Remember some of those catchy old commercial jingles: "plop, plop fizz, fizz".... or "you deserve a break today?' Well, a fragmented mass media audience and ever-evolving technologies may be making those a thing of the past.
Bob Garfield is an advertising critic, author, consultant, and co-host of NPR's "On the Media" (quick plug: you can hear it Sunday mornings at 9:00 on KUT 90.5). He says companies have to trade in the old rules of reaching the mass market with the a new set of rules that mimic the way people treat each other.
Garfield says businesses are now in the "Relationship Era," and what used to work to motivate customers just doesn't work the same way any more.
Listen to the interview on this page to hear about companies that have already moved their marketing into this new age, and the tale of one that hasn't - and paid a pretty steep price for it.
Bob Garfield is the author of "Can't Buy Me Like: How Authentic Customer Connections Drive Superior Results."
