What do online rankings and reviews contribute to the MPR process? What sort of ethical dilemma might customer reviews pose for firms using this technique to enhance their promotional objectives?

What will be an ideal response?

Online ratings and reviews provide one more area where customer can interact with a firm and its brands. Online ranking sites, lists and retail outlets often have areas within their sites for consumers to contribute opinions about products they have purchased or services they have used. From an MPR standpoint, such sites can clearly benefit a company, especially when comments are positive, thus polishing a firm's images and increasing sales. However, when comments are negative, companies often have second thoughts about their involvement in these marketing methods. This can pose a dilemma for marketers. On the one hand, marketers enjoy the relatively inexpensive visibility that the Internet affords them. Furthermore, online forums are quickly overtaking traditional avenues for sharing knowledge publicly, and companies need to be seen as active partners in these public dialogues.

Companies can also find themselves in an ethical predicament when negative customer reviews show up in forums controlled by the firm itself. Some marketers claim they are duty-bound to make sure that all comments - good and bad - make their way into public view, while other marketers are of the mind that negative reviews help to build an organization's credibility - so long as the negative feedback does not overwhelm the volume of positive comments. But there are also firms that will not hesitate to remove uncomfortable consumer content from their sites. They feel compelled to protect their brand image and the reputation of their organization and its key stakeholders.