This post is part of the Bible and Business series on Christian ethics for Christian Business Owners.
Word-of-mouth advertising has always been considered the best kind of advertising because it costs nothing and is one of the most trusted forms of marketing (Tan, 2015:Online).
Description of the problem: In this scenario, the owner hires a firm to write positive but fake reviews of the owner’s products or services. Whether the fake reviews are generated by AI[1] or through real people does not materially affect this ethical decision. Roughly 90% of all internet users consult online reviews before making a purchase (Kaemingk, 2020:Online) and fake reviews can lead them astray as to the real quality of a product or service.
Fake reviews come in several packages (Sterling, 2020:Online):
- Vendors that sell both positive and negative reviews
- Business owners who generate fake reviews through fake profiles they created for themselves
- Employees who are asked to write reviews on the owner’s products or services that they would otherwise not write
- Ex-employees writing negative reviews as retaliation for being terminated or laid off
- Customers lying or exaggerating to ensure they receive a refund
- Family and friends write several positive reviews in a short period (known as “Review Cluster”) that are not followed by other reviews for a sustained period.
Type of situation: This is a moral temptation.
Filter: When business owners use fake reviews to build a reputation for a product not based on a broad range of consumer experiences, the owner lies to potential new customers and steals from the consumer by creating a false narrative that helps the consumer justify purchasing the owner’s products or services. Lying and stealing are not loving actions toward others or God. Moreover, the owner does not steward well the products and services God has entrusted to the owner when the owner creates a false narrative in the marketplace.
Correct ethical decision: The owner should engage more closely with the owner’s customers and ask them to write online reviews of his products or services. The owner should resist the temptation to generate fake reviews.
Bill English, Publisher
Bible and Business
[1] Artificial Intelligence
