Reputation Management Online

Consultancy BrandReputation research suggests as much as 84% of online users now turn to the net for reviews before making purchase decisions.  But few marketing executives are either aware of the fact or equipped to manage these reviews which are often negative or mis-informed.

• Consumer electronics 56%
• Home Furnishings 33%
• Apparel 21%
• White Goods 45%
• DIY & Garden 18%
• Entertainment Products 12%
• Sports Goods 9%
• Food 2%

As consumers become more savvy about using the Net, so they will increasingly turn to 3rd parties for advice rather than trusting the brand owner who is seen as dishonest and opaque.

Marketing executives need to rethink brand reputation and who constitutes the owners of the brand.  As Dr John Sullivan described it, “the new owners (of your brand) are a complicated mix of individuals who use a variety of communication channels to influence your brand without your knowledge, consent, or guidance.” As more consumers turn to reviewers, so their first experience of the brand comes through third hands, these opinion formers are now meaningful stakeholders in the brand, but few marketing executives actually pay them much attention.

It has been a truism of brand marketing that you talk to the heart rather than the head, but if the warm fuzy communications are taking place in an ocean of negativity, you will get no traction.

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