Charles Hugh Smith

"Standard Model" marketing is in crisis, as it is mal-adapted to the global era of extended turmoil we are entering. This is a primer on how to build new, enduring ties to customers and stakeholders in the coming era of crisis by leveraging the largely misunderstood power of weblogs and New Media--"The Power Yet to Come."

The world is entering an extended era of disruption caused by the intersection of four mutually reinforcing cycles:

1. Peak oil, or the depletion cycle/end-game of the global economy's complete dependence on inexpensive, readily available petroleum/fossil fuels.

2. The cycle of credit expansion and contraction (approximately 60-70 years), which is now beginning the transition from unsustainable credit expansion (bubble) to renunciation of debt (credit collapse) and global depression.

3. The generational cycle (4 generations or approximately 80 years) of American history which leads to nation-changing social, political and economic upheaval.

4. The 100+ year cycle of price inflation and stagnation of wages' purchasing-power.

This short book explains how enterprises of all sizes and scales can use the critical leverage points offered by weblogs and New Media to construct a new sustainable business model based on trust and knowledge rather than "branding."

Charles Hugh Smith's "Weblogs & New Media: Marketing in Crisis" is one of the most important business analyses I have ever read. It is the first to squarely face converging global crises from a business perspective: peak oil, climate change, resource depletion, and the junction of key social cycles will radically alter the business landscape in coming decades. As an entrepreneur I have been retooling my own business to meet these head on, but have felt hamstrung by marketing's insistence upon positivity even to absurdity and denial. "Weblogs & New Media" helped immensely by providing the conceptual framework I needed to move forward. Within this framework I can begin formulating strategy appropriate for the new global zeitgeist -- namely, trust as the new currency du jour. Moreover, Smith offers insights for building this trust via digital resources that business currently misunderstands and misuses, a criticism that will be familiar to Seth Godin fans but which has implications far beyond traditional marketing goals. "Weblogs & New Media" is essential reading for any entrepreneur who refuses to drink the business media kool-aid, and who wishes his or her business to remain viable even in times of crisis.