[foxfluff]

> How much of your choice in products is based on word of mouth? How do you know those purchases are not as a result of ads.

So what if they are? GP's point still stands. When buying products, I often want a first hand experience from someone I trust; or at least a demonstration from an independent party that shows all facets of the product and not just what the advertisers want you to see. I don't care how the conveyor of that experience originally stumbled upon the product (although I would like potential conflict of interest or manipulation to be disclosed, including such things as free review samples). Maybe it fell from the sky, maybe they saw an ad for it and bought it, maybe they won it.. I don't care, it doesn't matter. I'm still not buying things from an ad.