A genius tactic to neutralize negative Yelp reviews?

After reading my advice on how to guarantee a 1-star online reputation, QuestionPro’s James Worth asked me what I thought about Botto Bistro’s recent Yelp campaign.

In case you’re not familiar with the story, Botto Bistro set out to become the worst reviewed restaurant on Yelp. Apparently tired of being held hostage by 1-star reviews, the California bistro launched a campaign to get as many 1-star reviews as possible, by offering a 25% discount in return.

Crazy?

Genius!

How do you negate the trustworthiness of a 1-star review? You surround it with hundreds of other 1-star reviews–all as ridiculous as this one:

You then tell the media, announce it on your website, and embrace your new rock-bottom rating. By accumulating as many 1-star reviews as possible, Botto Bistro neutralized the effects of Yelp completely.

It’s a gutsy move–and one that I wouldn’t recommend you try–but it’s certainly a novel way to combat a negative Yelp reputation.

What do you think?