Samsung Offered StackOverflow Users $500 For "Organic" Publicity

First time accepted submitter rjmarvin writes "Digital marketing company FLLU, hired by Samsung to promote SSAC, offered $500 to StackOverflow users to pose 'casual and organic' questions over the next month about the 2013 Challenge. Android developer Delyan Kratunov turned them down, then posted the whole exchange on his blog. Outrage, of course, ensued." Sorry, no bounty on the comments below.

Comments

You know what this reminds me of?

[Seumas]

Dice.

Facebook does it, Slashdot does it

[Anonymous Coward]

Ads posing as content. Samsung probably felt left out.

Re:Facebook does it, Slashdot does it

[Joining Yet Again]

If you delegate, YOU are responsible for the fuck-up. It's that simple. Doesn't matter whether it's CEO, employee, or contractor - Samsung have fucked up here.

At least it wasn't outsourcing to the private sector by government. That's the worst thing to happen to modern Western society, as the tail's now permanently wagging the dog.

Re:Samsung, Apple, Phhft

[Nerdfest]

Apple uses religion, not money.

Would've been terribly unsuccessful anyway

[harvestsun]

Here is how it would have gone down:

Question: "Need some feedback on the app I am about to enter for the Samsung Smart App Challenge." (yes, that is an actual quote from the email)
Response: "Welcome to StackOverflow! Please read what this site is about, and "How to ask" before asking a question."

Aaaaand... closed for off-topic within 60 seconds.

StackOverflow has one of the most diligent communities I've ever seen. They wouldn't tolerate this shit.

Re:Would've been terribly unsuccessful anyway

[kylemonger]

The scheme, discovery, and public outrage were probably all part of the plan from the beginning. Lots of people who had never heard of the contest now have heard of the contest. Samsung can ritually fire the marketer, and we can repeat this exercise again next year.

Re:Tricky. I see what you did there.

[Anonymous Coward]

I must admit, seeing this article made me go check out their site. They made this massive organic publicity through the Streisand effect.

Hmm..

I agree I too checked out their site. It indeed added value to my life and would recommend casually to a friend or fellow slash dot user to join me there

Anyone know anything about SSAC?

[Russ1642]

I am about to enter for the Samsung Smart App Challenge. Anyone know have any experience with this?

Not everything is about Apple.

[SuperKendall]

It's hilarious to see an Android apologists like yourself struggle to tie this back to Apple somehow.

How in any way is offering a review unit to someone who may write about a device with every reader knowing they got a review unit, the same as having technical people pretend they were naturally interested in Samsung on a pure technical site and not divulging they were paid to express interest? Can you honestly detect zero difference in the morality of open vs hidden action?

I can imagine you would have quite a different message posted if the name of the company offering money to game technical sites was Apple and not Samsung.