The app store has to be the most popular app related online store. And with that popularity comes money. And unfortunately, wherever money can be found, you’ll find fraudsters not too far behind. Its no surprise then that one PR firm, Reverb Communications, has taken it upon themselves to cheat the system.
How can you cheat the App store? Quite simple really. All you need to do is hire a team of ‘interns’, to positively review your app on iTunes, and on various forums around the Internet. They simply pose as a “real user” and add high ratings and flattering comments. Reverb isn’t the first or last company to do this, but that doesn’t mean it’s ethical or acceptable and we think it needs to be put to a stop immediately.
Reverb, who claim to have ‘first party’ connections with Apple, represent some pretty big names in the iPhone industry, some of which include:
- Pangea Software – makers of Enigmo, and Cro-mag rally (amongst others). One of their apps has even been featured at the WWDC Apple Keynote 2008.
- Harmonix – Makers of Rockband and Guitar Hero
- Mtv Games
Some pretty big names. That list doesn’t include the countless other developers who are perhaps lesser known, but play part in their corrupt portfolio. This company has apparently made their clients around $2 Billion. That’s right. $2 Billion. They also have healthy ties with the media, some of their client’s apps appearing on NBC, Forbes and MTV.
How do we know they’ve been gaming the system? Thanks to one honest and brilliant developer, who we shall call “Mr Cool”. He informed MobileCrunch, who we’re good enough to post his comments. Here’s what he forwarded, with an explanation that Reverb offered him some whitehat and some not so whitehat services, all for a cut of $0.75 per sale of his app :
Reverb employs a small team of interns who are focused on managing online message boards, writing influential game reviews, and keeping a gauge on the online communities. Reverb uses the interns as a sounding board to understand the new mediums where consumers are learning about products, hearing about hot new games and listen to the thoughts of our targeted audience. Reverb will use these interns on Developer Y products to post game reviews (written by Reverb staff members) ensuring the majority of the reviews will have the key messaging and talking points developed by the Reverb PR/marketing team.
And what is that “key message”? It’s going to be a grossly over exaggerated, possibly untruthful comment which leads people into buying an app that may or may not be as good as first made out. The company have a defined and specific technique for carrying this out, with targeted reviews appearing after the app launches for around 2 weeks. They comment that the reviews will be “Positive reviews – not over the top – but endorsing the game as a good product”.
Mobile Crunch has verified this developer’s evidence, by checking out some of the Reverb apps on the app store. And not surprisingly, they have alot of 5/5 reviews. Try 348 out of 908. They didn’t stop at just reviewing one app though, testing this theory out on several Reverb apps. And what do you know, all of the apps have reviews that are “short and sweet, and extremely positive”. One ‘reviewer’ had rated 7 of Reverb’s apps!
Not surprisingly, Reverb made a reply to these accusations:
I’m sure you are speaking with one of our former employees that has been contacting media outlets about Reverb. I’m not sure what “unethical practices” you are referring to so it would be hard for me to comment, but I am hoping that you will do the proper research to ensure that the facts you are reporting are accurate and nit (yes he put “nit”
) written based on information provided by a disgruntled former employee who is violating his confidentiality agreement.
My office did mention that you had issues with our staff and interns (B: or does he mean cheap outsourced labor?) writing reviews for some of our clients games, I’m sure you are aware that in order to write a review on iTunes an individual needs to purchase the game or app and can only write one review. Our interns and employees write their reviews based on their own game play experience, after having purchased the game by themselves, a practice not uncommon by anyone selling games or apps and hardly unethical.
I am in Europe until Tuesday, I’ll keep my eyes out for the story, once again I do hope you do some homework before posting erroneous or incorrect information about Reverb communications.
Doug Kennedy
Hasn’t he ever heard of redemption codes?
MobileCrunch weren’t speaking to an Employee, but rather an app developer. And they did research into “Mr Cool”‘s evidence. Mr K call’s the techniques used by Reverb as pretty standard practices, and “hardly unethical”.
Let me ask you this, if a man walks up to a woman and tells her she can get a really great Sony TV over the road, only for her to go over to the store, buy it and find out its not, is that ethical? If the store pays that man to approach the people is that ethical? Not really, its borderline legal. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that lying?
The sad thing is, this is going on all over the place, but we only know of a handful of culprits. Whats worse is that this company see nothing wrong in what they are doing. Rest assured, Apple will be onto you. If it makes their customers unhappy, then you make Apple unhappy. It’s not helping the app store either, after all the recent negative buzz.
You can view the full article here, along with the full list of services as provided by Reverb themselves: http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/08/22/cheating-the-app-store-pr-firm-has-interns-post-positive-reviews-for-clients/
Comment source: MobileCrunch