Advertising is still a primary means of informing the public about a product, as well as creating a certain image for it. But as far as getting people to actually buy or not buy, how big of an impact do you think reviews have? In the olden days, all you had was the magazine Consumer Reports, but now you can find reviews on virtually every product. Do companies like this, or does it frighten them? I read reviews on almost every big purchase, and everything I order on line that I cannot examine in person. For example, I was going to order a water proof case from Otter box, but the reviews were so bad, consistently complaining about the same defects in the product, that I ordered Life Proof instead.
Do you think companies try to infiltrate or subvert the review system?
Do you yourself take the time to review a really good or bad purchase or comment on things like Trip Adviser?