In my newest article on Entrepreneur.com, I discuss the evolution of the consuming CONsumers of the past to the brand advocate PROsumers that exist today thanks to the power of the social web.
You can check out a snippet of the article below and click on the link above to read the full article.
The term “prosumer” isn’t a new one. It has been around the marketing world for years, but in today’s world of the social web, it has taken on a new importance and caused a shift in the way companies market to end-users.
The term “prosumer” has transformed from its original definition of “professional consumer” to “product and brand advocate”. Rather than simply “consuming” products, people are becoming the voices of those products and significantly impacting the success or failure of companies, products, and brands, particularly through their involvement on the social web.
In simplest terms, no longer are businesses completely in control of their products, brands and messages. Today, end users are in control. The leaders of this shift are the members of the social web — bloggers, microbloggers, forum posters, social networking participants, and so on, who spread messages, influence people around the world, and drive demand. In other words, prosumers are the online influencers that businesses must not just identify but also acknowledge, respect and develop relationships with in order for their products and brands to thrive.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. and Founder & Editor in Chief of an award-winning blog, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored 10 books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
Follow Me:
I think that successful brands have always understood that their brand was defined by external forces. No matter how much Timberland didn’t want to be the footwear of a new generation they had to go where the consumers drove them. I agree that the communication has become much more immediate and maybe it will make us better brand guardians.