Traditionally, consumers were at the mercy of business. Not now, though. Armed with a new suite of tools, resources, and technologies, consumers are no longer passive observers in the marketplace of ideas and commerce, writes Pete Blackshaw in Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000 ( www.landmarkonthenet.com). “The Internet, specifically the now ubiquitous open-source, particularly Internet dubbed ‘Web 2.0,’ allows consumers, united by one common activity – purchasing goods and services from companies – to come together in an extended community.”

And, worryingly for the marketers, these consumers are increasingly united by a common frustration, the author observes: ‘A growing distrust of marketing and advertising.’ Consumer-generated media or CGM is here to stay, he avers. “In today’s online world, CGM is the true barometer of corporate and brand credibility.” Blackshaw identifies six crucial credibility drivers, as follows: trust, authenticity, transparency, listening, responsiveness, and affirmation. He exhorts managers to lead, with no excuses. “Opportunity is everywhere, and because lines of ownership are so fuzzy these days, everyone’s capable of reaping the dividends of small or bold acts of leadership.”

A book to add to your immediate reading list.

The Go-Giver
Bob Burg and John David Mann

Laws of value, compensation, influence, authenticity, and receptivity are the five that you need for ‘stratospheric success,’ say Bob Burg and John David Mann in The Go-Giver ( www.pengu in.com).

“Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment,” explains the first law. Exceed people’s expectations, the authors advise. How much you actually earn is determined by the second law, that of compensation. “Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them … Your compensation is directly proportional to how many lives you touch.”

Forceful messages in a fable format.

OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder
Lucas Conley

Branding is more distraction than progress, laments Lucas Conley in OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder ( www.publicaffairsbooks.com). “By abandoning the trusty, dusty principles of business – innovative products, good service, solid management – for the idealism of branding, companies reveal the true escapist appeal of their new religion,” Conley bemoans.

Branding – being quick, persuasive, and relatively cheap as a surface innovation – offers the satisfaction of a sense of change without the hard work, the author adds. “Branding is an ends bottled as a means – sort of like playing a game in reverse.”

The impact of branding can ironically be the opposite of its intent, Conley cautions. For instance, “inundated by junk, consumers simply stop listening.”

Inputs too critical to ignore.

D. Murali

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