Inside The Minds The consumer is empowered and skeptical, holding the brand responsible for corporate behavior as never before. A concept used to describe effective communication in the past was the “pyramid of influence.” In this old model, opinion leaders received top priority, and information “trickled down” to the consumer. This model relied on elite media delivering messages in editorial form to those at the top of the pyramid. Advertising was then used to inform the mass audience and stimulate purchase. To be effective in the age of the Internet, however, communications must be based on the “circle of crossinfluence.” It.
