For much of corporate history, advertising has remained clichéd. Its aim has been to gauge eyeballs through fuzzy, anecdotal insights. Usually during this period, marketers have not been able to understand which half of advertising budged has been well used, until it has reached the final consumers. Now things are changing. Collaboration is in fact the new competitive edge. The crowd is now considered the best analyzer of advertising content. Consumers themselves are turning advocates for the products once they are convinced. In a global market research conducted to gauge the effectiveness of advertising, it was understood that a vast majority of respondents make final purchase decision most influenced by what their friends or family members recommend. This is where consumer advocates come in as their views are best relied upon by their fans.

Source: http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2016/06/25/the-most-innovative-marketing-tactic-is-with-the-crowd/