If you asked a bunch of electronics and gadget makers and technophiles who the best reviewer around is a bunch of them would say Walter Mossberg. Mossberg writes one of the most successful and influential technology columns around for The Wall Street Journal.

A professor from the University of Miami School of Business Administration conducted a study that looked at the effects review by Mossberg have on the stock price of the companies who make the product he is reviewing.

The study found that if Mossberg gave a product a good review the company gained on average $500 million. If Mossberg gave a product a bad review the company lost on average $200 million. “When introducing new products, managers are often in a rush to market new products to beat out the competition. In doing so, they follow the logic of ‘It’s more important to be first than to be better,’” said co-author Professor Gerard Tellis from the USC Marshall School of Business. “This research proves that the successful business motto should be, ‘It’s better to be better than to be first.’”

University of Miami