Esther Dyson has an interesting op-ed in today’s Wall St. Journal that discusses the affect social-network companies (e.g., Facebook) will have on advertising. In it, she discusses how today’s advertising model (targeted ads based on site content) will become less relevant as users continue to tune out such "billboards and cacophony."

The new model, she says, "creates a more trusted environment for reaching high-value, frequent purchasers, whether of airline tickets, electronics, clothes or other items. Where does that leave the less-frequent purchasers? Probably looking to their friends rather than to advertising for advice."

While Ms. Dyson’s focus in this piece is on more consumer-goods products and services, her suggestion also has implications for financial services firms. Assuming more people’s online experience centers around their communities, who are they going to trust more when it comes to suggestions for places to open a brokerage account, bank account, or credit card? Their friends on their social networks most likely.

We’ve talked on this blog and in our research about the impact Web 2.0 has on servicing customers, but it clearly will also have an impact on how financial services acquire those customers in the first place.