Testimonials

A testimony is a formal or informal statement that reflects the characteristics of an individual, organization, or service. The term testimony is used often by a business when they themselves gather and manage testimonies regarding their services. Testimonials owned and managed by a third party is a type of testimony known as a review.

Testimonials have shaped consumerism by subconsciously influencing our decision making. Consumers are unaware of the legitimacy of many of the testimonies, yet continue to rely on them for everyday purchases. This article will discuss how testimonies grew in consumerism interest, questions the reliability, and analyzes the ethics of testimony.

History

Before the Internet

Testimonials were only exchanged between relatives, friends, and co-workers before the introduction of the internet. Recommendations were given and opinions were offered. Services given by new businesses were a higher risk to the consumer. Consumers tend to go with familiarity rather than the unknown. Only when testimonials from peers framed a service from a business or a product as below par, is when new business earned the opportunity to differentiate and provide their services.

There was a lot of risk for new businesses as any misstep could result in the consumer talking ill about their service or product. Yet, exceeding expectations creates the opportunity for recommendations and improved business in the consumers' network.

Testimonials did not impact consumers outside of previous customers’ networks. New consumers were persuaded solely on marketing and it was up to the marketer to meet expectations of that service or product.

References

None fool