We Say Beware The H-Commerce "Bear"

McAfee is in the business of selling anti-virus and security software, great. 

However, in its new HCommerce "fear-mercial" -- "There is a network of organized crime growing larger by the day" -- McAfee appears to be implying that it offers some kind of adult-version of an Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective Service for Ohio Grandmothers that foolishly wire their home equity to Nigeria.

Get to the end of the commercial and you are directed to go to "stophcommerce.com."  

If you are actually interested in buying something there, you are ultimately redirected to the McAfee site where you are just offered:  McAFee Virus Scan, Internet Security, or Total Protection.   

Problem is that if some waiter or customer service puke gets hundreds of credit card numbers including yours and decides to "drop kick" them to some outfit in Bulgaria, is McAfee going to save your ass? And If some guy takes the time to do a little search-engine homework on your rich aunt before capitalizing on her giving nature, is McAfee really going to be barring the door?   No to both.    

The HCommerce ad is magnificently misleading and should only be broadcast with a disclaimer that specifies exactly what goods and/or services McAfee actually sells to the public.   I say beware the HCommerce "Bear" ("Fear-Trip")  -- McAfee doesn't sell a solution to counter the fear said "Trip" conveys

Comments

[Pamela de Liz]

Your blog post, which I referenced kicked off a discussion on a 'Linked-In' discussion group forum board.

The Linked-In forum is called: "NSA Information Assurance".

I posed the following question to the group members:

Q: "How do IA Gov't pros deal with the impact of 'fear-mongering commercials' which are designed by marketing professionals to sell a vendor's cyber security products to the General Public?"
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One forum participant has replied:

"1. Ignore - Don't validate or draw attention to what is ridiculous unless someone brings it your attention.
2. Refute - If it is brought to your attention point out the fallacies in the content and educate the person in how Fear Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) are used to market to less critical thinkers. Reinforce the idea that whoever you are talking to is highly educated and rational so are unlikely to be swayed.
3. Redirect - If a decision maker makes the call to act on specious information ensure the response activities are targeted at effective enhancement of security posture. Often this is the sort of thing that drives funding so when handed lemons, make lemonade, limoncello and a pleasant smelling cleaning agent."
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I thought your blog post is significant, because it shows that social media disinformation and misinformation can adversely influence the public cyber-policy debate.

I was wondering if you would like to add your comments and thoughts on the question I posed as well?

[Internet Protection]

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[webmarketing]

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