In brief - If astroturfing misleads consumers, it
breaches Australian Consumer Law
"Astroturfing" refers to an orchestrated expression of
support for a cause, whether a product, service or policy, designed
to give the impression of a "grassroots" movement. If
this practice misleads consumers, it breaches both the Australian Consumer Law and the Code of Ethics of the Australian Association of
National Advertisers (AANA).
Astroturfing as a new form of PR campaign
The rapid rise in the use of a variety of social media platforms
by businesses to promote their brands and products online has
created an environment ripe for the new phenomenon of
astroturfing.
What is designed to appear to be a genuine grassroots movement
or groundswell of support is in fact a sophisticated and carefully
targeted PR campaign. The term is derived from the brand of
synthetic carpeting designed to look like real grass:
AstroTurf.
