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There’s little doubt that the exponential rise of user-generated content online (including blogs, social networking sites, review sites, message boards, etc.) will continue. Their impact on restaurants was part of the discussion at the Restaurant Trade Program.
IS USER-GENERATED CONTENT CREDIBLE? “Studies have generally found that traditional print media carries the most influence, broadcast second, and online the least by far,” said Chuck Porter, chairman Crispin Porter + Bogusky advertising. “People are really smart; they understand that there are those who have an axe to grind. If they ultimately get information they consider to be useful and accurate, people will trust it more and more. But I think it’s going to be a long time before almost anything online has the same credibility as traditional media,” he said. (Note: A 2006 report by Forrester Research, Inc.* found that consumers are paying attention to what others are saying online: 75% of online adult consumers and 92% of online youth (age 13-21) use one or more forms of user-generated online content, including blogs, wikis, message boards, and online classified ads. However, adult consumers are more skeptical of user-generated content, while youth put more trust in it.)
HOW INVOLVED SHOULD RESTAURATEURS BE? “Everybody online has an opinion, and it gets under your skin, so I’ve quit reading the stuff. At the end of the day you can’t get caught up in it,” said Michael Symon, chef/owner Lola and Lolita, Cleveland, OH. But Phil Baltz, owner, Baltz &Co. public relations and Restaurant Trade Program coordinator, counsels restaurant clients to pay attention to what’s being said online. “We’re still in a print media world, but online sources are a way that people are getting information about restaurants,” he says. “Just the same, it remains most important to stay focused on the fundamental operational issues that could lead to legitimate complaints online or off.” And, if the complaints online are not legitimate, Phil cautions restaurateurs about responding. “When they engage you, you’re like the queen bee at the center of the hive. It’s not a good place to be.” Wylie Dufresne, chef/owner, wd~50, New York, NY, said, “I’ve found that the few times I dipped my toe in the pool and responded, I’ve had to yank it out quickly. A couple of times it was about facts or speculation about a cooking technique. But even that is dangerous because then they’ve identified you, and that answer only leads to 50 more questions – it’s a slippery slope. I should have just stayed out of it. I don’t want to engage those people, whoever they are.”
WHAT’S YOUR BEST DEFENSE? “You can’t prevent people from saying things about you,” said Chuck. “What’s important is being very good at what you do, which almost always works to protect your brand.”
* User-Generated Content Ambushes The Media Biz, by Brian Haven, April 7, 2006, Forrester Research, Inc.
