With margin being squeezed in every direction, something must give to satisfy Americans that have been drunk on low prices for decades. I believe that contract manufacturers are peering through a massive window of opportunity. The internet provides them with the ability to go direct-to-consumer and remove various intermediaries (or middlemen). Toss in the power of celebrities and the consumer-to-manufacturer (C2M) model could be extremely special.

The old business sequence of building products first and audiences later will become obsolete. The creators of today will become the biggest brands of tomorrow.