Back in the good old days of marketing (which we will define as pre-internet), companies would broadcast their marketing message to the masses as much as possible. The idea here was to get your message heard or seen by as many people as possible while feeding them the benefits of your product or service. This method worked for a very long time because there were less products and services available to the market, there were less channels in which to get your message out to the public, and the buyer did not have much of a voice either. This model of marketing was basically one way. The message was broadcast from the business through the channel to the consumer. Then came the internet and that has changed everything, when it comes to marketing your company message.

With the internet, the tables have been turned. Now, the consumer has gained the upper hand when it comes to the message being broadcast about a product or service. People are talking to other people about their experiences for the better or worse. They are sharing product deficiencies, offering each other buying tips and tricks, recommending alternative products, and posting reviews. Companies cannot control all the channels of the web. There are just too many sites, blogs, forums, and social sites (and Twitter is one of them) to control and that is the whole point here. Companies have lost control of their brand message and the consumer is now broadcasting that message for better or worse.