Village Voice Media (VVM)—owner of 15 weekly newspapers, including the Seattle Weekly—is using a social-networking company it owns to erode the wall between editorial content and advertising by promoting its advertisers under the guise of community buzz.
In early January, according to Gawker, VVM bought a majority share in the year-old company Likeme.net, a review-based social-networking site much like Yelp.com. On Likeme, users can recommend and write reviews of restaurants, nightclubs, and other businesses, as well as “friend” other site members. (On its web site, Seattle Weekly denied that VVM had bought a majority stake in Likeme.net; however, VVM did not respond to requests for clarification.)
The majority of Likeme’s reviews—which appear on 12 VVM websites, next to editorial content about the businesses—are written by ad representatives for VVM. The reviews, which are exclusively positive, focus on businesses that advertise in VVM papers.
For example, if you search for a review of Nick’s Crispy Tacos on the San Francisco Weekly’s site, a review from Likeme user LaraW is prominently displayed on the San Francisco Weekly’s page for the restaurant under the heading “The Inside Word on Nick’s Crispy Tacos.”
“If you’re looking for a great midweek activity that doesn’t cost a fortune, this is a great place to go,” LaraW gushes. “The crowd is always fun and the food is awesome.”
“Lara W” is actually Lara Weiss, the advertising coordinator for the San Francisco Weekly, where Nick’s Crispy Tacos advertises.
And Weiss isn’t the only advertising staffer at a VVM paper writing reviews. Jessica Hill, the Phoenix New Times marketing director, raves that Phoenix nightclub Bar Smith is “THE place to be on a Saturday night,” while Kansas City Pitch advertising director Britton Hunter proclaims that Waldo Pizza has “excellent pizza and GREAT ranch dressing!!” Bar Smith advertises in the Phoenix New Times; Waldo Pizza advertises in the Pitch. In fact, just about every VVM publisher, promotions manager, and ad rep have accounts on Likeme, which is easy to find when cross-referenced with each paper’s staff list.
Reviews written by advertising sales managers and ad reps on Likeme are prominently posted on the websites of 12 VVM papers—the San Francisco Weekly, [Denver] Westword, Houston Press, [St. Louis] Riverfront Times, Phoenix New Times, Miami New Times, Broward–Palm Beach New Times, Dallas Observer, [Minneapolis] City Pages, Nashville Scene, [Kansas City] Pitch, and the Village Voice. Nothing on these VVM websites indicates that Likeme’s glowing reviews were written by advertising staff.
While not all of VVM’s newspapers have incorporated Likeme into their websites, the ones that haven’t appear to be getting ready to do so. Nearly every member of the ad staff at Seattle Weekly—which is one of the first five Seattle businesses that shows up on Likeme’s Seattle site—has written reviews on Likeme (some of them for Seattle Weekly itself). For example, Debbie Porter, aka “DebbieP,” the Weekly’s promotions manager, writes about the Weekly as if she didn’t work there: “Talk about issues! Boy, do these guys have ’em! Every Wednesday there’s another issue. Another Uptight Seattleite and another horoscope. Love these guys!”
VVM isn’t the first company to engage in this practice, referred to by industry watchdogs as “astroturfing.” Companies such as Sony, Microsoft, and Philip Morris have all built fake grassroots campaigns to promote their own products or slam competitors.
“I think [VVM’s] first obligation is to be honest and transparent,” says Kelly McBride, ethics leader at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. “You lose your marketability when you allow people with an agenda to post. And clearly the ad reps have an agenda: They want to make their clients happy.”
McBride adds, “When you create the false impression yourself… that’s really, really bad. It’s inherently dishonest, and I’d think it undermines your credibility.”
VVM management did not return calls for comment. 
This article has
been updated since its original publication.
OK, so lots of people can think of reasons why The Stranger isn’t allowed to write about this.
Anyone willing to argue that Likeme.net has a shred of credibility?
I’m not surprised at all about the CityPages. That paper sucks some chunks.
Let me add to that comment. While CityPage’s involvement in these activities comes as no surprise, I am still VERY glad that Jonah took the time to research and write this piece. This means that I have some tangible, icky proof to back up my feelings about that Minneapolis paper, which was formerly based on a vague but ever-present dislike. All those who say that The Stranger shouldn’t waste its time with “Mudslinging,” on its local competitors, listen up: being able to read this news as a resident of the Midwest is satisfying, and useful. Our papers certainly wouldn’t sling mud on themselves.
This is the result of corporate media taking over true alternative weeklies. There are only a few true ones left, and most of them can’t be bothered being part of associations that pretend to be alternative.
Social media is a fad and the more companies cannibalize themselves by taking away the value of holding a newspaper, they will continue to create their own problems. Try investing in more reporters instead of different media. If I was an advertiser I would go with something like radio, an industry that doesn’t try to become something else and keeps true to their mission even when the wind blows.
I’ve worked for VVM for a few years now (not in sales or marketing). I’d put my name here, but I don’t want anyone judging my LikeMe recommendations.
I agree that ad reps shouldn’t pimp their current or prospective clients on LikeMe. Their bosses should discourage that. The problem is, this obviously rushed, biased hit on a competitor doesn’t prove anything but that some ad reps like some businesses that happens to run in their paper.
The story also claims that VVM owns a majority stake in LikeMe, implying some large financial investment in social marketing. But Jonah’s only support for that assertion is a source-less story on Gawker. Worse, the original version of this story didn’t even credit Gawker; the Stranger obviously only added that after VVM, on the Seattle Weekly’s site, said explicitly that it doesn’t own LikeMe. Yet, despite that rebuttal, this story still asserts that VVM owns LikeMe, basically relying on an anonymously sourced story on a gossip site while ignoring a public statement from the principle subject of the story. I know the Stranger’s bias is obvious, but shit — couldn’t you just pretend?
There’s also no proof that the businesses reviewed by the sales people are even their clients. I’m sure some are; it’s a rough time to be in ad sales, and I’m sure they’re taking any edge they can. But you can’t just assume that because they’re writing about a client that it’s their client. What if they just like the damn place?
Again, I’m not condoning what the named ad-sales folks are accused of doing. I’m just saying, if you’re going to accuse someone doing something untoward — especially when that someone’s demise would directly benefit you — you should do a little reporting first. Alt-weekly reporters — Nigel up in Portland is a great example — have to work so hard to convince the public that they’re trustworthy news sources. This is the sort of lazy sniper journalism that makes people think alt-weeklies are little more than the Hooker Yellow Pages.
Since I was quoted in this article, I feel it is important to inform you and your readers that the 5 reviews I wrote on likeme.net are, in fact, 5 of my favorite places to go. These bars and restaurants, advertisers or not, are places that I visit on a frequent – weekly to monthly – basis. The suggestion that I wrote such reviews dishonestly is both completely inaccurate and insulting. I am an honest person and was only trying to relay my opinion about my personal preferences so that others might obtain more insight on places they’ve not yet visited.
Who the hell is Francis P. from Los Angeles and why is he the one that uploaded all these Seattle businesses photos? Seems pretty fishy to me.
“Why does anyone care?”
Okay, yes, the Stranger may be a local paper, but does that mean it’s not allowed to cover ubiquitous issues?
The references to the Weekly seem mostly to be concrete examples of what’s going on… they could have chosen any other VVM paper, but then more of you probably would’ve bitched that it wasn’t local.
Interesting article. But left me wondering: is this back-scratching an increase from before as more printed newspapers are going out of business? To try to keep up funding?
I heard the staff at The Stranger eat babies.
discuss.
Hmmm…I remember that the Seattle weekly ran a feature piece, including full page cover of a ” male prostitute ” when I was trying to get them to do a piece on an effort I was involved in that had to do with humanitarian issues – they passed on my story.
The media is a mess, as an expatriate I am still bombarded with CNN talking heads that tell me how bad thing’s are, from their 200,000$ a year perch….
American media, the print is excellent for bird cages, and the electronic good for nothing, next…!
Wait, let me get this straight.
Some Gawker contributor cites an unnamed source (under the heading “Rumormonger”) claiming that VVM has bought a majority stake in LikeMe.
A VVM publication (SeattleWeekly) explicitly denies this, and VVM doesn’t comment.
So JSL and TheStranger report it as true?
That’s some fine reportin’ there.
WOW its so easy to write posts. Why don’t more people spam the hell out of this forum!!!!
The media is a mess, as an expatriate I am still bombarded with CNN talking heads that tell me how bad thing’s are, from their 200,000$ a year perch….
I’m sow shad. Boo hoo. Unsmiley face.
🙁