The mighty giant of contemporary digital music, Apple was humbled by the powerful voice of a single consumer. One who didn't choose to air his complaints via phone calls or email, but instead built a website and encouraged others to share their problems with the new Apple Nan. At one point, he was getting 30 email messages an hour with complaints and comments.
Yesterday, Apple admitted there was a problem with a few of the Nano players.
It's a great example of a powerful ripple effect in action, starting with a single consumer, picked up by bloggers who seek out and amplify his story and then the mass media who are increasingly looking to bloggers for story leads.
Years back, this complaint could have been buried or might have taken months to surface. In this age of democratic media, a lone voice can have a powerful effect. A very scary thought for those trying to control and manage the message, which increasingly seems to be an impossible task.
