[furball]

The recent thread on Virtual Dynamics cables is certainly an eye opening experience. So in the interest of amateurish investigative journalism, I decided to comb the net and see what other interesting stuff I can dig up. Lo and behold, I found this thread!

Why We Fired SVS as an Advertiser - Audioholics Home Theater Forums

This must have been very embarrassing to the SVS marketing people.

Added Content 2008/02/07

And do you know how these shill advertisers work?

For example,

1) SVS hires a PR firm specializing in internet shill advertising
2) The PR firm gives the job to 10 of its employees
3) Each employee has to create at least 50 different identities (usernames) on various internet audio forums
4) Each employee has to make at least 50 posts per hour under these different identities on different forums in order to make these aliases seem like real live people
5) Promoting SVS all over the net is these people's full time job
6) And whenever someone exposes their shill marketing, they swarm to SVS's defense, using whatever means necessary and at their disposal, burying the truth under piles upon piles of verbal abuse and profanity

 

[infinitesymphony]

Yeah, that kind of posting can be manipulative if it's not clear who is with the company. I wonder how the Audioholics staff found all of the employees... After all, it's probable that a number of people who posted positive comments about SVS's products were not employed by them.

That situation reflected poorly on their marketing department, but I don't know that those tactics necessarily affected the perceived quality of their products.

 

[furball]

I would imagine that a few SVS employees got careless or lazy, and used the same IP address for a whole bunch of postings. When you see that many "glowing reviews" from a large number of "different usernames" all coming from the same common IP address, you sort of get an idea of what is going.

 

[tkam]

That's actually pretty damn ironic coming from Audioholics. On more than one occasion they've been accused of only reviewing products (or at least positively reviewing products) from manufacturers who also happen to advertise on the site.

 

[furball]

These days since I just purchased a pair of Polk LSi9 bookshelves, I signed myself up for the polkaudio forum.

I started this exact same thread on that Polk forum,

SVS and Their Marketing Practices - Club Polk


Take a look at that thread, the level of personal attack I have received ever since I started that thread has been unbelievable.

 

[walls]

SVS has an almost cult like following, so the attacks on you are what i would expect.

Not sure about the way they do thier marketing but they do make some killer subs.

 

[gotchaforce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by furball /img/forum/go_quote.gif The recent thread on Virtual Dynamics cables is certainly an eye opening experience. So in the interest of amateurish investigative journalism, I decided to comb the net and see what other interesting stuff I can dig up. Lo and behold, I found this thread! Why We Fired SVS as an Advertiser - Audioholics Home Theater Forums This must have been very embarrassing to the SVS marketing people.

You forgot to post the SVS reply which is a very solid argument against audioholics post.

You were good at making witty quips in the virtual dynamics thread and thats where i would stay...

 

[GreatDane]

Thanks for the laughs.

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotchaforce /img/forum/go_quote.gif You forgot to post the SVS reply which is a very solid argument against audioholics post.

This reply?

Monday, 05 February, 2007: A rare public rebuttal from SVS

This statement is in response to recent allegations made by the owners and operators of “Audioholics”, an Internet Audio/Video Magazine.

Despite repeated requests from "Audioholics" over the last two months for SVS to renew our advertising contract with their website, SVS notified Audioholics on January 31, 2007 that we would not be renewing an agreement for 2007. Our decision was due primarily to lower than expected returns on our investment based on customer surveys. At no point in these contract discussions, or the recent issuance of an Audioholics “Product of the Year Award”, or during the entire previous year, had the conduct of SVS been questioned by Audioholics as less than honest and productive.

After concluding our relationship, we were surprised and disappointed to learn the next day that SVS was supposedly “fired” by Audioholics as an advertiser. Audioholics apparently used the statements of a forum member as a pretense for "firing" SVS, insinuating that SVS "planted" the forum member to create controversy and boost SVS sales. Not only are these allegations patently false, they are damaging to SVS' reputation. SVS has never asked any Internet forum member to post anything on its behalf. We can only imagine that Audioholics "fired" SVS as a preemptive strike to protect its image (we would assume that no online magazine wants to be perceived as losing sponsors).

While we regularly participate in all the major A/V forums, both to answer questions about our products, and because we are still audio enthusiasts -- we ALWAYS identify ourselves as SVS employees whenever we discuss anything related to our products, or competitive products. We are an internet-direct business, and it should be self-evident that a significant portion of our sales revenue is derived from credible on-line professional reviews and from equally credible comments by satisfied customers.

With that said, it bears repeating: SVS does not tell anyone in the public what to say, and by extension has never paid anyone (or provided other incentives) for posting comments on our behalf. Nor do SVS employees post statements without identifying their relationship with SVS. If a given audio forum member questions what he perceives to be biased and preferential behavior on the part of Audioholics’ management with respect to its various advertisers, that is, of course, his or her prerogative, based on an opinion and motivation of his own. That such actions are beyond our control should be obvious as well.

Professional integrity and honesty are the very core values upon which SVS was founded nearly 8 years ago; without them we would have already ceased to flourish. For the tens of thousands of valued SVS customers, our personal commitment to those values and audio excellence remain, even in the face of spurious accusations such as these, whatever their motivation. An even greater array of new and improved world-class products and continued dedication to open and objective discourse are our promises to you for 2007.

 

[walls]

Well then Dane that puts the kabash on this thread. LOL!!!

They really do make killer subs....

 

[gotchaforce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif This reply? Monday, 05 February, 2007: A rare public rebuttal from SVS This statement is in response to recent allegations made by the owners and operators of “Audioholics”, an Internet Audio/Video Magazine. Despite repeated requests from "Audioholics" over the last two months for SVS to renew our advertising contract with their website, SVS notified Audioholics on January 31, 2007 that we would not be renewing an agreement for 2007. Our decision was due primarily to lower than expected returns on our investment based on customer surveys. At no point in these contract discussions, or the recent issuance of an Audioholics “Product of the Year Award”, or during the entire previous year, had the conduct of SVS been questioned by Audioholics as less than honest and productive. After concluding our relationship, we were surprised and disappointed to learn the next day that SVS was supposedly “fired” by Audioholics as an advertiser. Audioholics apparently used the statements of a forum member as a pretense for "firing" SVS, insinuating that SVS "planted" the forum member to create controversy and boost SVS sales. Not only are these allegations patently false, they are damaging to SVS' reputation. SVS has never asked any Internet forum member to post anything on its behalf. We can only imagine that Audioholics "fired" SVS as a preemptive strike to protect its image (we would assume that no online magazine wants to be perceived as losing sponsors). While we regularly participate in all the major A/V forums, both to answer questions about our products, and because we are still audio enthusiasts -- we ALWAYS identify ourselves as SVS employees whenever we discuss anything related to our products, or competitive products. We are an internet-direct business, and it should be self-evident that a significant portion of our sales revenue is derived from credible on-line professional reviews and from equally credible comments by satisfied customers. With that said, it bears repeating: SVS does not tell anyone in the public what to say, and by extension has never paid anyone (or provided other incentives) for posting comments on our behalf. Nor do SVS employees post statements without identifying their relationship with SVS. If a given audio forum member questions what he perceives to be biased and preferential behavior on the part of Audioholics’ management with respect to its various advertisers, that is, of course, his or her prerogative, based on an opinion and motivation of his own. That such actions are beyond our control should be obvious as well. Professional integrity and honesty are the very core values upon which SVS was founded nearly 8 years ago; without them we would have already ceased to flourish. For the tens of thousands of valued SVS customers, our personal commitment to those values and audio excellence remain, even in the face of spurious accusations such as these, whatever their motivation. An even greater array of new and improved world-class products and continued dedication to open and objective discourse are our promises to you for 2007.

Yes.

------------------

After reading it again i dont know how anyone could say this was SVS being a "bad company". SVS has a huge reputation, millions upon millions of dollars in sales, thousands of people satisfied with their subs posting on audio forums constantly... which makes you wonder why they would need to plant people on forums to "advertise" their products even more? They simply dont.

Note: I dont own an SVS sub or speaker, and never have, i own a HSU sub. I was close to buying a PB12plus but i bought a VTF2 MKIII and i got the sub for $150 cheaper and i think its as good, if not better, than the PB12 Plus. So there is no SVS loyalty in me.

(this post wasnt directed at anyone)

 

[furball]

SVS was caught with their hand in the cookie jar, and they knew it. SVS had to come up with something to save face. And the above statement is what they came up with.

Over the years, on many audio forums, such as avsforum, audioasylum, audioholics, etc., people have pointed out that SVS has engaged in systematic shill advertising on those forums. In recent memory, Audioholics has been the only site brave enough to stand up to this kind of unethical behavior.

 

[furball]

And do you know how these shill advertisers works?

For example,

1) SVS hires a PR firm specializing in internet shill advertising
2) The PR firm gives the job to 10 of its employees
3) Each employee has to create at least 50 different identities (usernames) on various internet audio forums
4) Each employee has to make at least 50 posts per hour under these different identities on different forums in order to make these aliases seem like real live people
5) Promoting SVS all over the net is these people's full time job
6) And whenever someone exposes their shill marketing, they swarm to SVS's defense, using whatever means necessary and at their disposal, burying the truth under piles upon piles of verbal abuse and profanity

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by furball /img/forum/go_quote.gif And do you know how these shill advertisers works? For example, 1) SVS hires a PR firm specializing in internet shill advertising 2) The PR firm gives the job to 10 of its employees 3) Each employee has to create at least 50 different identities (usernames) on various internet audio forums 4) Each employee has to make at least 50 posts per hour under these different identities on different forums in order to make these aliases seem like real live people 5) Promoting SVS all over the net is these people's full time job 6) And whenever someone exposes their shill marketing, they swarm to SVS's defense, using whatever means necessary and at their disposal, burying the truth under piles upon piles of verbal abuse and profanity

How is that even possible?

 

[walls]

Man I just dont buy it, Thier products have been very highly reviewed in mags and on the web and everyone I know that has one absolutely praises them for product strength and customer service.

I would have no problem buying from them.........and no I do not work there. LOL!