MyTechnologyCompany.com

I am continually surprised to see companies try to control marketing messages in today's open internet world. It may not be a huge problem (although you are missing a huge opportunity) if the message you are trying to control is close to the truth, but it will be a disaster if your message is not true. Just ask Belkin. The Daily Background alleges that a Belkin Business Development Representative paid people to post 5 star product review ratings on Amazon.com when it was receiving poor reviews. The report appears to do a good job tracking Belkin's efforts. It is not shocking that companies would try to cover up bad ratings - for better or worse this is a tactic many companies use (see the sham of video game reviews). What is shocking is that Belkin obviously never thought they would get caught! Are they not familiar with today's internet environment.

My advice to companies is to shape, not control the message.

Accept you will no longer be able to control the message. Instead work with your audience to shape the message. Think what would have happened if Belkin would have contacted those who posted poor reviews and said, "Hi, we are very sorry you had a poor experience with our products. We strive to make this product X and Y. Can you help us understand why we didn't meet those promises?" It is alright to admit your product may have fell short of your goals - whether you admit it or not the internet will know. If you release a dud, show people you care to fix it. Engage in a conversation with customers. It may be painful at the start, but if you remain true it can deliver incredible returns to your brand. If you can't engage in the conversation or remain true, I predict your products will move towards low value commodities (with low margins) or you will go out of business. In today's internet environment, transparency is not an option.