As businesses, we love to sing We are the Champions as we use marketing, advertising, and PR to bend consumers to our will.  But as web usability expert Gerry McGovern points out, we may need to start changing that to They are the Champions, with “they” being the consumer public:

“This is the real digital transformation. From organization-centric to customer-centric. The real digital natives are customers. Digital transformation has already happened among customers. They have better tools and are often more informed and better organized than organizations. All this information has made customers trust themselves and their peers more, and organizations and brands less. Most organizations are so far behind customers in culture, technology, thinking.”

The internet creates a hyper-informed consumer that, as Gerry says, trusts themselves and their peers more than brands.  Today, brands no longer control their message and image; the playing field has evened – and arguably is tilted towards the consumer.  The digital native is a new type of consumer, un-phased by the emotional manipulation of ads, unmotivated by pressure, calls of exclusivity, or the pull of status.

In fact, beyond their awareness of advertising is their indifference to it.  It’s difficult today to win business with last minute sales, better than the neighbor comparisons, or the high pressure push.  Consumers today take extra time, extra steps.  It’s the age of the methodical buyer.

Today, the small business that sells something its people believe in stands a much better chance of earning the attention, trust, and commerce of the modern customer.  Businesses that are behind customers in culture and thinking – that have to use the high pressure push – are behind in the count.  They are losing.

The business that offers inferior value but thinks it can control its buying audience won’t be singing about their victories or championships.

Consumers today are empowered and informed.  They have powerful computing devices – as powerful as enterprise networks were just a few years ago – in the palms of their hands.  They’re armed and ready.  They are the champions.

As a business, give them this victory and work with it.  You won’t fool many into trusting you.  But when you earn trust by delivering real value, you play right into the champ’s hands.

That’s where you find today’s profits.