The non-competitive and the downright incompetent have very few stones left to hide under: never before have consumers’ purchase decisions been so strongly influenced by all kinds of transparency. In fact, TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY now rules:
“Old economy fog is clearing: no longer can incompetence, below-par performance, ignored global standards, anti-social & anti-eco behavior, or opaque pricing be obscured. In its place has come a transparent, fully informed marketplace, where producers have no excuse left to underperform. TRANSPARENCY TYRANNY for some, TRANSPARENCY TRIUMPH for others.
Anyone who wants to see transparency in action should spend a few hours on flyertalk, igougo.com or TripAdvisor. The latter alone boasts more than 20 million visitors each month and has amassed close to 5 million registered users and over 7 million reviews and opinions covering 23,000 cites and 180,000 hotels, as well as more than 540,000 candid traveler photos of 40,000 hotels.
It’s not just travel, though: countless other sites, from epinions to Amazon, are inviting consumers to share their experiences on everything from kitchen knives to cars. No wonder some brands feel that transparency of reviews and recommendations has reached its zenith. However, what’s out there today is nothing compared to the transparency madness that brands will have to deal with over the next few years.
Thanks: Trendwatching.com