A new study by Gartner suggests that brands are increasingly turning to fake feedback to make themselves look good on social media platforms such as Facebook. Purchased reviews and “Likes” will make up 15 percent of total reviews by 2014, according to the report. The report predicts that federal regulators will need to become involved and that major brands will be found guilty of faking reviews.
But millions of fake Likes on Facebook won’t fool savvy consumers, says Econsultancy tech reporter Patricio Robles. He brings up wireless carrier AT&T as an example. The company won the battle for most “likeable” ad during the recent Olympics, but it ranks low for general customer satisfaction.
“Likeable ads, lots of followers and more ‘Likes’ than you can count in a year are nice, but when it comes to earning an individual’s business and keeping it, trust, respect and satisfaction are far more important. And you can’t purchase those,” Robles notes.
You can read more about the Gartner study at econsultancy.com.
