For businesses
Website reviews need to be transparent and honest
It's been a practice that a number of businesses have carried out for years, but a decision in the Auckland District Court last month puts into sharp focus the importance, and indeed, the legal requirement of presenting website reviews honestly and accurately, and not...
NoCowboys reviews – FAQs
Since 2006, NoCowboys has been New Zealand's leader in authenticated consumer reviews. With a robust and thorough feedback verification system, consumers can trust that the feedback they rely so heavily on is genuine and authenticated. For registered businesses,...
Guide the conversation
I read many, many articles, news stories, reports and academic papers about online consumer reviews. A casual Google search will bring up thousands of observations about the greatest consumer motivation to connect with businesses - legitimate, authenticated online...
The massive benefits of ethical reviews
Recently I was reading an article on business.com that got me thinking about a word that really describes the nature and vitality - as well as the huge importance of online reviews: ethical. I've talked before about trust and transparency and the ways that drives...
A healthy review profile substantially increases revenue for small businesses
A recent study in the US analysed the impact of reviews on revenue for small businesses and the results are extremely telling. Marketing and CRM software company, Womply, produced a research piece entitled "How online reviews impact small business revenue",...
Online reputation significant driver for potential employees
Reviews are obviously a major factor in driving customers toward businesses but they also massively impact upon job seekers' choices when selecting companies to work for. A study released last year in the US by indeed.com found that over 95% of potential employees...
The reputation economy
I was reading an article recently that discussed the exchange between raters and businesses and cited a paper by a marketing academic, who referred to it as 'the reputation economy,' and while that term has been around for a few years now, it got me thinking about the...
“Consumers don’t want to be guinea pigs”
Presentation is everything and more and more, online consumers are looking for particular things when they search for products and services online. If they don't see what they are looking for, then they are moving on to another business and product. For businesses...
Brand loyalty only goes so far
Since I was a kid I have loved airplanes and flying. Not that I can fly myself - just that I have enjoyed the experience of jetting between countries inside of some of the greatest engineering feats human beings have achieved. My father worked for Air New Zealand for...
Consistent marketing wards off invisibility
For a business to survive and thrive it needs to be seen – that may sound overly simplistic but it’s true. Being seen is the key to attracting customers, accruing revenue and sustaining growth. To be seen, a business has to market its brand, goods, and services and it...
Forewarned is forearmed
The rise and ubiquity of online reviews has also created a burgeoning industry in fake reviews. These reviews may achieve short term results but are worth less than nothing. Inflating or manipulating an online reputation is not only a huge example of bad faith, it is...
Setting up and optimising your NoCowboys profile
Setting Up and Optimising Your NoCowboys Profile Your NoCowboys profile is a powerful marketing platform that promotes your products and services alongside customer reviews. It is quick to complete and fully editable, allowing you to update and refine your profile at...
Consumers want recent reviews and they are looking for them more than ever
Each year BrightLocal releases its much respected Local Consumer Review Survey. Since 2010 it has become an important tool for analysing consumer behaviour and online reviews. The 2018 survey, released this week, indicates some interesting shifts in consumer...
I’ve got a golden ticket
Along with millions of children (and adults), I was enthralled with Roald Dahl's magical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the subsequent 1971 film, starring the ethereal Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. Children love many things and two of the most enduring are...
Boeing has a lot to do to restore trust
For decades, Boeing has been a leading light in the aviation industry, with a focus on technological advancement,, efficiency and safety. But in the past six months it has struck a potentially devastating issue with one of its aeroplanes after two fatal crashes that...
Great businesses deserve great customers
I was talking to a business owner the other day, and he was telling me about a recent experience where he had sighted a job and gave a customer a verbal quote. This 'lead' had come from a jobs board site and he costed the job and gave an estimate, that he was told by...
Air New Zealand tops reputation lists in NZ and Australia
For years our neighbours across the ditch have laid claim to Kiwi successes and achievements - think the mighty Pavlova, Crowded House, Russell Crowe, Phar Lap, Lamingtons, and lolly cake. This year, again, they have voted our national airline their most trusted...
Musketeer’s Grave, Cake Picnics, and Whales Support Birth
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Cake picnics take off This is a really great story about connection, community, a wonderful idea, and people bringing...
Creating a powerful symbol for a new Christchurch
Symbols are powerful things and can transcend their intended purpose to create new meanings. Buildings are a pertinent example of this. One building, more than any other over the past eight years has generated huge debate and discussion. Christ Church Cathedral in...
The reputation economy
I was reading an article recently that discussed the exchange between raters and businesses and cited a paper by a marketing academic, who referred to it as 'the reputation economy,' and while that term has been around for a few years now, it got me thinking about the...
“Consumers don’t want to be guinea pigs”
Presentation is everything and more and more, online consumers are looking for particular things when they search for products and services online. If they don't see what they are looking for, then they are moving on to another business and product. For businesses...
Time for a change but not right now
When the Super 12 competition was being created, I was a student in Dunedin. I was raised in Christchurch and was a huge fan of Canterbury. After a few years at Otago, I developed split loyalties - between the team I had grown up with and a new one representing my new...
The best little country on Earth
Last week I was in Paris, waiting with thousands of other Eurostar commuters for more hours than usual to queue for trains back to London. French customs officials were striking to show what travel would look like in a post-Brexit world, and I had a lot of time to...
Dads Run For Community, Breeding Kārearea Discovered, and Playing Possum
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Breeding kārearea pair discovered Any story about native birds found breeding successfully is a great one and this one...
Hatred will never trump tolerance and love
I'm currently in London and woke up on Friday morning to the unbelievable news that there had been a shooting at two mosques in Christchurch - a city I have lived in for 28 years of my life. Like most Kiwis - at home and around the world - I have followed the news of...
Zip codes and sea monkeys
When I was a kid I used to love poring over the advertisements for toys, magic tricks, and gimmicks in the back pages of comics. There were two items that myself, and my friends coveted the most - sea monkeys and the 1000 piece US Revolutionary War set. One thing...
Brand loyalty only goes so far
Since I was a kid I have loved airplanes and flying. Not that I can fly myself - just that I have enjoyed the experience of jetting between countries inside of some of the greatest engineering feats human beings have achieved. My father worked for Air New Zealand for...
Pointing fingers at other other generations is never a good idea
Inter generational verbal warfare has always struck me as a particularly dumb idea and this week an Astralian CEO of a multinational company created a huge amount of damage by deciding to stick the boot in to millennials. Muffin Break general manager, Natalie Brennan...
Huge Snapper Wins Prize, Kākāpō Livestream, and Fish of the Year
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Huge snapper wins top prize An angler from the Far North caught a massive snapper and in the process won new Zealand's...
Lime Scooters need to earn public trust
Every newly introduced product is going to have the odd teething problem, and Lime Scooters have proven to be no exception. Since they were released on New Zealand’s streets and pavements last year, Lime Scooters have come in for a healthy dose of media attention...
“Build it and they will come”
There's been a lot of talk recently about Eden Park. The future of the stadium is in serious doubt and requires substantial financial investment and support. Auckland ratepayers are being asked to take on $40 million in existing debt and $64 million maintenance costs...
When your imagination is a deluded fool
I celebrated one of those milestone birthdays recently where, if I were playing cricket, I would slightly raise my bat to the crowd and then take guard hoping to amass another half tonne. One of the gifts I received was a ticket to see Marlon Williams at Villa Maria...
Football gets it right – and dreadfully wrong
Sport tends to mirror the best, and the worst of real life and that is possibly its greatest attraction. Sure there's the drama, the comebacks, the domination, the fierce contests between rivals - but I think sports is at its greatest and most dire, when it reflects...
Consistent marketing wards off invisibility
For a business to survive and thrive it needs to be seen – that may sound overly simplistic but it’s true. Being seen is the key to attracting customers, accruing revenue and sustaining growth. To be seen, a business has to market its brand, goods, and services and it...
Naming Storms, Amazing Philanthropy, and Finders Keepers, Sort Of
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. Brits propose names for storms For the past ten years, people in the United Kingdom have been able to suggest names...
Plucking out a name and hoping for the best
In the past few weeks I have had to book some accomodation and travel for an upcoming overseas holiday. All of it has been done online. I haven’t exchanged one word with another human being, except for a quick online chat with the good people at Eurostar to ask what I...
Our day of sporting infamy
In 1981, New Zealand sports teams were involved in two events that have significantly shaped our sporting and cultural legacy. The first was the Springbok Tour - where the South African rugby team’s visit to our shores deeply divided the nation - resulting in...
You can’t put an Elastoplast on a gaping wound
I’ve never considered using Viagogo to purchase tickets to concerts or gigs, and after following up on an online story recently, I doubt I ever would. Usually I would got to a site like Ticketmaster - their prices are transparent, selecting seats is easy to do, and...
Forewarned is forearmed
The rise and ubiquity of online reviews has also created a burgeoning industry in fake reviews. These reviews may achieve short term results but are worth less than nothing. Inflating or manipulating an online reputation is not only a huge example of bad faith, it is...
Sundazed and confused
For roughly a month between the middle of December and the end of January, New Zealand enters into, what is commonly known as, the silly season. It’s summer, the sun is blazing and the beach is calling. Kiwis take their annual holidays - to relax, socialise, spend...
There’s nothing wrong with a healthy dose of suspicion
Not too many years ago it was common for people to knock on your door. Encyclopedia salespeople, the Avon ladies, charities, odd jobbers, the religious – they would all come and hope to sell something or other. It is the purest example of cold calling. You didn’t ask...
Setting up and optimising your NoCowboys profile
Setting Up and Optimising Your NoCowboys Profile Your NoCowboys profile is a powerful marketing platform that promotes your products and services alongside customer reviews. It is quick to complete and fully editable, allowing you to update and refine your profile at...
Voucher Error, First All Black Honoured, and Largest Coral Colony Found
Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer. First All Black honoured After nearly 100 years our very first All Black - number one, by the record books - is...
Being taken for a ride
The first car I bought was a total lemon. I was young, eager, and stubbornly oblivious to the great advice I had been given, before forking over my hard earned cash to a gentleman who sold second hand cars through the classified section of the Christchurch Press....
Walls and bridges
It was one of the most iconic moments of the last century - Germans who had been divided by political differences for decades, dismantling a wall that had been constructed to keep them apart. In a move that signalled the demise of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall coming...
Video killed the radio star, part 2
I talk to thousands of business owners and consumers each year. While they are all obviously different - in age, gender, racial and ethic background and life experience - the one thing they have in common is that they are trying to connect - with customers and with...
And the Oscar goes to . . .
Every year at about this time, newspapers and magazines compile lists of all the things we should have seen or read about, or known about in the past 12 months. At the "dead time" between Christmas and New Year, the media revels in presenting swathes of articles on...
Should old acquaintance be forgot
For many of us, New Year's Eve is the time to throw off all of the ills of the passing year and spend time with good friends and family and party like you mean it – all the while heralding the new year to come. The tradition of New Years is millennia old – in the...