If you are looking for information on a product or some evolving issue, where would you go? It used to be mainstream media as a form of gaining information, but over the last couple of years that has changed dramatically. With the rise of technology, citizens and individuals have become more active in this search for information and freely provide it, whether it be videos, blogs, or other online aspects. These actions are all important in creating User Generated Content, or UGC.
I think that the largest aspect or problem people have with UGC deals with trust. An online post from Bruce Clay, Inc noted that one of the positive aspects of UGC is that it is trusted from consumers. They note that people trust the information about the product because not all comments are positive. There are people who give negative reviews and talk about the flaws in the product.
Advertising and marketing is based on the idea of promoting the positive aspects of a product. People naturally want to know what problems there are with the product or to give a more accurate representation. UGC provides a perfect way to get this information in an unbiased way.
With this being said, what will UGC do to the future or appeal of marketing? In an online marketing blog post about User Generated Content for Search Engine Optimization, they said "Consumer distrust of formal marketing communications has in part been facilitated by the alternatives offered through user generated content." What does this mean for marketing companies?
Well as I see it, people aren't always going to look online for information about their products. Consumer behavior isn't going to change that much in terms of brand loyalty for low involvement products, such as toilet paper or potato chips. People aren't going to search online to see which chip is better for instance. However, in terms of high involvement products, such as cars or electronics, I think that the implementation of UGC will have a much greater impact on the consumer decision making process.
Do you think marketers need to change their strategy to rebuild their trust from consumers? Or do you think there is no need for change?
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4 comments:
In regards to your question:
Certainly something in advertising/marketing needs to be changed. Most of us appreciate honesty and I've seen some products catch on to that. For example, the cough syrup who admits tastes like a "restroom puddle" but works very well. I believe consumers appreciate this because if they so choose they could look up the real truth of a product online somewhere else.
I don't expect companies to speak poorly of their products, just don't fabricate truths or exaggerate ability.
UGC definitely provides a unique challenge for marketers. before when one person was dissatisfied they told their circle of friends, but now with all the features of web2.0, an unhappy consumer has the ability to shout their complaints into an ultra-power microphone that potentially everyone can hear.
it comes down to the basis fact of marketing--there is limitless potential to influence the opinion of others. based off this, one side is going to win...the question is, who will make a more compelling argument to a potential consumer? the advertisers glossing over the flaws or the critics pointing out every imperfection?
I think you make a great point. UGC gives consumers an alternative to tradition mainstream sources when looking for information about products. Because we have this alternative, I think people are now less trustful of advertising campaigns, and therefore traditional marketing is less effective. So I don't think marketers really have a choice because traditional advertising isn't going to cut it in the future.
The problem is figuring out alternatives to traditional marketing. If marketers were to disclose the positive and negative aspects of a product, the marketing campaign would probably seen as more reliable. But it would also work against the product- consumers might wonder why the flaws of the product have not been fixed.
As far as I can tell, it's a double-edge sword. But I'll be interested to see how marketers react to UGC in the next few years.
Nice points! I totally agree with you in terms of how trustful the marketing/promotions by the companies. Consumers nowadays are not fool enough to believe what a manufacture says. Product related UGCs are like opinions written by other consumers on online communities, which give others more information. What a challenge for the companies..
(Well, there is one way they can do. Just make a good product and serve the customers well.)
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