It's the same as with Apple. If you put out so much marketing about how your products are perfect every little flaw will be hyped just as much as you hype the positive traits.
http://www.cultofmac.com/252918/apples-advertising-budget-is...
This was easily demonstrable, and lead to Jobs' infamous "You're holding it wrong" deflection.
To say that nothing was wrong and Apple was just managing PR from those pesky other companies badmouthing it is... the RDF in effect.
The only reality distortion field in effect here is the one that causes everybody to intentionally ignore the fact that every other smartphone had the same problem, and refuse to even acknowledge that fact when other people point it out.
It was a PR program.
Edit to add: I had a 4 sans bumper for 2 years and it worked great.
The positives are often hyped up so much, not just by the company itself, but the media as well, that some negative, no matter how small, ought to counteract those with almost as much force.
Action and reaction and all that. There has to be an equilibrium.