It was only a matter of time before fake bloggers and fake friends on Facebook became a marketer’s tool.
The story goes like this: three Montrealers create a blog about cycling. They met because of a shared passion – riding their bike – and chose to write to promote bikes as the main mode of transportation in Montreal. Mélanie Gomez, Jean-Michel Simoneau and Pénélope Riopelle wrote often and well about their passion on their blog: “à vélo citoyen” (On your bike citizens).
To promote their blog, they created a Facebook page. 1300 friends signed up.
Their blog was so popular that in July 2008 it got an exclusive from a good source; a photo of the prototype of the new Bixi, the self-serve bicycle sponsored by the City of Montreal (being officially launched today). A few days later, the City of Montreal confirmed on the blog that this was in fact the prototype.
Great buzz for the city. But also a great controversy since we now know that Mélanie, Jean-Michel and Pénélope do not exist. They’re the creation of Montreal Parking and its agency Morrow Communications.
Some are quite upset over this.
Get over it. And make sure you collect real friends on Facebook or accept the social network for what it has become; a public marketing tool where people continue to share their private lives.
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