Graphic Cards Nvidia in hotsoup over AEG !!

[Blade_Runner]

The original article carried out by the consumerist website.........

Did Nvidia Hire Online Actors to Promote Their Products?

About a week ago, The Consumerist stumbled upon claims made by various gaming websites (specifically, Elite Bastards and [Update: a poster on the forums at] Beyond3D) that graphics chip manufacturer Nvidia, in cooperation with the Arbuthnot Entertainment Group (AEG), had seeded various gaming and PC hardware enthusiast sites with pro-Nvidia shills. That is to say, that AEG would hire employees to create ‘personas’ in various gaming communities, slowly building up the trust of other members by frequent posting unrelated to Nvidia, to later cash in that trust with message board postings talking up the positive qualities of Nvidia’s products.

Nvidia's Derek Perez Responds

Hey Joel.

Boy - read your article - you couldn’t have gotten it more wrong.

Do you really not know what AEG does? Did you go to their website? Do you understand their business?

Seems before you write an editorial article on this you would educate yourself.

AEG helps us to manage the online community - we engage with some NV fans to help educate people on the web.

They are NOT hired actors!

They are NOT “shils”!

Happy to answer more questions - but it seems as if you need to do some research first.

Cheers Derek

Nvidia's Perez: "They act as our 'voice'"

Mr perez said:

I would hardly say ‘unwilling’ - I responed on Wed and Thursday.

Again - we do not hire ‘actors’ as marketers.

We recruit NV fans to help in answering tech questions, test new drivers, give updates, etc. They act as our ‘voice’ if you will.



We do not pay these people. We sometimes give them hardware…but we give out lots of hardware.



We hired AEG to help manage this process - just like a company will hire a PR firm to help with PR. As we can not talk to everyone.

And what do you mean by ‘fully’ disclosing those gifts?

I give press gifts all the time - and its not disclosed…

Like I said - it easier to talk this through vs. email.

So speaking of disclosure, an anonymous Consumerist reader writes:

I spoke on the phone with Stephanie at AEG after this story broke in an effort to investigate the situation. She flat-out told me that AEG actively seeks influential members of message boards to approach for membership in their marketing program. These members are required to sign a NDA about the program’s very existence. The recent news I was told by a member of this program is that NVIDIA is now offering them 30” widescreen LCDs. This suggests just how much $$$ is being poured into this new outreach effort.

These people are indeed viral marketers, but NVIDIA also expects them to provide the company feedback on the parts they’re given, so I think the company likes to promote this angle as an excuse for the fact that, at the end of the day, it’s still viral marketing. Ask Perez why AEG requires an NDA from its members preventing them from even admitting that the program even exists!

Update:: Mr. Perez called! After informing us that he would be having his legal department contact us for posting his emails, he assured us, among other things, that no members of this program were under NDA from Nvidia or AEG nor were they given any 30-inch LCD monitors for participation in the program. Mr. Perez also attempted to explain to us how marketing works.

We tried to explain to Mr. Perez that if the fan program from Nvidia was as innocuous as he claims, he should have no problem sending us the details of the program, what products are given away to fans to “pass on” information about Nvidia, and who from the community was a participant in the program.

Mr. Perez’s response? “Why does that matter?”

We suppose that if no one else is angry about this, it doesn’t, actually.

Read the full stories

Did Nvidia Hire Online Actors to Promote Their Products?

Nvidia's Derek Perez Responds

Nvidia's Perez: "They act as our 'voice'"

 

[Aditya]

Lol!

Owned!!!!

Anyways, nVidia i think are doing a really smart thing. I think if ATi would have thought of this, surely it wouldhave been done by now :bleh:.

 

[Vandal]

Lol!
Owned!!!!

Anyways, nVidia i think are doing a really smart thing. I think if ATi would have thought of this, surely it wouldhave been done by now :bleh:.

I don't see any harm in this....The way advertising is going this may seem a good idea soon.....:bleh:

 

[Rahul]

nvidia trying to make more fanboys ....

 

[Aditya]

Thats what i said m8.

nVidia i think are doing a really smart thing.

Its a very very good idea.

It will surely help in advertising. a LOT!

 

[Blade_Runner]

Thats what i said m8.
Its a very very good idea.
It will surely help in advertising. a LOT!

:rofl: lmao goldy u think seeding forums with paid shills is a good idea ? Imagine some ignorant guy comes posting on a video forum asking for advice. They shills will probably pimp the companys card who paid them to do so. In the end the poor guy might end up getting a crappy product instead ! So hows that benefitting the consumers. Its creates more distrust among community members and now even fans will be accused of being paid shills.

 

[Rahul]

^^ wat u said is always being done by shopkeepers ...... anyways if the guy have knowledge to go to a forum for help then at least he can search on net and see the benchies for himself ......

 

[Blade_Runner]

^^ wat u said is always being done by shopkeepers ...... anyways if the guy have knowledge to go to a forum for help then at least he can search on net and see the benchies for himself ......

Yeah only that you know that the shopkeeper always recommends stuff which gets him more profit. In this case you dunno who these shills might be.

Frontpaged @

http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/show/21589

http://www.hardocp.com/

http://www.elitebastards.com/

Discussions:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=986342

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=1797519&enterthread=y

Weeded the OT posts.

 

[TheMask]

anyways if the guy have knowledge to go to a forum for help then at least he can search on net and see the benchies for himself ......

like blady said, what if the reviews themselves are biased n flawed? who wud one go to? Take me for example.. i dont read the reviews of any stuff anymore.. coz i dont get time n coz am plain lazy.. where do i get the info i need? here at TE.. i go thru the discussions here, n on IMs.. i usually depend on the more informed members here n swear by wat they say.. now imagine if these guys are 'planted'..

I have my doubts on some of the members here already.. :devil:

 

[RiO]

It's important for every company to have some sort of a community manager to act as the middle person between decision makers in the company and the community... it is not uncommon for companies to do this, and with the whole web 2.0 revolution it's becoming more important that companies reach out to the community. In fact, a few web 2.0 companies are using blogging/boards as their marketing strategy to build loyalty and receive feedback from their users/fans/customers.

 

[Blade_Runner]

hehe the AEG controversy cost Nv a good lot of +ve PR. The enthusiast community is furious. Some AEG "shills" come out after this.

Chris ray @ b3d

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showpost.php?p=691810&postcount=575

Chalnoth @ b3d

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showpost.php?p=692095&postcount=630

And the famous Rollo @ AT

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=1797519&STARTPAGE=8&enterthread=y

I was 110% sure rollo was a Nv shill from a long time, the blatantly pro-nv posts, free h/w etc.............. I hope the witch hunt goes on and a lot others are exposed

Now AEG and NV is a doing a nicely co-ordinated damage control all over...............

Damage control statement @ shacknews

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/40689

Coverage @ consumerist

http://www.consumerist.com/consumer/evil/nvidia-focus-group-member-details-hidden-program-153378.php

AEG and NVIDIA's "Viral"'outreach programme' Targets Forums
:rofl: :rofl: I cant stop laughing ! Worst PR disaster for Nv in a long time...............

 

[Chaos]

^^LOL this is really pathetic. Biasing opinions on a forum by bribing is the worst thing to do . Shame on NV.

 

[bottle]

^^ start behaving like a green fanboi and you could get that lcd for free !

 

[Chaos]

^^ start behaving like a green fanboi and you could get that lcd for free !

Haha . Why don't u start doing so .

 

[Harshal]

@ Blade, Man, you seriously think that the NV 6 & 7 series are crappy??
Firstly... if u have doubts with benchmarks done by websites, thne you think you the great judge of the hardware as well as dynamics of market. I mean you - we dont even have product in our hands, How can we judge its performance in various tests? Secondly, I know all Review Sites are making money here n there. But that site will not last long if they were to praise a company and its "Not so Happening" product over and over.

About the AEG chapter.... I think if someone after reading the threads and make decision it is their way of accepting a product. If someone was talked into buying Product N by say Mr X as he was to get something outta it, then it is wrong. Now to say this is bad and done by only one company means either you are "ASLEEP" or cant see right without HELP. I have come across many guys who offer help(damn, again HELP!), from Different companies like OCZ, GSKILL, DFI. ATI has got some of there guys out there on forums to SORT out issues/offer HELP for the buyers, so does that mean its supporting this partly(as I personally dont know if anyone got anything from ATI)?? Also, ATI has "unleashed" its products with real Hardcore Ocing (when not a single card was out there in shops) with few Pro OCers. What do we say of this then?? Having fun with new hardware or influencing the buyers??
Bottom-line, World is a Market and companies have there own way of doing PR. Hey, I already have a LCD not from NV tho.

 

[Blade_Runner]

@ Blade, Man, you seriously think that the NV 6 & 7 series are crappy??

Firstly... if u have doubts with benchmarks done by websites, thne you think you the great judge of the hardware as well as dynamics of market. I mean you - we dont even have product in our hands, How can we judge its performance in various tests? Secondly, I know all Review Sites are making money here n there. But that site will not last long if they were to praise a company and its "Not so Happening" product over and over.

Ahem harshal, i myself have a 6800 ultra I dont have doubts but you are picking the wrong bone here. I was reporting whats going on in the currently in the video card enthusiast scene. Normally dipdude or the rest of the reporters do it but i guess they missed it. I guess you got plenty pissed that i posted about your favourite company. Apologies if it hurt you.........

About the AEG chapter.... I think if someone after reading the threads and make decision it is their way of accepting a product. If someone was talked into buying Product N by say Mr X as he was to get something outta it, then it is wrong. Now to say this is bad and done by only one company means either you are "ASLEEP" or cant see right without HELP. I have come across many guys who offer help(damn, again HELP!), from Different companies like OCZ, GSKILL, DFI. ATI has got some of there guys out there on forums to SORT out issues/offer HELP for the buyers, so does that mean its supporting this partly(as I personally dont know if anyone got anything from ATI)?? Also, ATI has "unleashed" its products with real Hardcore Ocing (when not a single card was out there in shops) with few Pro OCers. What do we say of this then?? Having fun with new hardware or influencing the buyers??

I suggest you read the threads at b3d and At, the matter is more serious than you think. The FTC is planning to implement/outlaw viral marketing.

Bottom-line, World is a Market and companies have there own way of doing PR. Hey, I already have a LCD not from NV tho.

True but imagine we have a company X pimp amongst us, essentially he is trying to rope in more costumers and this would be way cheaper than normal advertising and non-ethical to say the least. What happens is that TE does not earn anything out of the marketing while these companies apparently earn money. Besides Nv isnt the only one engaged in this. Chk out the AEG site. understand the seriousness of the issue and then tell me what you think.

Edit: I think i'll stop reporting video cards news and leave it to the TE news reporters from now on.