News from the upside!
Welcome to The Upside, your destination for uplifting stories and positive news from around the country. In a world often filled with challenging headlines, we aim to bring a refreshing perspective by celebrating the inspiring moments, acts of kindness, and achievements that showcase the best of New Zealand. From heartwarming community efforts to breakthrough innovations,The Upside is dedicated to spreading optimism and highlighting the bright side of life. Let’s shine a light on the good happening all around us!
In reviews – 30th December ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. New Year's Eve - the big carnival As I write this I can hear the din from a few neighbourhood day before New Year's...
In reviews – 21st December ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Some things are so mad that they may just be great Nothing beats a quirky food or beverage 'invention' and this one...
In reviews – 13th December ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. With Christmas a week and a half away - this week's reviews are all related to our favourite holiday. Christmas...
In reviews – 7th December ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Maybe get a garden gnome? Some people love quirky ornaments or sculptures to enliven their garden spaces but a couple...
In reviews – 1st December ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Not all heroes wear capes Each week I send hours looking for appropriate stories to review and I have to admit, it...
In reviews – 22nd November ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Rules are rules, but sometimes clemency is the right move If you've ever watched the Kiwi version of Border Patrol,...
In reviews – 14th October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Coalition talks drag on and on and on It's a month ago that we went to the polls and cast our votes in the general...
In reviews – 7th October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Band that no longer exists releases new single Music and pop culture icons from the 1960s utilise cutting edge...
In reviews – 31st October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. The Garden City I've lived in Auckland for 18 years and a few weeks ago I took mock offence when someone called me a...
In reviews – 24th October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. All Blacks can set new record How strange it is that in a few days the All Blacks will be competing against one of...
In reviews – 17 October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Protecting our vulnerable I've talked about his before but I have recently been reminded that changing technologies...
In reviews – 10th October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Moronic vandals in UK try to kill famous tree Sometimes you read things online that just stop you in your tracks...
In reviews – 3rd October ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Spring - a real beaut! I love Spring. It is by far my favourite season and after a challenging winter that felt as...
2020 – we’ve seen the best of people in the worst of times
In 1992 the Queen defined one of the more challenging 12 months of her reign with a handy Latin phrase that summed it up perfectly - an annus horribilis (horrible year). She was referring to a string of divorces in the family, a fire at Windsor castle, and a litany of...
Review survey establishes impact of Covid-19 on consumer behaviour
Each year BrightLocal publishes the eagerly anticipated and well respected results of its annual Local Consumer Review Survey. Year in, year out, the survey affirms the supremacy of online reviews as a dominant driver of consumer choice. This year has been unique in...
Come together
This week the very first Covid-19 vaccination was administered to a 9o year old in the UK. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was created in record time and offers a real sense of hope of being able to defeat a virus that has held the world to ransom for most of this year....
The whole truth and nothing but the truth
Reviews are only valid and worthwhile if they are honest, transparent and real but more than that businesses need to be aware that in New Zealand, there is a legal requirement to present reviews accurately, and consequences if those obligations is not met. This...
Owning up to mistakes is a huge strength
The vast majority of unflattering reviews online focus on failures to deliver what was promised - whether that be for a product or a service. The substantial factor in all of this is that the uncomplimentary review is very often the last step a consumer takes when all...
Time for All Blacks fans to step up
When I wore a younger man's clothes I dabbled with playing rugby. For most of my childhood I'd played football, or soccer, as Kiwis call it. I had my masculinity attacked. Other kids hassled me and mockingly asked if I kissed and hugged the other players, as that's...
Too little, too late?
Since last Wednesday when the US held elections for president, congress and half of the senate, as well as a myriad of other public positions, the world has focused on the results as they came in, in fits and starts, until at the presidential level, Joe Biden had won...
Increasing customer value in your business
In business, growth is dependent on attracting new customers and ensuring that existing ones return. For repeat customers a significant factor is what they perceive to be the benefits of the purchases they make or in the services they commission. In most instances,...
How good it is to be lost in a crowd again
It's certainly been the strangest year most of us have experienced and much of how we go about our lives has changed. The Covid-19 pandemic has dominated our thoughts and actions and there is every sign that we still have a way to go, before vaccination and opening up...
Overcoming a recession will take more than great leadership
While it was surely one of the strangest election campaigns in living memory, postponed by a month because of the the Covid-19 epidemic, New Zealanders voted on Saturday (and in huge numbers beforehand) and exercised one of the most abiding elements of our personal...
Reputation is far too important to abandon to those who twist it
I think about reputation a lot. Not only as a concept or an idea but as an actuality that governs the choices we make about individuals, brands, businesses and politics. It's important to remember that reputation is all about perception, as it is created from the...
Auckland has everything – except for imagination
I've lived in Auckland for 16 years. I moved here from the South Island, never thinking at the time that I would be here this long. I've lived out west, east, and north and I've travelled all over the wide expanse that now constitutes the 'Super City'. My kids have...
Social proof and online reviews
In the psychology of marketing and consumer behaviour, social proof is a concept used to describe the actions and behaviour of consumers when exposed to online stories and experiences. In essence this is an outside voice or voices expressing what they think and feel...
The dos and don’ts of building an online reputation
Over the past five years I've come to learn most about building an online reputation from those who actually do it. I can read journal articles, news stories, industry research papers and blogs, like this one, but the greatest education I've had is from business...
All good things take time
I've come to realise one very important difference between businesses that value their reputation and those that don't. In essence it boils down to one very critical factor, that if managed correctly, garners significant returns, while if done incorrectly can be...
The benefits of really listening to positive feedback
I've written a lot about reviews - the great ones, the good ones, and dreadful ones. I've written about their appeal to consumers and the many benefits they hold for businesses. In this industry I fully admit that I am learning all the time and new thoughts and...
Covid-19 series 2 – yeah, nah
So, we are almost at the end of series 2 of Lockdown and the reviews aren't quite as positive as series 1. Where the first series created a sense of connection and togetherness against a formidable foe, resulting in a finale of real triumph and shared achievement,...
Reputations are too valuable to be left unchecked online
Working in the reviews industry is never light on surprises and constantly provides proof of what a diverse and incredible species human beings are. At their core reviews are stories, tales and observations of experiences with products and services. They can be dry,...
The benefits of the unreasonable negative review
I read an interesting article online recently that confirmed many of the things I already thought about a particular kind of negative review - the unreasonable one - and how useful and powerful they are for the businesses that receive them. The study, to be published...
Tipping our hats to the no cowboys
There are some professions that get a rough deal - that are perceived by some in negative ways because of past experiences or through word of mouth. Tradespeople are one such sector and in my opinion the vast majority of them would have to be some of the most hard...
It’s space Jim, but not as we know it
I've been thinking about virtual space for a while - not only because it is the strange, necessary and contested space of digital marketing - but because of the disappointing manner in which some of the more gargantuan online entities have shifted and melded to become...
Job boards and NoCowboys – what’s the difference?
One of the questions I will regularly be asked about NoCowboys is, what is the difference between what we do and a jobs site? It's a good question and one that illustrates the contrast between online reputation marketing and leads apportioned from jobs posted by...
Consensus, consensus, consensus
Sometimes I find myself just going 'wow', when I think about how much the world has changed in the past six months and how it continues to alter and shift as we all negotiate our way through the social, cultural and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Each day...
Why does Facebook get a free ride?
For a while Facebook has described itself as a social network but in truth and reality it is barely that at all. It is a marketplace, an advertising platform, and as we have discovered in the past few years - a purveyor and seller of personal information, a tax dodger...
Easily manipulated and poorly monitored . . .
A recent story in the New Zealand Herald highlighted the huge pitfalls in the US owned search engine monopoly's review practices. Google reviews are not monitored, they are not screened, and they are difficult to remove if manipulated. This can lead to huge harm to a...
Why do I need to register my business with NoCowboys?
Marketing a reputation online is essential. NoCowboys' authenticated online reviews are the difference between being seen and chosen as a business that is trustworthy, dependable, with high quality services, and products, or being invisible. Over 90% of consumers are...
We cannot go backwards
While we may always have known, and were told that Covid-19 may well come back after a 24 day spell of no cases, the past few weeks has brought us all back down to earth, with a crashing thump. More than that, the trust that many Kiwis have had in our institutions has...
Act local – promote local
Bulletins are a great way for businesses to connect with their customers to increase their brand reach and to advertise new services that they are offering. We are all used to them and while a few can be irritating, most are thoughtful and informative. Recently we...
We’ve had leadership – do we need politics?
New Zealand has done what most of the nations around the globe could only have dreamed of at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic - reduced active cases to zero for a stunning 19 days, with a fraction of the deaths, even though each and every one is a heartbreaking...
Colmar Brunton releases corporate reputation index results
Last month Comar Brunton, in conjunction with Wright Communications, released its annual index of New Zealand's most trusted companies. "Wright Communications’ managing director, Nikki Wright said Colmar Brunton’s polling during the COVID-19 lockdown showed many of...
Thank the stars for online!
All over the world, as many people stay at home, under varying levels of lockdown or self-isolation to combat the spread of Covid-19, one of the saving graces has been the internet. I'm not specifically talking about the seemingly endless access to entertainment as I...
Working at home – win win for businesses and employees?
Working at home is by no means a new thing but it has certainly increased due to necessity over the past few months, in the new, Covid-19 reality. Mainly to curb infection and to maintain productivity and functionality, businesses that were able to conduct operations...
Level 2 and beyond
On Monday, 11th of May, cabinet will meet to decide whether New Zealand eases lock down restrictions and moves down to Level 2, in 48 hours. In all probability, the low number of new daily cases that we have seen in the past few weeks, as well as the overwhelmingly...
We sure know how lucky we are
I've riffed on John Clarke Fred Dagg's (John Clarke) song "We Don't Know How Lucky We Are" before. It's a great song and shamelessly parades all of the things that Kiwis prize about ourselves and our country, while also satirising the Muldoon era of the...
The devil makes work for idle hands . . .
In the middle of the four week Level 4 lockdown, I, like everyone else around New Zealand, have had to confront the element of time in this new but temporary reality. I work at home as it is, so work has not been a problem, or should I say, a huge readjustment. After...