Today's Economist echoes our themes, their word: survival.

Today's the Economist (issue date April 2, 2005) on its cover story about the empowered customer, has both a 14 page special report and its first Leader (editorial) covering pretty much the same ground as our book.

The Economist warns in the Leader that "Many firms do not yet seem aware of the revolutionary implications of newly empowered consumers." They then conclude the editorial with this chilling warning: "only those firms ready and able to serve these new (customers) will survive."

The 14 page special report is full of examples, stats and quotes echoing our book and discusses disruptive technologies, digital convergence, the troubles with retail, TV and advertising, and the emergence of the empowered customer. The series of articles concludes on a look into the future and talks of the changes of behaviour with the younger customers, in particular empowered by the mobile phone.  The magazine writes

"There is no turning back, the market will get more fragmented, customers' needs more diverse, and sophistication and empowerment will continue to grow. As marketeers adjust to this new environment, advertising may well have to become more permission based."

We totally agree, and luckily our book was out a week before this article so at least we committed to our views before seeing this issue of the Economist. So it is about the very survival of firms. We put it this way in Communities Dominate Brands, "Community power is inevitable and companies that ignore communities will wither and disappear, to be taken over by the new players who understand the relevance of this new customer power." We totally agree with the Economist. In fact the 14 page special report is a good primer leading into the 274 pages of the over 100 business examples and 13 case studies that we then offer on this topic. Yes, survival is at stake. But so is enormous success. For those companies that get it early, now is the opportunity to dominate...

Comments

[Bahama Reviews]

I couldn't agree more.

[Henry Peise]

People die for iphone 4 white is understandable, isn't it? The reason is quite simple, We all want to be differnt!

[ノースフェイス]

津の4町を含む全羅経済貿易地帯では、男性のパイオニアは、まだ中国吉林省琿春市に隣接して豆満江です。吉林省、中国、行くためにツアーグループとの毎日の延辺朝鮮族自治州。

[グッチ]

同県亘理町荒浜地区にある阿武隈川沿いの堤防。近くに住んでいた男性（６０）は２階建て自宅の１階が浸水したが、流失は免れたため「住み慣れた土地を離れたくない」と修復を決意。昨年９月、建設業者に予約金１００万円を支払い、年末までに仮設住宅から自宅に戻れるはずだった。