I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

Rance Crain asks in an Advertising Age column, "How Do You Get Control Back If You Cede Brands to Consumers?"

Here's a question: With all this talk about consumers taking control of brands, how do you get control back again if you decide to change direction? Or once you open the gates, is your brand's destiny out of your hands forever?

Did he really just refer to getting "control back again?" Umm...that presumes the advertiser had control to begin with, which is a premise I'd challenge. I also wouldn't equate working with customers to change perceptions with placing the brand's "destiny" out of one's hands forever. Brands are not shaped only by the ivory tower marketers who push messages supporting brand attributes. They're shaped by customers. You can buy a gazillion GRPs a day and use the ads to tell people Burger King rocks, but if they think it sucks based on their own experience, it won't do you a lick of good.

Thanks to Eric for pointing the piece out.