We are two weeks into a new year and a new decade and more than ever consumers are looking for one thing above all else - a viable and visible online reputation, before even thinking of contacting a business. I read a recent study from the US that said that...
If you can’t lead, leave and shut the door behind you
On Sunday the sky over various parts of New Zealand emitted a strange orange glow. The light was infused with more than just the drifting smoke particles from the catastrophic fires from across the Tasman - it was symbolic of the apocalyptic glow that signifies the...
Control, it’s all in your hands
In the last blog piece I wrote I featured and discussed the latest survey results into online consumer reviews by BrightLocal. Since then I've been pondering a question that often has me stumped - why do some businesses neglect to market their reputation? Why, when...
Survey establishes absolute primacy of online reviews to consumers
For the past six years, US research organisation, BrightLocal has published the findings of its annual survey into consumer reviews. Year in and year out, the findings establish the absolute supremacy of online reviews as the primary driver of consumer behaviour and...
You make your bed – you lie in it . . .
Great Britain's royal family are no strangers to scandal and over the years has assembled top notch PR experts to control and spin unsavoury events and in doing so, continue to garner popular support throughout the UK and the rest of the world. In the past few weeks...
Reviews – it’s not all about the star rating
It's important to remember that reviews are a subjective opinion of a consumer's experience of a service or product, and for other consumers reading reviews, they don't just focus on the number of stars - they read the text of the feedback itself. So what makes a good...
I still haven’t found what I’m looking for . . .
Irish rock group, U2 were in New Zealand last week with their Joshua Tree tour - celebrating the album of the same name released in 1987. To Kiwis it's one of their more fondly held albums, mainly because of the song, "One Tree Hill", that serves as a commemoration...
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,...
When you can’t find real fault, pick on the haka
Is there anything that raises the ire of certain Northern Hemisphere rugby critics and fans more than the All Blacks' haka? Whenever the World Cup rolls around it's always the same, tired, ignorant, and insensitive criticisms of a tradition of our game that has been...









