lead to believe that this famous person whom they admire has of her own free will formed an unsolicited opinion on the quality of the book, and is recommending that the public read it. Whether this endorsement is truly unsolicited and not compensated, the public does not know. Celebrity endorsements are not restricted to products. If Oprah’s endorsement can elevate a book to best seller status, one might wonder what effect her endorsement of a presidential candidate may have on the outcome of the U.S. election… === The question arises, is it ethical to compensate a person, be they famous, a journalist, or an expert in a particular field, to speak favorably in public about a product? Some organizations would have consumers believe that the endorsement is unsolicited and uncompensated, even if most consumers are likely to be skeptical of such reviews, it can be considered a deceptive practice. The public must ask themselves, who is the author of the message and what is their motive? Not all third party endorsements need come from a famous person, an expert in a field, or a reputable journalist. In this day of online journaling, [|bloggers] are increasingly being used for third-party endorsements. In some cases, bloggers may receive gratuities from a company in hopes that they will be incited to diarize a positive message about a product. This becomes an ethical concern because such writings may manipulate public opinion of the company’s product because the public has received a message they believe to be from an impartial third party when in fact they are being deceived since this endorsement may not have been completely unsolicited. Instead, it was in fact a strategy used to promote the product. The public may never know the motives of the blogger’s endorsement.
 * What is third-party endorsement?**
 * Types of third-party endorsement: **
 * Why might third-party endorsement be an ethical concern? **

Third-party endorsement and the public relations professional:
In the practice of public relations, the professional hired to represent an organization becomes a sort of third party endorser. The practitioner is a paid spokesperson for the product / service or organizational message who delivers information to the public often regardless of personal opinions or moral beliefs. A PR professional hired to speak publicly on behalf of a company has an agenda rather than the pure communication of a message to society. (5)  The [|Public Relations Society of America] requires that members must reveal sponsors and must not claim that an endorsement is independent and impartial, if it is not. They are to understand that they represent the society in their actions and conduct and the misrepresentation of an endorsement is not acceptable, although, because public relations is not a licensed field, there is currently nothing aside from individual ethics to stop a someone from practicing outside the association’s guidelines. (1) third-party endorsement: BusinessDictionary.com. Retrieved October 21, 2008, from BusinessDictionary.com
 * References: **

(2) Linning, R. (2004). Abuse and self-abuse – PR and its USP, plausible deniability. //Journal of Communication Management 9//(1), p. 65-72.
(3) Davis, A. (2002). //Public Relations Democracy: Public Relations, Politics and the Mass Media in Britain//. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, p. 160. (4) (5) Ronald D Smith (2005). //Strategic Planning for Public Relations//. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Buffalo, NY. P. 181.