Brand building has moved out of home office, and is now online. This is where real consumer dialogs are taking place. As a marketing communications manager I have to recognize and listen to the voices ‘out there’ which are more compelling and interesting. If we tap into the C-to-C channels, we’ll find much more going on there than anything in our B-to-B or B-to-C world.

The online world is getting a lot of attention, but how convinced are the layers? Steve Rubel’s observation today that even TV execs don’t seem to really get it, parallel’s an article in Ad Age I saw in February, that says Madison Avenue "needs to figure out emerging media –fast– or lose billions of dollars to someone who will."

The story featured Verizon Wireless marketing VP lashing out at the old way of buying media. Hugely reminiscent of Jim Stengel’s stern warning to the ad community in 2003. Which makes me wonder, how many warnings does it take to to recognize that branding, distribution, and audience interaction is not what it used to be even two years ago?

As Kenneth Musante puts it, everyone, including the TV folks, are in the collective big-toe-in-the water stage of the game. And while they are doing this, the YouTubes of this world are crashing the marketing and television party, aren’t they?