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Can Anyone Really Trust
User Generated Content?Gene Austin — SXSW 2015
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It takes 20 years to build a
reputation – and 5 minutes
to ruin it. -Warren Buffet
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•What is Consumer Generated Content (CGC)?
•How has trust in CGC evolved?
•What are the big issues keeping us from a desired state?
•What are the best practices to ensure authenticity?
Today we’ll answer
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What exactly is CGC?
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Spheres of influence in 2005
Experts
Closest friends &
family
You
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Strangers
Social groups
Closest friends &
family
You
Today
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By 2018, 59% of all retail sales in the U.S. will be influenced by
web content, accounting for more than $2 trillion in sales.
Forrester Research, Inc., “US Cross-Channel Retail Sales Forecast: 2014 to 2018”Sucharita Mulpuru, Sept. 3, 2014
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You
Future state
Strangers
Social groups
Closest friends &
family
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Erosion of credibility
Businesses motivated by short term
gains not long term relationships
Standards & technology
What is keeping us
from this future state?
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Myth: No one trusts reviews anymore.
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7 out of 10
— CNN
83 Millionfake profiles
20Millionfake accounts
— PR Week
— Bazaarvoice
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9 out of 1010-15%reviews fake
reviews are genuineTruth:People are actually getting savvier about CGC.
— Gartner, “"The Consequences of Fake Fans, 'Likes' and
Reviews on Social Networks”, 2012
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Myth: It is easy to identify fake content.
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Fraud in 2010
Wonderful
Great staff
Customer service
Friendly
Clean
Best hotels
Stay always
Location
Comfortable
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Fraud today
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Truth:Authenticity today is much more complicated.
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Myth: Bad reviews are bad for business.
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Consumers who saw brands’ responses to product misuse, with guiding instructions, were more likely to buy the product and felt more positively about the product.
Increase in intent to purchase
Increase in product sentiment
Truth:A blend of sentiment in content is more credible!
186% 157%
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Erosion of credibility
Businesses motivated by short term
gains not long term relationships
Standards & technology
What is keeping us
from this future state?
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Forms of fakery
Content suppression (editing, altering, etc.)
Paying for contentMaligning or penalizing negative reviewers
Trolling behaviorContent classification (cherry-picking, prioritizing the display order)
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Paying for content
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Altering content
We have all visited websites and seen perfectly written 4-5 star reviews on a particular product or service, and then visited a different site with much more “honest” reviews.
Mockup of coffee example
Actual
Edited
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Maligning or penalizing
negative reviewers
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Erosion of credibility
Businesses motivated by short term
gains not long term relationships
Standards & technology
What is keeping us
from this future state?
#nofakeCGC
@geneaustin_atx
#nofakeCGC
@geneaustin_atx
•
Combating fake content
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Confidential and Proprietary. © 2015 Bazaarvoice, Inc. 38
How businesses
can fight fraud
Authenticity policy including:
• Free from fraud and spam
• Free of edits, classification, alteration
• Transparent
Necessary technologies, processes, and people
Verified purchases
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Be aware! Look for:
•Badging (membership, verified purchase, incentivized)
•Assurances (i.e.: trust mark or published authenticity policy)
•How the brand responds to negative feedback
•A blend of volume and sentiment, combined with consideration of how established the brand is
Consumers: How to protect
yourselves from fraud
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Q&A