More and more, customers around a company are organizing themselves in such a way that the company is no longer necessary. Let’s take a hypothetical case: buying a car. A car is like milk: it can be produced just about anywhere. The difference between different makes of cars is the degree to which they are refined. One approach for consumer power is to manufacture would be to make your own car using a website. Picture a manufacturer that gets his design from consumers and his parts from sub-contractors. When the customers meet and drive away from the factory, they haven’t just bought a new car, they’ve also created a new community. With no advertising, you have created a no-brand car with 2 million owners.

Companies must realize that the customer truly is king when many customers converge at the same place on the Internet. Instead of engaging in “brand wars”, companies should involve the customer in their daily business. Companies that act cynically, will discover that the wrath of the king – the consumer. Their brand can easily become a symbol, an anti-brand. In that gap between anti-brands and consumer power are billions of dollars waiting for companies with the right approach.

For the organised customer, the company is no longer essential. Even more important, costumers won’t pay extra for a fake brand.

If this sounds far-fetched, compare it to Dell Computers. At Dell, the computer is built after the order and is delivered directly to the customer. This whole process can, theoretically, be done by the customer himself, only better and with a more personal touch.