astroturfing

 
Pronunciation: /ˈastrəʊtəːfɪŋ/

noun

[mass noun]
  • the deceptive practice of presenting an orchestrated marketing or public relations campaign in the guise of unsolicited comments from members of the public.

Origin:

1990s: from AstroTurf, the idea being that such a campaign is an artificial version of a grass-roots campaign (see grass roots)