Stealth Risks of Regulating Stealth Marketing: A Comment on Ellen Goodman's 'Stealth Marketing and Editorial Integrity'

Abstract:     
In this response piece to Ellen Goodman's Stealth Marketing and Editorial Integrity, 85 Tex. L. Rev. 83 (2006), Professor Goldman explores the potential adverse consequences of Professor Goodman's proposal for sponsorship disclosure laws. More specifically, Goldman argues that any deliberation of such disclosure laws must consider: (i) why consumers desire to know the source of content; (ii) whether consumer distrust of marketing wrongly affects consumers' evaluation of content; and (iii) the adverse effects of noisy disclosures.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 6

Keywords: stealth marketing, payola, commercial speech, consumer behavior, sponsorship disclosure laws, broadcasting, search engines

JEL Classification: D83, K2, K23, L51, L82, L86, M31, M37

Accepted Paper Series