It used to be that a brand was judged not only by the reliability of its product, but as much by the impact of its advertising. Not too long ago, advertising was a one way medium with brands spending millions for the exposure and emotional resonance that they perceived possible. I have tremendous appreciation for the effort it takes to produce compelling marketing campaigns, and there’s little doubt that advertising has emotional impact; still, in the era of real time media; a push strategy is no longer an option.
As entrepreneurs and marketers, not only do we need to re-imagine our roles, more importantly, we need to harness the untapped potential in each one of our consumers. Daina Middleton suggests that we start by eliminating the word, ‘customer,’ and instead think of, ‘participants.’ In her latest book, Marketing in the Participation Age, she peels back the curtain to show you what happens when you do that.