Consumers are going to place their money  behind the brands that are made by companies whom they regard as having social and environmental consciousness. The marketing era that lasted for 30-40 years is dead now. The brand is being managed by the customer. What the company does now is to manage the relationship with the customer.

Retailer recommendations, TV advertising ( powerful influencer through mid-70s until the 1990s ) have lost their appeal. Facebook and Twitter are becoming powerful mediums, and are going to be the most powerful communicators and persuaders.