Like they ever did: Rebecca Lieb informs corporate marketers and “content providers” (ugh) they can’t control the message anymore, so get over it.
Ironically, corporate marketers and “content providers” are the only ones who think they ever had control of any message. The rest of the world (”market targets” and “content consumers,” I guess corporate marketers call them) has been making or breaking brands and products throughout history, no matter how much the corporate marketers and “content providers” were under the illusion the “targets” were being controlled.
Really, I think those Snopes folks should do a de-bunking of the urban legend that once upon a time, “Marketers controlled the message.” It’s a myth. A Fairy Tale. Call it what you want, the “invisible hand,” the marketplace, whatever. But the bottomline is: customers have always controlled the message.
Rather than talking about what marketers are “giving up,” the message here should be about what a great opportunity is available for marketers who accept reality — the reality that was always there even when marketers were believing urban legends. The “new reality” is that marketers, who have never had control of the message, can now take part in the conversation in a much more personal and powerful and human way than they’ve ever been able to before.
Of course, isn’t this conversation Cluetrain 101, circa 1999?
Rex is ready for any emergency. Are you a Ready Kid? Alright, kids. Every day you get your homework done, get to music or sports practice on time, and plan where and when you’ll meet up with friends. But how do you get prepared for an emergency like, say, a threat to the security of the U.S. homeland? 
