Founders and CEOs of startups don't need to spend a fortune on a public relations firm or marketing companies when they are perfectly capable of doing a great job on their own.
The days of dropping comments into a box are long gone. Now, someone can go right on Facebook or Twitter and be in charge of a company's brand. They can make or break how people perceive a company in a very short period of time.
If you want to see how future national policy wars will be fought, keep your eye on Coca-Cola and the American Beverage Association. Over the next few years sugar will become the new tobacco.