A Wider Net

Here’s an insightful piece about a recent flak in the gaming industry concerning the rumored firing of an employee from top-tier gaming site Gamespot because he gave a game a bad review. The rumor contends that the game’s publisher offered a six-figure advertising deal in return for the reviewers head on a platter. Regardless of exactly why he is no longer with Gamespot, the piece really discusses the relative value of “professional” reviews versus the reviews and opinions of actual consumers. From the article, and the comments, it’s clear what this group feels - user reviews are far more valuable anyway.

While there are quite a few articles about companies scamming user reviews by paying people to pose as users in order to skew the user ratings, ratings from large volumes of legitimate users tend to overpower those efforts. At the end of the day, there is nothing more trusted than the direct recommendation of a trusted friend. That’s where everyone is headed - finding ways to connect buyers with the opinions of their friends and peers.

You can apply this to most any marketing and communications program - not just B2C campaigns. Attendees of a conference will find value in peer recommendations of breakout sessions, exhibits, hotels, and evening activities. Sales employees will appreciate knowing which tools and techniques have worked best for their teammates. A webcast audience will more readily choose to watch archived programs if their friends or coworkers recommend them. Building in the ability for people to rate, recommend, and review content as well as the ability to track the opinions of people they actually know, will ultimately benefit you as well as your audience.

Now, on a B2C note, I would be willing to buy this amazing robotic critter, only if I could find anyone I know who bought and loved it.