Negative reviews spread faster then ever.

When purchasing a product online I always look at reviews.  And if it's not a "product" but something like a restaurant, I will actively look search for reviews if I am not familiar with it.  Like most people, I tend to take the negative reviews with a grain of salt, but if enough people write bad things I will most likely not purchase or visit or whatever.  In an the article "Marketing to a Community" by Juan Martinez he takes a look the power of communities and the importance of branding:

"As more consumers connect to the social Web—and as their connections deepen and their interconnections multiply—they grow more powerful. A company pushing weak merchandise is far less likely to be able to hide behind catchy advertising and attractive packaging. The release of a bad product can be followed by a chain reaction capable of reaching millions of people—instantly. Bloggers post negative reviews, twitterers and Facebook users link to the posts from their profiles, and, before you know it, prospects are suddenly nowhere to be found. 

The pen may have been mightier than the proverbial sword, but word of mouth can kick that pen’s ass. Just ask executives at consumer-packaged-goods giant Nestlé (see “Crashing the Community,” Insight). But does word of mouth end the age-old tug of war between buyer and seller? Have companies thrown their hands up in surrender as they pledge to forevermore release goods of exclusively high quality at exclusively low prices?"

Want more?  Read the entire article here.

-Brianna