…bad news isn’t always bad for business. After the movie Borat made relentless fun of the nation of Kazakhstan, Hotels.com reported a 300% increase in requests for information about the country, and a wine described as “redolent of stinky socks” by a prominent website saw its sales increase by 5%.

In a new study from Stanford Graduate School of Business, researchers say in some cases negative publicity can increase sales when a product or company is relatively unknown, simply because it stimulates product awareness.

“Most companies are concerned with one of two problems,” says Alan Sorensen, associate professor of economics and strategic management at the business school and one of the authors of the study. “Either they’re trying to figure out how to get the public to think their product is a good one, or they’re just trying to get people to know about their product. In some markets, where there are lots of competing products, they’re more preoccupied with the latter. In that case, any publicity, positive or negative, turns out to be valuable.”

In other words, with any luck, they will spell your name right (I am rarely so lucky). Also, I don’t recall the famous actress who said this but she said (paraphrased) that she doesn’t believe her good press because then she’d also have to believe her bad press.

Hmmmm….Whispering quietly and keeping her head down – Some of us Do, though!
Pants designed to fit non-tall people at just below the waist can be positively indecent, not to mention ugly and very Chilly on me unless they have that extra length all through the garment.

Maybe a good topic for feedback, Mike?

Clare.

AMEN!!!!

I agree that the more info you can gather, good or bad, the better your products and company will be. In our wholesale biz, if I can adress the problems of the most squeeky wheels, I can usually make everyone else more comfortable doing business with us, even if the others didn’t consciously know/acknowledge that something was annoying or difficult.

When I looked at your site a few weeks ago, I was impressed with the review section. Having the “negative” reviews was really helpful. I tend not to trust companies that only have positive reviews.

Also, the “negative” reviews weren’t necessarily negative. If something didn’t work for a particular person, she usually gave a detailed reason, and often it helped me to determine if the item would fit my body or suit my needs. In particular there was a style that was beautiful, and would be great for casual wear, but would not work as well for athletic pursuits. It was great to know that, because it gave me the idea to either adapt the item to a different use or try an alternative that will function the way I want.

In addition to a quality website that is well laid out and looks like a real-honest-to-goodness business, the review feature made me have confidence to buy from you when I am in the market for activewear (which, coincidentally, I do expect to be shortly). When you don’t have the name brand recognition of brands found at major retailers, that’s a plus!

RE: the longer inseams. Marshall Cohen’s recent book, “Why Customer’s Do What They Do”, devotes chapter 6 to the super-sizing of America. He indicates that niche fit markets are an opportunity that large companies either ignore or inadequately address. This supports the feedback you’re getting from the taller customer and should be a good opportunity for your business!