by Stuart Fuller (CentralNic)
In a series of short articles explaining some of the growing trends in intellectual and physical asset risks, Stuart Fuller examines the very topical issue of fake reviews and the impact it has on brand holders.
A report by the consumer group Which? in October 2018 identified groups on Facebook that were active in recruiting people to write fake five-star and positive reviews for brands. The modus operandi was for the reviewers to purchase the goods from major websites such as Amazon then being refunded by the organisation co-ordinating the reviews in exchange for the glowing reference. In essence, the reviewers received the goods in exchange for writing what could be complete untruths about products.
This isn’t a new issue – the practice has been happening for many years: fake. Whilst paid-for or fake reviews are against the rules of major digital platforms including Amazon and Facebook, the latest Which? investigation proved that the practice of Fliking, or fake liking, is still prevalent in the digital world.
Today, we are more likely to believe what a random stranger says online about a company, product or service than we are a colleague, friend or even a family member. The nature of our relationships have changed irrecoverably due to the digital environment. What this investigation by Which? shows is that not only do we need to take any review with a pinch of salt but that brand holders should actively review the positive as well as negative comment and sentiment about their intellectual property online. Is it feasible that any product, service or destination will be 100% five star reviews? Probably not.
In his study on the power of Social Media, digital trend analyst Erik Qualmann stated that 93% of online shoppers choices are influenced by Social Media and 90% trust peer recommendations over traditional adverts. But if those recommendations are being influenced by favour, whether that is money or product, the reputation and ultimately, the revenues of a brand holder can be seriously impacted.
Paying someone, whether in cash or product, to say something that could be untrue can be classed as misleading, false advertising or fraudulent. In the past Amazon has taken legal action against over a thousand individuals who had advertised their services to provide fake five-star reviews on the website Fiverr.com, uncovered in an article published by The Sunday Times on how easy it was for them to get a book up to the top of one of Amazon's best seller lists through buying fake reviews. TripAdvisor has also attempted to take action against organisations who either created positive reviews for themselves or negative ones for competing businesses.
The Which? Investigation found that sellers of goods on major digital platforms were willing to refund the purchase of an item in return for a five-star, positive review. They found that if they didn’t give the necessary good reviews, they didn’t receive the refund as promised. Policing reviews is a tough job. Amazon says it invests “significant resources” to protect the integrity of reviews on its site. “We have clear participation guidelines for both reviewers and selling partners, and we suspend, ban and take legal action on those who violate our policies.” Part of the reason why e-commerce sites, such as Amazon and eBay have become so big is through the process of giving feedback both on the products bought and the sellers themselves. Once the platforms have taken the necessary steps to verify that the buyer and seller are genuine, it is hard to monitor the authenticity of the product review.
So, what happens if the information we use to make our spending decisions is false? We've grown up with a set of beliefs (in most instances) instilled in us by our parents, siblings and school teachers that make us wary of a bargain. "If it's too good to be true, it probably is" isn't a new consumer warning, yet we seem to conveniently forget that when we go online. But the fraudsters and cyber criminals haven't and use fake social media with impunity to grab our attention, and worse still, is that our natural caution goes out the window. Likewise, what impact do these false reviews have on brand holders?
We seem to think because a hotel or a restaurant has glowing 5-star reviews then it is a world-beater, or if a brand has a Facebook page with thousands of likes then there are no problems. Whilst legitimate brands will use social media or peer review sites such as Tripadvisor, so too do the cyber criminals. They use exactly the same tactics as genuine brand marketeers, building authentic looking websites, creating a social media presence and trying to divert real traffic to their websites. However, the longer the digital footprint is visible for, the more damage it can do to the legitimate brand.
The key to the success of a successful Social Media strategy is getting to your message to the right audience at the right time, or in other words, credibility. This doesn’t matter if you are the brand holder or the infringer. Your audience and methods are exactly the same. Creating a false online presence that gives the impression of credibility has never been easier. A simple search on any search engine throws up plenty of results for websites that can provide Facebook Likes, Twitter and Instagram Followers, LinkedIn Connections and TripAdvisor positive reviews. For less than $100 you can create an impressive Social Media footprint, one which most consumers would be hard-pressed to see through. Combine this with some targeted advertising on Social Media platforms and you have the perfect marketing model for today’s Internet users.
Whilst some of the activity may be nothing more than vanity, creating a false world of positivity, to the consumer there is no clear definition between what's good and what's bad. Brand holders need to monitor reviews on websites to try to detect any patterns that could be as a result of these fake review factories. For any organisation, protecting website traffic, brand reputation, revenues and ultimately customer's welfare are the core objectives of moving their business online. Fliking is the latest risk to them and these strategies.
In a series of short articles explaining some of the growing trends in intellectual and physical asset risks, Stuart Fuller examines the very topical issue of fake reviews and the impact it has on brand holders.
A report by the consumer group Which? in October 2018 identified groups on Facebook that were active in recruiting people to write fake five-star and positive reviews for brands. The modus operandi was for the reviewers to purchase the goods from major websites such as Amazon then being refunded by the organisation co-ordinating the reviews in exchange for the glowing reference. In essence, the reviewers received the goods in exchange for writing what could be complete untruths about products.
This isn’t a new issue – the practice has been happening for many years. fake. Whilst paid-for or fake reviews are against the rules of major digital platforms including Amazon and Facebook, the latest Which? investigation proved that the practice of Fliking, or fake liking, is still prevalent in the digital world.
Today, we are more likely to believe what a random stranger says online about a company, product or service than we are a colleague, friend or even a family member. The nature of our relationships have changed irrecoverably due to the digital environment. What this investigation by Which? shows is that not only do we need to take any review with a pinch of salt but that brand holders should actively review the positive as well as negative comment and sentiment about their intellectual property online. Is it feasible that any product, service or destination will be 100% five star reviews? Probably not.
In his study on the power of Social Media, digital trend analyst Erik Qualmann stated that 93% of online shoppers choices are influenced by Social Media and 90% trust peer recommendations over traditional adverts. But if those recommendations are being influenced by favour, whether that is money or product, the reputation and ultimately, the revenues of a brand holder can be seriously impacted.
Paying someone, whether in cash or product, to say something that could be untrue can be classed as misleading, false advertising or fraudulent. In the past Amazon has taken legal action against over a thousand individuals who had advertised their services to provide fake five-star reviews on the website Fiverr.com, uncovered in an article published by The Sunday Times on how easy it was for them to get a book up to the top of one of Amazon's best seller lists through buying fake reviews. TripAdvisor has also attempted to take action against organisations who either created positive reviews for themselves or negative ones for competing businesses.
The Which? Investigation found that sellers of goods on major digital platforms were willing to refund the purchase of an item in return for a five-star, positive review. They found that if they didn’t give the necessary good reviews, they didn’t receive the refund as promised. Policing reviews is a tough job. Amazon says it invests “significant resources” to protect the integrity of reviews on its site. “We have clear participation guidelines for both reviewers and selling partners, and we suspend, ban and take legal action on those who violate our policies.” Part of the reason why e-commerce sites, such as Amazon and eBay have become so big is through the process of giving feedback both on the products bought and the sellers themselves. Once the platforms have taken the necessary steps to verify that the buyer and seller are genuine, it is hard to monitor the authenticity of the product review.
So, what happens if the information we use to make our spending decisions is false? We've grown up with a set of beliefs (in most instances) instilled in us by our parents, siblings and school teachers that make us wary of a bargain. "If it's too good to be true, it probably is" isn't a new consumer warning, yet we seem to conveniently forget that when we go online. But the fraudsters and cyber criminals haven't and use fake social media with impunity to grab our attention, and worse still, is that our natural caution goes out the window. Likewise, what impact do these false reviews have on brand holders?
We seem to think because a hotel or a restaurant has glowing 5-star reviews then it is a world-beater, or if a brand has a Facebook page with thousands of likes then there are no problems. Whilst legitimate brands will use social media or peer review sites such as Tripadvisor, so too do the cyber criminals. They use exactly the same tactics as genuine brand marketeers, building authentic looking websites, creating a social media presence and trying to divert real traffic to their websites. However, the longer the digital footprint is visible for, the more damage it can do to the legitimate brand.
The key to the success of a successful Social Media strategy is getting to your message to the right audience at the right time, or in other words, credibility. This doesn’t matter if you are the brand holder or the infringer. Your audience and methods are exactly the same. Creating a false online presence that gives the impression of credibility has never been easier. A simple search on any search engine throws up plenty of results for websites that can provide Facebook Likes, Twitter and Instagram Followers, LinkedIn Connections and TripAdvisor positive reviews. For less than $100 you can create an impressive Social Media footprint, one which most consumers would be hard-pressed to see through. Combine this with some targeted advertising on Social Media platforms and you have the perfect marketing model for today’s Internet users.
Whilst some of the activity may be nothing more than vanity, creating a false world of positivity, to the consumer there is no clear definition between what's good and what's bad. Brand holders need to monitor reviews on websites to try to detect any patterns that could be as a result of these fake review factories. For any organisation, protecting website traffic, brand reputation, revenues and ultimately customer's welfare are the core objectives of moving their business online. Fliking is the latest risk to them and these strategies.
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