Fake online reviews

And if I told that for 2 dollars a fake positive review can be done for your product and placed in Amazon, TripAdviser, Yelp... ( http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/technology/for-2-a-star-a-retailer-gets-5-star-reviews.html?_r=2&hp ). This article was from 2012, but this is still a major battle area for online retailers, given the importance of reviews on onsite search and consumer preference for a new buy. Online retailers and review-based-sites have the huge task and responsibility of keeping fake reviews and bay, if they want their business model to keep on thriving - as it is.

Sometimes we just want to indulge in great advertising

Should you disturb them?

All subscription services have those customers who are on the wrong subscription plan (they are paying too much for their consumption, or end up consuming a lot more than their plafond and spend more because of that) and don't actively try to change. They seem to be passive on what regards those subscriptions, which, from an Economy science point of view it doesn't make sense - but hey, this is Human nature, and it doesn't abide by perfect laws.

A study published in HBR shows that an incredible percentage of consumers that are contacted by their service provider and offered a better, more suitable plan, actually move out after being contacted (10%, vs 6.4% in a control group that had not been contacted). Probably the contact is the eye opening that they are not losing money or trigger to break passiveness - either way, it seems the company actually increases the chances of losing a customer by contacting this group. So, should they not do it?

Not so fast! One should not forget the message - how are the customers contacted, how good is the offer, what is the objective of the contact. This was overlooked in the HBR study and is actually key for retaining and maximizing a customer's profitability. So, before rushing to contact your passive customer, just put yourself in his / her shoes, design a good approach strategy that is aligned with your objectives and be sensitive in the message you are conveying. That should be the way to do it.

And just one day I talked about authenticity...

... we have Volkswagen scandal, that illustrates how a brand can lose its equity and consumers' confidence with the wrong (and truly unethical and illegal) choice. Let's see where this ends, but, for the VW brand, this is a really harsh blow.

Don't ruin your brand's authenticity

For the past 6 months, "gym brand X" advertised that their competitors were not giving towel, or a gym bag for free - that everything was actually paid by the consumers. Which, makes sense, actually. But what doesn't make sense is that, now, "gym brand X" is starting a "get back to the gym" promo... offering a... new gym bag...

Guys, don't you ever do this! This ruins your brand's authenticity! The consumers that actually agreed with you, nodded, and said "we can't trust these gyms that are saying that they offer us stuff that we pay in our monthly fees; I am lucky because I can trust "gym brand X"" now look at your promo and realise that was just a marketing move - and they will not like it. Consumers are smart people (they are like you and me, we are consumers, actually...), they remember, they can see the dotted lines. So don't try to fool them.

Consumers nowadays have plenty of choice. Which is a great thing! And means that they can be pickier than before and simply choose or reject a brand based on values. Which makes a marketeer job even more exciting, and implies we know, defend and grow our brand's values and purposes. Your brand needs to stand for something, and you need to stand for your brand at the eyes of consumer. 

So, a piece of advice. Be authentic in every marketing move you do.

Would you temporarily re-name your brand?

Yes, you can do it. Nestlé is doing it now in 2015, with one of it's strongest brands. A bold move, Nestlé is re-naming KitKat to names like "Youtube Break" and "Adventure Break". 

The fact is, you can do this with your brand, if it is strong enough (KitKat equity is incredibly strong), your brand communication is more than its name (and, if you look at this link, you will find the brand visuals are kept) and if the new name is completely aligned with your brand equity / communication idea - and what more "kitkatish" would you have than remembering that this brand is all about having a break, and enjoying a moment of pleasure?

Quick project management tip

Get your key stakeholder involved in your project and your solution as early in the process as possible. This way, you will the opportunity to reflect his / hers point of view in the early stages of the project, saving painstaking discussions and changes in later stages.