Chief Listening Officer

"Markets are conversations." - Cluetrain Manifesto

We are in the middle of a powerful shift in business. The top down, mass media, volume driven communication model is dead or dying.

The 30 second commercial contracted cancer over a decade ago (birth of TiVo.) Print media is bleeding from their jugular. Even some online media have come down with a fever lately.

All of which set the stage for an explosion in social media. There're nothing new about the conversations taking place. But never before have they had the megaphone they enjoy today.

Therefore, listening is becoming more important than ever. As with most things in life, there are winners and losers.

Successful companies will be the one's that listen to what's happening in the marketplace and react in real time. The smartest ones will even create a new C Suite position: Chief Listening Officer.

CLO's will lead all communication departments (PR, media relations, and yes even have a dotted line to marketing.) But more importantly than that, they will lead the tribe of passionate people we often call customers.

Here's looking forward to Corporate America growing some bigger ears.