Naver has confirmed that it has expanded the exposure of blog posts titled 'My Money's Worth' (purchasing and experiencing a product with one's own money) in line with the Fair Trade Commission's policy to eradicate 'behind-the-scenes advertising' (the act of promoting as if satisfied with a product after receiving advertising money).
According to Naver on the 13th, a new feature has been added that allows users to view blog posts titled 'My Money's Worth' after receiving purchase verification in the Places service. Naver Places refers to a service that provides detailed information about stores and businesses linked to Naver Maps. The company expects that the increased frequency of blog posts about 'My Money's Worth' will positively influence user choices, as it is the number one map app in Korea with 30.52 million users as of June.
Naver introduced the 'My Money's Worth' certification for blogs in September 2023. The feature is intended to create a 'virtuous cycle' that allows blog operators who write valuable reviews rather than engage in behind-the-scenes advertising to gain recognition, while providing users with reliable information. The core of this service overhaul is the expansion of verified posts, which had previously been showcased primarily through PC and mobile searches, to the 'Places service.'
Blog operators must provide verification through ▲ purchases made via Naver Pay ▲ visiting history through Naver Orders and Reservations to write 'My Money's Worth' posts. Posts with attached verification information will display a banner at the top that reads, 'This post contains a My Money's Worth review' along with the verification information.
Naver Blog has been considered a major platform for behind-the-scenes advertising. The Fair Trade Commission found 22,011 suspected behind-the-scenes advertising posts during a social media (SNS) inspection last year, with 9,423 of these, or 42.81%, being blog posts on Naver. This is the second highest number after Instagram (10,195).
As consumer damage from behind-the-scenes advertising increases, the Fair Trade Commission is also preparing policy measures to prevent it. The commission had conducted an administrative notice regarding the amendment of the 'Deceptive Labeling and Advertising Review Guidelines' until the 9th of last month. This notice included that actions to conceal or omit the fact of receiving economic compensation from advertisers while recommending or introducing products (behind-the-scenes advertising) would be classified as a type of deceptive labeling and advertising.
After the introduction of Naver Blog's 'My Money's Worth' certification, the certification rate over about two years has stood at 57% for shopping and 44% for visits. Naver plans to expand the certification marking 'My Money's Worth' in the shopping sector to eradicate behind-the-scenes advertising and false reviews. Separately, the company guides blog operators to clearly indicate 'economic interests' when they write recommendations and reviews for specific products while receiving economic compensation.
A Naver official noted, 'Since establishing the My Money's Worth certification feature, the trustworthiness of creators' content has increased, and search users can refer to the content without concerns over false reviews,' adding, 'We will further expand the scope of the My Money's Worth certification to build a trustworthy review ecosystem.'