List and briefly describe the five main ways in which marketers can find relevant online information on competitors' strengths and weaknesses.
Answer: The five ways are:
(1) independent customer goods and service review forums;
(2) distributor or sales agent feedback sites which are built by the distributors themselves to describe their experience and level of satisfaction on products or services;
(3) combo sites offering customer reviews and expert opinions mainly on financial services and high-tech products that require professional knowledge;
(4) customer complaint sites designed mainly for dissatisfied customers, which allows customers to express their dissatisfaction in certain firms or products; and
(5) public blogs offering personal opinions, reviews, ratings and recommendations on virtually any topic.