Product-Centric Brands are Imploding - Customer Centric Brands are Exploding

Today, brands are mostly product-centric- Brands try and persuade us to buy their products because of their reputation for high quality, or good value. This is rapidly shifting. In an environment, where "return on attention" becomes a key measurement of performance, a new kind of brand is emerging-one that is customer-centric. As social networks deepen the inter-linkage between individuals, and individuals place greater trust in their association with others of shared interest, brands who assure their customers that they are listening, and responding to the input of the "community" will likely thrive. Customer-centric brands will begin to emphasize their ability to listen well...the more attention received by the individual customer...the more responsive the brand will become in satsifying the need. Watch for the rise of the "infomediaries", those who can crunch the data, interpret the data, and become more predictive of how the data translates into trend....Stay tuned.