How pro product reviews retain trust in the era of influencers
One hallmark of social media reviews is the jaw-drop moment where the influencer expresses shock at the effectiveness of a product. It’s the face that launches a thousand sales, so to speak. America’s Test Kitchen, one of the original brands in food media, has had its own share of shocking reveals that dethrone a past product test winner or recipe. Evan Silverman, chief operating officer of ATK, explains how scientific testing will always foster trust, especially as AI, influencers and social media reshape expertise and how we buy products.
Kate MacArthur: How is America’s Test Kitchen different from other cooking and review sites?
Evan Silverman: Consumers have trusted America’s Test Kitchen for decades because of the company's rigorous testing processes. We've earned trust with recipes that work and rigorous, unbiased equipment reviews, born of hands-on testing.
MacArthur: How do reviewers establish expertise?
Silverman: ATK equipment reviews utilize repeatable processes and tests grounded in science to measure objective criteria. That said, reviews do occasionally include some subjective evaluations. For example, how intuitive are the controls on an air fryer?
MacArthur: Where do likability and relatability fit?
Silverman: Likability and relatability for any personality that represents a brand is important and helpful. But if the recipes or the equipment don't work, then that likability will ultimately go out the window.
MacArthur: How might reviews evolve in 10 years?
Silverman: AI will shape many aspects of industries dramatically. The power of AI is in analyzing large sets of data, drawing conclusions and sussing out themes. Equipment reviews require hands-on testing.
MacArthur: What do you wish you knew about the future of food media?
Silverman: There's an existential question around content on the internet, and one that will likely only get worse with the rise of AI-powered content. There's a lot of junk on the internet, stating the obvious, and I'm extremely curious to see if it's possible for AI-powered content to not make that problem worse.
MacArthur: How do you maintain superiority or authenticity compared to influencers?
Silverman: I think a lot of companies publish equipment reviews, but very few of them have scientific, comprehensive approaches.
MacArthur: How will the balance of influence among traditional review sites, social media and AI evolve?
Silverman: I'm struggling to see how AI positively transforms the world of influencers in a way that benefits consumers. I believe AI can transform a lot of the backend workings of an influencer business. But I'm not sure what it brings to improve the situation of ultimately trying to solve the needs of a home cook who is looking for trusted guidance and also trying to differentiate between a trusted expert and an influencer. And even worse than that, someone who is just a fraud.
The power of AI is in analyzing large sets of data, drawing conclusions and sussing out themes. Equipment reviews require hands-on testing.”
MacArthur: How will AI-generated content shape expectations or how we're influenced?
Silverman: It sounds like a dystopian world that is quite unfulfilling and potentially confusing for people who can't tell the difference. There are uses of AI that are mind-blowing and helpful and increase people's ability to process information and draw conclusions. AI will ultimately only be as good as the inputs and what the machine learning is trained on.
MacArthur: How do you deal with potentially paid user reviews about products ATK has reviewed?
Silverman: Look, user-generated comments can be incredibly helpful when they are authentic and grounded in actual use of the product. We take the feedback from customers extremely seriously when they raise questions or have opinions about our equipment reviews. We will often consider that feedback as we are reviewing products the next time.
MacArthur: How can manufacturers use review information for innovation?
Silverman: That is an area where I think AI can prove valuable. That ability to distill down themes across a breadth of inputs and feedback to me is currently the greatest strength of AI for a manufacturer to tap into.
MacArthur: What do influencers’ subscription success tell us about consumers’ willingness to pay?
Silverman: The ultimate arbiter is the consumer who says this content is good enough to pay for and is able to forge a long-term relationship with a creator such that he or she is excited to pay for that content for years to come. There are influencers who absolutely are worth paying for, and there are many who are not, and ultimately won't be in this game long term.
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