The traditional theory of “supply and demand” may be getting a run for its money. In the age of customization and personalization, consumer demands are decreasingly less focused on what is available and more focused on what it is that they want. With lower barriers to entry and lower distribution costs in many sectors of business, companies are able to be more nimble with product offerings and cater to the wants of the consumer.
Does This Mean That The Consumer Is In Control?
NO!
What it does mean is that the consumer is more in control than ever before, but it does not mean that the consumer is in total control. After all, companies still have a say in production. Actually, they have a very large say in production, marketing and all other matters. The fact is that these consumers have a much larger influence; this does not however mean that they are in control.
The Era Of Co-Creation
In light of the statements above, we have entered into an era of co-creation. An era where corporations and consumers are meeting (perhaps half way) to discuss consumer wants.
Take Dells Ideastorm where today’s challenge is, “Help Us Become The Greenest Company On The Planet”. Dell has obviously realized the power of co-creation (now they just need to start making decent computers).
The Agencies Are Always The Last To Jump In
Okay, so this is not really a fair statement. In fact, I think that Publicis is doing something monumental in the recent announcement of their partnership with Dassault to create 3D marketing solution entitled; 3dswym.
While the concept of co-creation is something that Second Lifer’s have been participating in for a while, I think it is great that a company of this size is forward thinking enough to experiment with this type of product. I am very excited to see how this plays out!
Tags: co-creation, marketing, customization, personlization, supply and demand, Dell, Ideastorm, Dassault, Publicis, 3dswym, Second Life, participation