Expo TV
Expo TV takes word of mouth literally. In fact, if a product review doesn't come directly from the mouth of the reviewer, it doesn't make it onto Expo's website. That mouth has to be visible, too; every video review must show the reviewer's face. The resulting reviews, says cofounder Daphne Kwon, are much more personal and move viewers in ways written reviews simply can't. Including the way brands most want to move them -- in the direction of a purchase decision.
"We have a very high clickthrough rate to buy on our video product pages," says Kwon. "It can go up to over 10 percent for certain categories of goods."
Kwon recalls the days when reviewers weren't required to show their faces, describing the faceless videos as rather "spooky" because of their anonymity. "Knowing that your face is on, you become a lot more responsible for what you're saying, because now it's you," she explains. "We're capturing what we think is really authentic, backed up by the fact that it's an individual with the kind of bravery to say, 'Yes, this is me; this is the stuff I own and this is what I think about it.'"
Unlike sites that concentrate on viral video, Expo's focus is on building a library of video reviews on a wide array of products. Reviewers are part of an online community with social-networking features like the ability to leave comments, vote on reviews and earn "badges" for outstanding reviews. Anyone can submit a review for a product they've purchased and want to tell others about, which includes telling them to steer clear of that product. Although, according to Kwon, 85 percent of Expo's reviews are positive. She attributes this high percentage to the fact that, if a person is willing to go to all the trouble of taping and submitting a review, it's usually to endorse something they like.
To encourage quality reviews -- "quality" defined by Kwon as valuable information or good production value -- Expo offers cash incentives, but only $5 or $10 per review, with an annual limit of a couple hundred dollars per reviewer. But Kwon insists that incentivizing for quality doesn't diminish a review's authenticity. In fact, she believes it results in more authenticity from reviewers because, "They feel like they're doing something of value and that we value it."
Authenticity is crucial to Expo's success not just in helping consumers make purchase decisions, but also in getting brands involved. Kwon believes there's no better way for brands to learn how consumers feel about their products than to listen to what they have to say -- and become part of the discussion. A lot of brands are doing just that, including major players like Procter & Gamble.
"Our change-the-world scenario is getting brands to recognize and listen to our community of consumers who've purchased their goods," says Kwon. "We want them to respond to criticisms. We want them to thank people for posting a review, positive or negative."
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