Let me start by saying that this week's reading was totally opposite of Andy's book. I felt the WOMMA Code of Ethics was difficult to internalize because of its dense and wordy nature. I understand the purpose of having the code, but I definitely enjoyed how simply Andy outlined some of these important values in WOM marketing, in contrast to the WOMMA code of ethics.
That aside, there were a few important aspects that I think are worth highlighting and should be considered in all codes of ethics. This includes many of the core values that members of WOMMA share. The most important of these values to me is trust, especially in the way that WOMMA sees it: "WOMMA members are committed to engaging in practices and policies that promote an environment of trust between the consumer and marketer."
I thought this interpretation of trust was important because I never thought of a consumer as putting their 'trust' into a marketer. After reading this code, I realized that a consumer must choose on a daily basis whether or not to trust what a marketer is telling them. How do we know that our IPOD will be able to hold over 2,000 songs? We must trust the marketer who is telling us this. Not only can this marketer be an Apple employee, they could be your friend who is spreading WOM marketing by telling you that their IPOD holds over 2,000 songs.
Without an environment of trust between the consumer and the marketer, it would be difficult for commerce to even function. Consumers have to trust that what the marketer is telling them is true in order to put their trust in the product or service. The fact that this is one of WOMMA's core values is important because it sets a standard for marketers to live up to the trust expectation that consumers have of them.
Until next time!
Rache
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