Online consumers, when looking through product reviews, are understandably concerned about the authenticity of reviews. But it is getting harder for the less reputable merchants to get away with acquiring fake reviews. One reason is that consumers have resources like ReviewMeta at their disposal. ReviewMeta does a very good job at applying statistical analysis to detect unnatural reviews. We tested ReviewMeta on a few products on Amazon. By concentrating on some more unusual products, after a few attempts, we found … Read more

Brand Building and Reputation Management Are Today’s Business Imperatives

© 2016 FirozPatel

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, businesses are struggling to stay ahead of the race. The growing popularity of social media and online websites as a means for consumers to voice their opinions has made the game even more difficult. Hence we see an increased focus on brand building and reputation management especially online reputation management.

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Reputation Management

Cyber crime has dominated the news of late, the cyber attack by the WannaCry ransomware being the most significant. The focus has been on the affect on the NHS, but companies such as Fedex were also affected. Fedex put out a statement that it was “experiencing interference”. Other major companies affected by data breaches since the beginning of the year include loan company Wonga and the insurance firm RSA. UK SME’s are also being targeted, perhaps because cyber-issues are … Read more

Eggs Benedict – a dish consisting of poached eggs and sliced ham on toasted muffins, covered with hollandaise sauce (according to Google). Not that I had to look up the definition as I am perfectly familiar with this tantalising and exquisite dish. But where are the best places in London where you can go to relinquish your eggy desire?

A “Nancy Y” (Hong Kong) specifically singled out The Bishop’s Gate kitchen on TripAdvisor as serving a “Good Egg Benedict”. Rachel … Read more

There is a small Taiwanese restaurant in Soho called Bao. Visitors are awarded with great, tasting food and in turn the top review sites Google, Timeout and Tripadvisor are in unison and reflect a rating of 4.5 or there abouts. The name derives from the fact that much of the food comes in delightful white fluffy buns. The drinks menu also delights with an extensive choice of Sakés, beers, ciders and tea. Congratulations to Bao to achieve such consistent plaudits … Read more

The Gibson bar, renowned for its world class cocktails, is enjoying a 4.9 review rating on Google. Only 2 of the reviews awarded by the 34 delighted and presumably slightly chilled out visitors were anything less than 5 star. The business owner impressed by responding to the vast majority of the reviews, even though the number of reviews was not vast (compared with the Nightjar’s 187 reviews, for example). The cocktails that were specifically mentioned in the reviews included … Read more

The Grosvenor Fish Bar in Norwich has impressed with not only a fine 4.7 star rating on Google, but has achieved this by collecting 56 Google reviews and over a thousand on Tripadvisor. I am quick notice how they respond to  many of the reviews and have time, despite running a very busy business, to maintain the Q&A section on tripadvisor.  I think this business sets a great example in terms of its reviews online and, as one reads … Read more

Why is it that some people come across more confident and professional sounding? There are the obvious signs such as body language, use of good grammar and clear demonstration that one is well educated and has good knowledge of the subject matter being discussed. But there are a few traits that are becoming more frequent. The first is ‘vocal fry’, a tendency to add a kind … Read more

There have been numerous cases of brands suffering from events outside the control of the businesses behind them. These events include: