Introduction
             In completing this analysis of an article, I chose an article by Columbus (2006) that illustrates how marketing departments both in manufacturing and enterprise software companies are striving to stay in touch with their customers more than before, often using new approaches to do this. In terms of the credibility of the article, there is sincerity and honesty in the author's voice, as he is advocating a new perspective on how to understand customers, not a specific product or service to accomplish the task. The author has a bias to the non-traditional approaches companies can use to listen to their customers, and shows an impatience with marketing organizations that only rely on dated cause-and-effect relationships in relating to their customers.
             Main Theme
             The central theme of this marketing communications article by Columbus (2006) is that it's time for marketing departments to snap off the auto-pilot of how they have always done business and embrace user-generated forms of media including blogs. What is fascinating about the article is the move by software company SAP to invite bloggers to a recent event and freely let them report on it. This is a risky move but for the company profiled, SAP, it turned into a huge marketing communications win, as bloggers gave more immediate and unbiased reporting of one of the software company's largest events ever. The central theme continues with getting back in touch with customers and earning their trust. The author asks if the reader would trust their company to do business with them. That's a provocative statement.
             Audience
             The audiences for this article are marketing managers, directors, and vice presidents in manufacturing and software companies.
             Critique
             Columbus (2006) makes some excellent points with regard to rejecting the status quo of how marketing has always been done in companies and calls for an embracing of major change. While ...