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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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@geneaustin_atx

•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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@geneaustin_atx

#nofakeCGC

@geneaustin_atx

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?

#nofakeCGC

@geneaustin_atx

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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@geneaustin_atx

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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@geneaustin_atx

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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@geneaustin_atx

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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@geneaustin_atx

Q&A