Charlie on Consolidation

In a fascinating speech at the Beer Summit which challenged many of our most basic assumptions, consultant and genius-in-residence at Miller Charlie Frenette set off in bas relief the issues facing brand marketers today. He asked whether large brands can survive the consumer (maybe), and whether small hot brands can survive their own success (again, maybe). But the most compelling question was how to manage consolidation and reap its obvious benefits without losing the power that independent distributors possess. How