Many of us have admired the work of artists or writers, and were faced with a conundrum when we found out through personal experience or hearsay that the artist or writer was an abominable jerk. Many (not all) would suddenly find it difficult to enjoy that artist’s work without being turned off or distracted by their new knowledge. And so now there is a cognitive dissonance in need of resolution.
In the old days, it was expected that there be a chasm between the passions of an organization’s individuals and the Big Lie that was a company’s PR facade. Consumers are now aware of that chasm, and of the falseness of the facade. They crave authenticity. Blogs have utterly disintermediated the big PR lie, bringing passionate people closer together from both sides of the sales counter.
Super-loyal, evangelical customers are worth more than their weight in gold. True passion can win this, but a false “green PR” ploy can be smelled by consumers without fail. You can’t tell people you want passion and then silence their voices behind the facade of the company. The company isn’t any thing. This notion that a corporation is some kind of entity with personhood is crumbling. A company is its people. So, what do the people stand for? People, even as consumers, seek meaning in their lives by taking a stand. What do they stand for? Producers and consumers can align themselves with each other and be passionate together in an interactive, relational synergy that goes beyond normal marketing/PR.
