Online reviews increase clarity on Sony’s bluetooth speakers

The problem

Sony recognized its need for online reviews to increase consumer trust, brand awareness, and e-commerce growth. The company had no online customer service to address questions regarding their SRS-XB20/SRS-XB30/SRS-XB40 Portable Bluetooth speaker. Having ratings and reviews was therefore the only to way provide consumers with clarity on the product while optimizing the product’s position in the search engine results.

“We tried several review marketing solutions and I collaborated with online retailers to run cashback campaigns,” said Joost van de Beld, Brand Activation & MarCom Specialist at Benelux. “I realized quickly that quality reviews don’t come from people that are expecting an incentive.”

According to the Wella website, Color Motion+ products maintain “color care beyond anti-fading” and improve dyed hair in three areas: color protection, vibrancy, and hair strength. Using our campaign, Wella let the users decide through their reviews whether these claims live up to their expectations.

Objective and strategy

We came to the conclusion that the main objective of the campaign was to increase clarity on Sony’s portable and wireless bluetooth speaker. Since the product was complex and had many features, it made sense that they needed customer reviews to address aspects of the product that the company may not have been able to share.

Sony first took the time to share their ideal reviewer profile with us before we invited the selected candidates to write reviews on the bluetooth speaker. For this campaign, we quickly delivered 38 written reviews with a 187-word count average in less than four weeks.

We sent out newsletters announcing the Wella campaign launch to hair enthusiasts in the Nordics (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark). After selecting individuals with the right ideal customer profile, we distributed samples of the ColorMotion+ gift set and awaited their reviews.

The results

Van de Beld was extremely satisfied with not only the quick turnaround time of our services but also the quality of the reviews we were able to collect from the reviewers who tested the bluetooth speaker.

“People seem to take their considered time to write their reviews and back up their story, name specific product features and talk more about the USPs of the product,” he remarked.

As a result of our contributions, two of Sony’s speakers were awarded “Best Reviewed” by Keskeurig for providing in-depth and thorough insight on the products that the retailer sites would not have provided otherwise.

“These types of accolades not only contribute to greater exposure for the product but also greater consumer trust,” Van de Beld says.

“The earplugs were directly in use at a concert of my husband’s band. At first, I had to get used to the plug in my ear but it worked perfectly and resulted in a pleasant music experience. What excited me: You don’t have to take the earplugs in and out to be able to understand your friends. The stylish box allows you to take them with you everywhere you go. They easily fit in your trousers or any pocket. The price is quite reasonable for me and I would recommend the Thone M Earplugs. What bothered me a bit, is that cleaning them is not that easy. Also that you should be able to connect the individual plugs with a rope/cable so that you can take one out without having to put it straight back into the box.”

“First of all, I think the design is quite nice. You can choose between different skins to customise it. The delivery includes a storage case and several of these black rubber attachments. You can practise inserting the skins in front of the mirror, but it’s also very intuitive. So far, I have always had the problem that all earplugs become loose or slip out at some point. During a concert, I was constantly busy adjusting the earplugs. That’s definitely over now because the wings make them sit perfectly. I no longer have to worry about accidentally losing them. Now for the important part – the sound. You can still have a conversation without any problems. The sound is not dull, it is still clear, but simply quieter and therefore more pleasant. You can easily clean them with water. All in all, I am really thrilled and have finally found my favourites!”

When I unpacked [the coffee machine] for the first time, I was surprised at how big and powerful the coffee machine looked. Although I knew the dimensions when ordering, it still looked even larger in real life. If you only have limited space in the kitchen, this will probably be a bit difficult. Otherwise, the coffee machine makes a valuable impression with its titanium look… The taste of the coffee is full-bodied and very tasty. Whether it’s an espresso in the morning or a latte macchiato at noon, I’ve never had a coffee that I didn’t like. I was completely won over by the fully automatic coffee machine despite the high acquisition costs. You quickly have a really tasty coffee that is cheaper in the long run and better for environmental reasons than our previous capsule coffee machine.

Have our Stars tell your Story on any platform?

Our Star Community is ‘locked and loaded’ and ready to go. Can we help you boost your reviews?