Citizen journalism is the new normalcy. Self published bloggers now carry more weight then mainstream publications. "Barriers for entry" are something that everyone should stop talking about: they don't exist.
Everyone is now a publisher, content creator and distributor. The current tools on the social web make this circumvention of media possible.
Key to this moving forward? Allowing interaction and manipulation of your content by the end user. You do that? You're golden.
The growing trend? Circumvent the current distribution model in favor of one that is far superior (and will allow for more customization). The NFL now has a network. What's to stop it from putting all of their games on it? (Asides, from public outcry.)
The new model for business is one of an end run. Distribution, manufacturing content (physical and mental), and communication platforms are allowing businesses to build more efficient processes. In essence, "they are passing on the savings to you".
Now individuals and companies can have a vertical monopoly on their messaging and output of content. The tools are there. Now it is just a matter of gaining an audience and catering to your customers' needs.
The concept of "generic" is one that has been around forever with brick and mortar goods. The same philosophy is now being applied to information and media output from companies. Why would you pay someone to display or broadcast a message when you have the exact same pull and distribution set up to reach the same number of eyeballs?
You don't. Unless you're dense.
So what do you do if you are the middle man? Stop.
Alice.com is an example of one company that is utilizing this model for consumer goods.
Basically? Alice saw that CPG manufacturers face a growing challenge of how to connect and interact with consumers in efficient, targeted and value-added ways. Retailers (like Target, Walmart, etc.) account for such a large portion of CPG sales - and hold all the data - that manufacturers are in the dark about who exactly they should be targeting.
The retail “middle man” knows exactly what consumers want (and profit from it with private label brands), while manufacturers spend billions of dollars on advertising and marketing to figure it out.
Manufacturers are now able to acquire the consumer data and insight they need for product development, marketing strategy and loyalty programs. Programs such as electronic coupons, sampling, efficient focus groups and targeted offers help manufacturers reach out in the most efficient way to the correct audience. With this insight, Alice is able to disrupt the traditional retail market by doing three basic things:
1) Provide an open platform for consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers to sell directly to consumers.
2) Transform mass-market advertising dollars into direct consumer value.
3) Gives CPG manufacturers highly targeted ways to reach consumers and personalized relationships.
That's one hell of a way to circumvent the status quo.
No one is going to come to you anymore unless you have something that they can't get themselves. Start providing a product or service or you will cease to exist as a successful entity.
(Special Props to Rebecca Thorman for providing information about Alice.com's business model.)
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tagged as barriers for entry, blogger credibility, communication monopoly, death of the middle man, mainstream media, middle man marketing, vertical monopoly
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
While we're certainly seeing the 'middle-man' go away in many areas, I don't necessarily thing it's a positive thing across the board. While it's fine for the type of products Alice.com provides (which I am a big fan of), I don't feel the same way about journalism and information. There is a big difference between news and opinions. Bloggers provide opinions, rarely news. Most 'true' journalists (who are a dying breed) have a code of ethics and standards, whereas your run of the mill blogger does not.
I would recommend reading Lisa Barone's article The Web Needs Journalists for a good take.
This is a bit off-topic, but am I crazy, or aren't the generic products often contracted out for manufacture to the same companies that do the brand-name products? At least my sense is that this is the case for a number of generic over-the-counter drugs (a generic product I am always willing to buy, because by regulation it will be chemically identical to the branded one).
I would say my more frustrating Middle Man experiences have to do with product service, where the manufacturer and the retailer play keep-away with my question. This is particularly true with mobile handsets, since it can be at times hard to tell the difference between a hardware problem and a network problem, and so the service provider and the manufacturer try to foist you off on eachother.
As an aside, I wonder why more people retweeting your posts (as picked up by the Reactions section) don't also comment in long-form?
It just means one middle man is being replaced by another. You're using Feedburner for your RSS feed… a middle man. Twitter for promotion? A middle man. Disqus for your comments. A middle man.
What's to stop NFL putting all of their games on their own network is REACH. If a different network has a bigger REACH, it would be dense to ignore the bigger audience.
What's funny to me is that most people don't even realize that this shift is happening, and aren't necessarily doing it willingly. It's like the guy who took the pictures of the Hudson Bay plane crash on his cell phone and instantly became a big deal for becoming a citizen journalist. But when the media talked ot him about it he said “I wasn't trying to be a citizen journalist. I was just trying to get to New Jersey.” People like him are such a keep part of the “elimination” of the middle man, but don't even realize that they're doing it.
What's funny to me is that most people don't even realize that this shift is happening, and aren't necessarily doing it willingly. It's like the guy who took the pictures of the Hudson Bay plane crash on his cell phone and instantly became a big deal for becoming a citizen journalist. But when the media talked ot him about it he said “I wasn't trying to be a citizen journalist. I was just trying to get to New Jersey.” People like him are such a keep part of the “elimination” of the middle man, but don't even realize that they're doing it.
What's funny to me is that most people don't even realize that this shift is happening, and aren't necessarily doing it willingly. It's like the guy who took the pictures of the Hudson Bay plane crash on his cell phone and instantly became a big deal for becoming a citizen journalist. But when the media talked ot him about it he said “I wasn't trying to be a citizen journalist. I was just trying to get to New Jersey.” People like him are such a keep part of the “elimination” of the middle man, but don't even realize that they're doing it.
What's funny to me is that most people don't even realize that this shift is happening, and aren't necessarily doing it willingly. It's like the guy who took the pictures of the Hudson Bay plane crash on his cell phone and instantly became a big deal for becoming a citizen journalist. But when the media talked ot him about it he said “I wasn't trying to be a citizen journalist. I was just trying to get to New Jersey.” People like him are such a keep part of the “elimination” of the middle man, but don't even realize that they're doing it.
What's funny to me is that most people don't even realize that this shift is happening, and aren't necessarily doing it willingly. It's like the guy who took the pictures of the Hudson Bay plane crash on his cell phone and instantly became a big deal for becoming a citizen journalist. But when the media talked ot him about it he said “I wasn't trying to be a citizen journalist. I was just trying to get to New Jersey.” People like him are such a keep part of the “elimination” of the middle man, but don't even realize that they're doing it.
What's funny to me is that most people don't even realize that this shift is happening, and aren't necessarily doing it willingly. It's like the guy who took the pictures of the Hudson Bay plane crash on his cell phone and instantly became a big deal for becoming a citizen journalist. But when the media talked ot him about it he said “I wasn't trying to be a citizen journalist. I was just trying to get to New Jersey.” People like him are such a keep part of the “elimination” of the middle man, but don't even realize that they're doing it.
I was just trying to get to New Jersey.” People like him are such a keep part of the “elimination” of the middle man, but don't even realize that they're doing it.
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I was just trying to get to New Jersey. People like him are such a keep part of the “elimination” of the middle man, but don't even realize that they're doing it.
Find more jobs: http://www.staffingpower.com/