Creative Destruction - Value Finds its Own Level

Everyone in brand wants to understand Creative Destruction.  As I wrote earlier, this force has always been present but the persistent ability of the internet to connect all of us to everything, all of the time, no matter where we are, has brought about an acceleration of the effects of this force that many hadn't anticipated.


One after another, traditional forms of distribution, services and content are being destructed by the creative forces of a new paradigm.  Most of us involved in brand can can see a far different future, but we can't see when 'our world' will change.  In other words, 'how much time we have', to prepare for the coming changes to brand and the way we deliver content, products or services.


The US justice department has rendered a decision on the Amazon E-publishing case which some say will make Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, dictator for life.  This decision is interesting from several points of view.  


First of all, observe the defensive strategies of the major publishers who brought the action forward. Was the intent to stall Amazon's strategy while created an appropriate response?  Did they think that Justice would find for anything that preserved their higher prices to the consumers of books?  Is the value of a popular title $9.95?


Second, consumers have spoken on this matter and have flocked to the Kindle and e-books far faster than publishers thought was possible.  Although widely debated, there are millions of Kindles out there and titles are flowing through these devices fast.  We brand people don't always like the market but it is still the market and it has spoken on the value of the Kindle and an e-book.


Finally, e-publishing and the Kindle have been both creative and destructive.  Book stores, publishers, distributors and printers have all experienced the destructive nature. But what about those who have experienced the benefit of the creative aspects of e-publishing and devices like the Kindle:  Writers who couldn't find a publisher for their work, who now can publish, distribute and obtain value for their contributions of content; and, What about the millions of readers who now have growing low cost access to content they may never have found before.  I predict the new, low price of content and the convenience of e-publishing will increase demand well beyond what we have seen to date or could have seen under the old paradigm.


It is obvious that publishers, book stores and brands in the publishing area will have to re-invent themselves.  We're all observing the traditional sources of content where brands have been built on strategies that manipulated scarcity and demand to foster value for the brand.  Perhaps its time to understand and develop strategies that create brand value in this new paradigm - the paradigm of abundance.  


Value always finds it's own level in a market.  Online markets will be no different accept that value will find an appropriate level much quicker.