Thursday, 28 February 2013

Bad Reviews Can Boost Sales. Here’s Why


As per conventional perception it is believed that any publicity is good publicity. Bad reviews about a product or service might boost sales. So it is remarkable to think about when it helps versus hurts. 
 
The impact of negative publicity depends on existing product awareness.  While negative publicity harms products that already had broad awareness, it facilitates products that are comparatively unknown. 
 
Just as negative reviews can boost the accessibility of unknown products, negative word-of-mouth may have similar effects.  While negative publicity should turn most people away, slightly negative publicity may increase interest enough to have positive effects even in the short term.  One could also argue that negative reviews may be more interesting to read and more likely to be shared with friends, and if so, this could lead one negative review to generate greater word-of-mouth and have a larger overall effect than a similar positive review.  
It would also be interesting to observe whether, through making the product more accessible, negative consideration to notion that are theoretically linked to a product can also influence sales. Actors, musicians, and even writers sometimes receive negative news coverage for various indiscretions.  Could negative press about a musician affect the success of their albums, even if the publicity never mentions their music? 
  
It may!  
Analyses indicated that negative publicity, even of an indirect nature, was linked to sales.  Jackson sold more albums in times when he was in the news for child molestation charges. Though it has nothing to do with the quality of Jackson’s music, they may influence sales through a similar mechanism as product reviews.  Just as product reviews should increase the likelihood a product is top-of-mind, so too should attention to conceptually related cues in the environment. Increased media attention to Jackson should make him more accessible in consumers’ minds, which, in turn, should increase the likelihood that they buy his music. 
 
In summary, though companies and individuals often try to squash negative publicity, but in some cases it can actually have positive effects.  It does not signify that all downbeat information will have upbeat effects, and it is still important to be aware of consumer reaction

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