We all do it. We all read online reviews to help pick what restaurant to eat at, select the new TV for our living room, or choose a new dry cleaner. We look at likes and user comments on music and video sites to identify emerging artists and get a sense of whether the next Hollywood blockbuster is really that good. And we often rely on search rankings to tell us which pages have the most informative and valuable content. People have more access to and more frequently rely upon the recommendations of their peers than ever before. The feedback of others we believe to be like us has the power make or break goods and services. This begs the question: does the market have an obligation to safeguard the authenticity of user-generated content?

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Can Anyone Really Trust
User Generated Content?
Gene Austin — SXSW 2015
#nofakeCGC
@geneaustin_atx

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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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7out of 10
— CNN
83
Million
fake profiles 20
Million
fake accounts
— PRWeek
— Bazaarvoice

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9out of 1010-15%
reviews fakereviews 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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@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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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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@geneaustin_atx

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•
Combating fake content

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38. 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