Mike Swenson’s comment opens up a window into the world of how the PR world is addressing the famously empowered consumer. His comment on the ‘manifesto’ on Joseph Jaffe’s blog, got me thinking. The consumer with more power, isn’t really a new concept. (Remember the ‘prosumer?’) The consumer has always been more than a person with a fat wallet. Just to dwell on Toffler’s prediction for a moment, he envisioned an active consumer, not a passive one. IMHO, this active consumer is more than an engager. Sure we would configure our own sneakers, and be our own travel agents but there’s another side of the control revolution: to control what we hear and watch. We can be brutal gatekeepers, and at other times, welcome hosts.

I don’t want to know what Fox TV has to say on Channel 10 because it’s all special effects and tabloid news. That channel at home is non-existent; we skip past it so fast, it’s almost funny. I don’t see most of the ads online because I minimize or click past anything that smacks of interruption marketing. But I do listen to what columnists and companies have to say via newsletters and podcasts to which I subscribe; I don’t object to the pitch of the ads in magazines because to a certain extent, I have imposed a filter (buying only the ones that I plan to read) and feel safe to let them in.