Three Inflection Points on Consumer Affairs

Today in ClickZ ("Guess Who's Knocking on Marketing's Door") I attempt to answer the following very important questions:

If conversation is advertising's new sweet spot, should consumer affairs play a more central, strategic role in the marketing equation?

My answer is a big yes, and I reach this conclusion by citing three major inflection points over the past several weeks: a trip to the annual conference of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP), a visit to the monument of letters (see my earlier post) at Levi Strauss's headquarters, and the highly energizing panel I moderated last week at Ad-Tech.  Read on!