Eureka!
IBM has apparently been conducting consumer surveys all year. Today it has unveiled a collation of those surveys, which gives some indication of how consumers interact with the marketplace via the internet and how businesses need to be aware of this in order to improve their offering in 2009.
They summary of the survey opens with a one-size-fits-all statement of horoscope-like vagueness: "IBM consultants are advising clients to remain focused on understanding and adapting to the needs of today's empowered and informed consumers as a means of differentiation in 2009."
So there you go. We were disappointed by the absence of the word "leverage", used as a verb of course, in the statement, but were consoled by its use in the sub-head of the press release.
Anyway, it looks like the dual proliferation of smart mobile devices and social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, have made consumers fell all empowered. This means that a number of industries are having to make products these pushy punters actually want, if they want to stay in business.
Gone are the days, it seems, of zombie-like consumers buying whatever products the telly has embossed into their sub-conscious, without any idea why they might want them. This alarming state of affairs is not lost on global CEOs, who when surveyed were resolved to appeal to two new high-maintenance consumer segments: the 'information omnivore,' and the 'socially-minded' customer.
