The power of 3rd party credibility
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
So I was in the supermarket yesterday doing my normal bi-weekly grocery shopping routine. As I came to the deodorant aisle, I was overwhelmed with the choices. Normally I pick the same kind, but I was in the mood for a change. Yes, even a simple change in deodorant can be a small pick-me-up to the mundane everyday. So as I stood blocking the aisle and contemplating my choices–deodorant vs. antiperspirant, original vs. maximum strength, solid vs. gel, invisible roll-on vs. no streaks–I was just overcome with too many options to make my underarm area smell fresh and stay dry.
As I continued my inner debate about which product to choose based on commercials I had seen, two trendy, well dressed, mid-twenty ladies politely walked in front of me as they picked their deodorant of choice. One girl remarked, “Oh, I picked this one last time because of the cute packaging. It also has a really fun smell.” The other girl remarked, “Well I normally buy Mitchum because it does not leave any residue marks on anything, me or clothing.” That’s it! My decision was made. (And as I thought about it, I had never seen an ad for Mitchum.) Here was someone who was not paid by the company to convince me with cute packaging, low prices, or scientific data. Just the plain facts, it does the job and does it well. On that note I purchased Mitchum for Women in the Fresh scent. And I could not have been happier with my purchase.
The same thing happened when I was looking to purchase a mini SD card to store music on my phone. Instead of taking the Verizon’s salesperson advice on a $30 1GB Verizon branded version, I went on NewEgg.com, typed in mini SD card, and found a multitude of great options, all of which were much cheaper ($6.99) for a 2GB card. Plus, there were over 150 reviews for the one product, everything from performance to the best shipping options.
This is the new age of marketing. I don’t want the company to tell me why it’s good, I want real people who have used the product to give me the real low-down. That’s the real expansion of Web 2.0, the social media conversation. We have more control of what we want and how we get our information about it. I understand companies have to make a profit, but what’s the point of those advertising dollars if I ignore them and take the opinion of a 23 year old female who only existed for 2 minutes in life?
Just some bits to chew on…
