Branding in The Digital Age You're Spending Your Money In All the Wrong Places

TLDR: For example, consumers are promiscuous in their brand relationships: they connect with myriad brands through new media channels beyond the manufacturer and the retailer's control or even knowledge as mentioned in this paper.

Abstract: Consider this: Not long ago, a car buyer would methodically pare down the available choices until he arrived at the one that best met his criteria. A dealer would reel him in and make the sale. The buyerʼs relationship with both the dealer and the manufacturer would typically dissipate after the purchase. But today, consumers are promiscuous in their brand relationships: They connect with myriad brands—through new media channels beyond the manufacturerʼs and the retailerʼs control or even knowledge—and evaluate a shifting array of them, often expanding the pool before narrowing it. After a purchase these consumers may remain aggressively engaged, publicly promoting or assailing the products theyʼve bought, collaborating in the brandsʼ development, and challenging and shaping their meaning.