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American consumers are no longer taking the recommendations of family or friends at face value, according
to the latest Cone research. Before deciding whether to purchase recommended products or services, more
than four-out-of-five consumers (81%) will go online to verify those recommendations, specifically through
researching product/service information (61%), reading user reviews (55%) or searching ratings websites
(43%). These are among the findings of the newly released 2010 Cone Online Influence Trend Tracker.
Whom Do Consumers Trust?
As consumers have become increasingly impervious to traditional media, marketers have realized that
consumers are turning to their personal network of friends, family and acquaintances to confirm their
opinions prior to making purchase decisions. Heeding this behavior shift, marketers began targeting
consumers’ inner circles with word-of-mouth then social media campaigns as the new marketing tipping
point for purchase decisions. Today, these campaigns are no longer enough. Data from the 2010 Cone
Online Influence Trend Tracker reveal consumers have added yet another step prior to reaching for the
credit card – online verification.
Online Verification: The New Consumerism Norm
Increasing skepticism of traditional media, technology advancements and growing online connectivity have
all combined to give consumers ultimate control of their research volume before deciding what, when and
how to buy. Thus, personal recommendations alone are no longer enough to guarantee a purchase, as
three-quarters of consumers (77%) agree they are more likely to purchase products or services when they
can find additional recommendations about them online. Among 25- to 34-year-olds, online verification is
even more vital; 91 percent will go online to verify recommendations before making a purchase and nearly
the same number (90%) are more likely to purchase products or services after finding additional online
recommendations.
Cost Not a Factor, Consumers Verify Product Claims
This information-seeking behavior is not exclusive to high-cost purchases. Consumers will verify
recommendations online for products or services at a range of price points, including:
• Low cost: 72% of Americans would go online to do additional research about
recommended movies or restaurants;
• Moderate cost: 85% would go online to do additional research about recommended
computer equipment; and,
• High cost: 82% would go online to do additional research about a recommended car.
Cost may not be a factor, but the tone of online information plays a powerful role in the purchase decision,
often outweighing the initial recommendation. More than two-thirds of consumers (68%) agree negative
product or service information found online can be a mitigating factor in deciding whether to purchase.
Conversely, positive information reinforces purchase recommendations for a full 80 percent of Americans.
Online verification does take on a more crucial role for certain purchase criteria. For example, two-thirds of
consumers will go online to verify recommendations about products or services they’ll own for many years
(66%) or those that have an unfamiliar feature (65%). Product claims are also fair game, as Americans will
verify recommended products or services with health and safety claims (66%).
CONSUMERS LOOK ONLINE TO VERIFY PURCHASE
RECOMMENDATIONS, EVEN FROM THEIR
MOST TRUSTED SOURCES

2. 855 Boylston Street I Boston MA 02166 I www.coneinc.com
phone: 617.227.2111 fax: 617.523.3955BUILDING BRAND TRUST SM
Strangers 2%Co-workers 2%
Other Acquaintances
Friends
Family
63%
31%
2%
Americans trust family and friends for product or service recommendations:
0 20 40 60 80 100
BUT, American consumers still go ONLINE to verify recommendations about
products or services before deciding whether to purchase them:
Total 81%
91%
77%
90%
66%
74%
55%
69%
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
After getting a recommendation about a product
or service I may want to purchase, I go online to
do additional research about that product or
service before deciding whether to purchase it.
I am more likely to purchase products or
services when I can find additional
recommendations about them online.
After getting a recommendation about a
product or service, I go online to do additional
research about its HEALTH AND SAFETY CLAIMS
before deciding whether to purchase it.
After getting a recommendation about a product
or service, I go online to do additional research
about its ENVIRONMENTAL CLAIMS before
deciding whether to purchase it.
2010 Online Influence
Trend Tracker
Fact Sheet

3. 855 Boylston Street I Boston MA 02166 I www.coneinc.com
phone: 617.227.2111 fax: 617.523.3955BUILDING BRAND TRUST SM
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
After getting a recommendation
about a product or service I want to purchase that
benefits a SOCIAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSE, I go
online to do additional research before deciding
whether to purchase it.
After getting a recommendation about a
NONPROFIT I may want to support, I go online to
do additional research about that nonprofit before
deciding whether to support it.
Americans will also go online to verify recommendations about products
associated with causes or nonprofit organizations they are considering supporting:
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total 62%
75%
80%
71%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Research product/service information
Search for consumer or user reviews
Search for the product/service on ratings
websites (e.g., Consumer Reports, Angie’s
List, Yelp!, etc.)
Search for opinions from product/service
experts
Read articles or blog posts about the
product/service
Solicit opinions from social network(s)
Consumers go online to search for product or service information and user
reviews before deciding whether to purchase recommended products or services:
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
61%
55%
43%
28%
38%
10%
23%
37%
42%
43%
61%
66%
2010 Online Influence Trend Tracker - Fact Sheet

4. 855 Boylston Street I Boston MA 02166 I www.coneinc.com
phone: 617.227.2111 fax: 617.523.3955BUILDING BRAND TRUST SM
0
20
40
60
80
100
Has NEGATIVE information
you’ve read online ever made
you change your mind about
purchasing a product or service
recommended to you?
Has POSITIVE information you’ve
read online ever reinforced your
decision to purchase a product or
service recommended to you?
The tone of information found online will determine whether consumers decide
to purchase recommended products or services:
Yes
80%
Yes
68%
Ages25-34
87%
74%
Total
Ages25-34
Total
0
20
40
60
80
100
Low Cost
I would go online to
do additional research
about movies or
restaurants that were
recommended to me
(e.g., I read reviews,
watch trailers, look at
an online menu, etc.).
Moderate Cost
I would go online to
do additional research
about computer
equipment that was
recommended to me
(e.g., I look at the
product’s website, read
online articles from a
tech magazine, etc.).
High Cost
I would go online to
do additional research
about a car that was
recommended to me
(e.g., I look at Car &
Driver’s website, read
reviews, etc.).
Cost is not a factor when Americans decide whether to verify product or service
recommendations online:
Ages25-34
Total
Ages25-34
Total
Ages25-34
Total
72%
88%
85%
82%
93%93%
2010 Online Influence Trend Tracker - Fact Sheet

5. 855 Boylston Street I Boston MA 02166 I www.coneinc.com
phone: 617.227.2111 fax: 617.523.3955BUILDING BRAND TRUST SM
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
When it is a product or service I’ll
own or use for many years.
When it is a product or service that is
new or has a new feature I’m not yet
familiar with.
When the product or service is one
I’ve spent a long time looking for.
When the product or service will require
a time commitment (e.g., a movie will
take up three hours of my day, a dinner
at a new restaurant will take up an
entire evening), and I want to ensure
my time will be well spent.
Consumers will go online to verify recommendations about a product or service:
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
Ages 25-34
Total
66%
65%
50%
33%
45%
52%
64%
63%
About the Survey:
The 2010 Cone Online Influence Trend Tracker presents the findings of an online survey conduct-
ed June 7-8, 2010 by ORC among a representative U.S. sample of 1,055 adults comprising 513
men and 542 women 18 years of age and older. The margin of error associated with a sample of
this size is + 3%.
About Cone:
Cone (www.coneinc.com) is a strategy and communications agency engaged in building brand
trust. Cone creates stakeholder loyalty and long-term relationships through the development and
execution of Cause BrandingSM
, Brand Marketing, Corporate Responsibility, Nonprofit Marketing
and Crisis Prevention and Management initiatives. Cone is a part of the Omnicom Group (NYSE:
OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com).
2010 Online Influence Trend Tracker - Fact Sheet