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