EDIT PER EMPATH's REQUEST: After 4 years of being on CPF, I still don't understand the definition of baiting. The RULES (
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/Rules.html#flaming ) still lack a definition of the term. Oh Well. All mention of baiting is hereby removed.
END OF EDIT
Glenda17, Haven't you read any of the posts by people who were solicited for reviews?
Let's see if I can put it in perspective...
When I bought my Prius, the car was easily worth the price of a BMW. Well, it was to those of us that were willing to accept the odd styling. They sold it for a bit less than a Camry. Why? Were were being bribed? Bought? Was the car that bad?
None of the above. The car was a radical departure from the norm. People buying it were breaking ground, and buying what was widely considered untested, unproven and unconventional technology. We were, in fact, taking a risk.
So to offset that risk, Toyota sold the car for a moderate price. In the US, we got a tax break (a deduction ) for one year. We got an unprecedented warranty and free service for 3 or 4 years. All of that just to get enough people to try is so that we would eventually tell the rest of the world that that it was a good car; dependable, economical and enjoyable.
Fast forward to Flashlights. How does one get people to buy and talk about a new flashlight? How do you manage to afford to import thousands of lights without knowing if there will be a market? I'll bet most (or maybe all) of the people complaining in this thread would not buy a flashlight unless others bought it first and gave their opinion. That must be true or they would not be so upset at the specter that someone else may have been influenced in their review.
So how do you sell the first 20 or 30 units of a new model of light? One often sells at an initial discount so the early adopters are not risking as much. A 30% discount is not that unusual. If you buy a new soup in the grocery store at 30% off, you don't add a disclaimer about being bribed before telling your spouse if you liked it, do you? I did not think so.
The next problem is how to generate word of mouth. Buzz. Hot Topics. How do you make sure that people know how good your product is? The solicited reviews are one way. There are also raffles, paid advertising, stealth campaigns (anyone remember Peak's intro on CPF?) and just plain spamming. I prefer the reviews over most other techniques.
Is it an insult to say that payola was offered or received? Why insult people you don't even know?
Daniel
