The distention of consumers altered Coke, Gap, and Dominos in 2011

2011: The Year Consumers Took Over Brands

Out: brands barking at consumers.

In: consumers taking control.

From Coke’s recent cancelation of its white Christmas cans to Gap reverting back to its signature logo, 2011 seemed to be the year of empowered consumers. But we’ve been writing about this phenomenon for some time now. The proof is out there that we have major influence over what big corporations can and cannot do (just study the branding needs of Occupy Wall Street for inspiration). So what could 2012 have in store for us?

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Ten Brands Doing Post-Advertising Right

Ten Brands Doing Post-Advertising Right

We've spent a good deal of time at Post-Advertising pulling the curtain back on marketing and advertising practices that are on the wrong side of history. We try to expose those executions that desperately try to prolong the age when interruptive techniques and big budgets ruled the advertising landscape. We feel some sort of responsibility to reveal what's wrong with advertising today in order to teach our readers about the future of advertising.

However, it was time to take our badge off and pull out our sheet of gold stars (sorry, no monetary prize here) to reward those brands that are doing it right. These are the brands that have embraced Post-Advertising and focused their efforts on creating engaging content and igniting movements that spread.

Here are ten brands that stand beside us, ushering in the Post-Advertising age:

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Investment Firm BVP Celebrates Blunders with “Anti-Portfolio”

Everyone is allowed a few screw-ups, right? Problem is, for Bessemer Venture Partners––a goof or two meant missing out on little-known start-ups such as Google, Ebay, and Apple for what would have amounted to millions, if not billions of dollars. But rather than shy away from these mistakes, BVP has decided to celebrate their biggest blunders in a display of humility they have dubbed the “Anti-Portfolio.” We know of a certain industry that might learn a thing or two from these frank financiers…
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Domino’s Dishes Out a Hot Campaign

To many brands, listening to consumers means conducting a few focus groups and studying a report or two. But how much does that really accomplish? Are they just “protecting” themselves from the truth (which does more harm than good)? Because in the digital age, everyone gets to be heard—and Domino’s has finally perked up its ears.
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Brands with an Ear to the Screen

As consumer influence grows (take the great Domino’s revolt, for example), brands are rushing to learn more about the nature of web conversation. New technology lets marketers peek into everyday web dialogue to gauge campaign impact and consumer satisfaction in a new, web-based context.
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