Step 1: Pretend that I am actually credible Step 2: Read this!

Secrets out: Technology is changing and the way people are consuming technology is changing. Now, the way brands are going to be able to communicate with the people should change, too. Don't resist it - that is when injuries happen. It will be much less painful if a brand is willing to accept this and learn from it than if they choose to ignore it, and here’s why:

We – you, I, your brother, the next door neighbor, enemy – are the people who are controlling what we know. We are controlling when and where and how and why we receive any message. We are making choices that are personalized to our own individual preferences. If we don’t want to see an ad we don’t have to... and there is nothing you can do about it. We will choose which brands succeed and which brands die. The brand will wait on the consumer and not the other way around.

It is okay to feel uncomfortable about this change, it is change, that is what change does. Fret not my pet. Find comfort in knowing that brands are still relevant.


What’s most important is for brands to be secure with the brand they are. After all, you've got a good brand, haven't you? It is about a brand making the same kind of decisions that people make about themselves everyday. That is not a new concept, brands have been defining themselves for as long as I can remember, what’s new is that they can and will be held accountable for it.

So what? Be honest. That’s not too hard. Do what you say. That isn’t so tough either.

This is the age of the empowered consumer. It is also the age of the informed consumer.

I wish I were advanced enough to for-see just how much opportunity lies in the very near future.

My humble advice?

Figure out who you are fast. Be less worried in who your public is and more interested in knowing who you are how you can do a better job of letting people know. Then, they can choose you.

Hire people that are smarter than you. Undoubtedly, things are changing faster than any brand can adapt to. Let someone figure out what is worth adapting or not adapting to.

And to that affect… be adaptable, damnit! You are not the boss anymore. They are. How are you going to make their lives happier, better, or easier.

Shut up and listen. People are telling you what they need. If you just close your mouth and open your ears, maybe you will actually learn something from them. And for free? Imagine that.

Embrace it. No one really knows what they are doing. You can’t really fail unless you choose to stop trying.
Everything will be okay. If you have done all this then have confidence. You are good enough, smart enough and gosh darnit, people like you!