Social Media has truly created an altered universe where one can, in an instant, connect with long lost friends from grade school or relatives across the globe. It has redefined much of what was considered seamless five years ago and left companies scrabbling to develop new policies and methods of attack. In detail, the press, geo-political revolutions and  the advertising industry are left fighting to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the rapidly changing internet world.It is no wonder that along with it's utility is has also reaped many difficulties. One main contribution has been "the range of content that we produce has been vastly expanded, and so has the definition of what constitutes marketing."Alongside this it has created a new skill set that is heavily in demand, that of the social media manager. But, one has to wonder has the true purpose of social media eluded us. In our capitalizing on the variety of opportunities that sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have offered, have we created a monster?

In its most basic form these sites were based in communication and providing a venue for people to communicate with one another. Yet, thinking about it now seems like the corporate has taken over. Social Media gave those without the power of major brands to get their words, advice, opinions, and products out there with little to no cost. In all, "the early influence of social media also meant that politicians, public figures and corporations could no longer stage-manage their images and reputations through exclusive channels that they controlled." Today, the sites are flooded and over-populated with individuals trying to self-promote. It is getting harder and harder for any one person to standout while the BIG BRANDS are getting the spotlight. In all, "Somewhere along the way, the established media channels reclaimed their power at the top of the pyramid." They have control of social media. These sites have gotten increasingly more commercial.

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With Pinterest gathering more footing in the social media realm, it was only a matter of time before companies would start to leverage it. Personally, I had been thinking about how to adequately leverage Pinterest from a marketing/advertising standpoint. Smoyz, an advertising agency, and French car manufacturer Peugeo developed a unique utilization for the site.

The agency put together a video detailing an initiative they engaged in for Kotex, which serves much like a case study for using the platform. In detail, they ran a campaign for Kotex called "Women's Inspiration Day" that involved targeting 50 active users of pinterest and seeking to understand their pins. By doing this, Smoyz felt they had been able to target the users key interests (it is pINTERST). Using this they created a customized gift box based on the pins.

In all, it isn't much or the most ground-breaking approach but it is the first I've seen to really attempt to harness the power of the Pinterest platform. Yet, in the end Smoyz was able to get 100% response rate, leading to 2,284 interaction and 694,853 total impressions.

In a similar respect,  Peugeot is running a rather clever campaign on the site. They have create a series of boards that reads like an advertisement to showcase its newest models. Yet, some of the boards are missing images and once the five pictures are found, pinned, and pieced together, they reveal a car model. The way the puzzle can be completed is by trying to find, match, and pin images from the company's Facebook page or website. In the end, the first five to complete the puzzle boards and share it with Peugeot, will win certain prizes.

Leave it to the French to develop an innovative use for the platform. I love this because it encourages a user to go beyond pinterest to interact with the brand. The user is encouraged to delve into the company website and beyond to obtain the images in hopes of winning the prize.

Pinterst is a site based in self-expression, which can exclude a number of professional services firms. Yet, there is hope for the accountants and lawyers seeking to leverage social media. Pinterests specific page for advertising print campaigns is here (even HSBC has a spot). On the other hand, its is a vital and great tool for design, clothing, art, architecture, and music companies. It also provides yet another free advertising venue for companies to use to extend their online presence and reach.

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In 2007, South by Southwest was primarily known as a film and music festival. But in the same time SXSW Interactive was attracting greater attendance and media coverage. It was there that innovators such as Twitter, laid the groundwork for what the festival would turn into. Today, the innovators of tomorrow scramble together the next ground-breaking technologies, apps, and sites that would consume our media driven lives. All in all,  thanks to Twitter, these digital media heads spend all year making predictions about what technology will break through at the following SXSW.

AdAge Digital has released an article outlining 7 Social Startups, which are debuting at this year's SXSW that marketers are paying attention to. Although each are well-hyped, reading through the list is startling at most. I found myself wondering how some of these applications are even legal. With social media running rampant throughout our lives, drawing the line between personal and private appears to be  becoming increasingly more blurred. Here is a run-down of four of the start-ups that I found most interesting. Are they crossing the line? or well within the boundaries of a useful daily phone app or tool.

SONAR.
A recent beta for Android, Sonar is similar to the appraised Foursquare with a 'facebook-like' twist. Checking into locations gives you the ability to filter those around you who have also been checking in. In detail, you can analyze common interests, mutual friends, and other factors through syncing with other networks. Then you can list your friends and rank the rest according to who's most relevant or who you should probably meet.

So, let me get this straight: in the future our phones are going to tell us who we are suppose to be friends with? Talk about living media consumed lives. When I read this I thought it insane and a bit frightening. WTF!? What this just means is that our generation and those after us are going to end up totally antisocial zombies staring at their phones for contact to the outside world.

On the other hand, this will prove rather useful for marketers and advertisers in gaining insights as well as seeking out target customers. In that sense, Sonar is an useful yet still invasive tool in my opinion. The article also highlights it's benefits towards networking, perhaps at a conference, in which yes this is a great tool. Still creepy.

BAN.JO.
Ban.jo will be updating their app for SXSW in a similar fashion. The upgrade will allow location data from other networks to be presented to users with a map of people nearby. Yet, unlike Sonar, these people will be ranked by proximity, not relevance. Thus, emphasizing the other side of social discovery.

-_____________- So basically the use of Sonar and Ban.jo together will enhance the efficiency and specialization of Rapists and Serial Killers everywhere. WIN for social media. Thanks.

HIGHLIGHT.
An IPhone specific app that has garnered the most interest for those at SXSW. Highlight tracks your location and notifies you when people are nearby. "Techcrunch believed it's moving toward becoming 'a personal, social CRM system that helps you remember people's names and when you met them." (thank fucking you for taking away all my responsibilities as a human being)

Now now, this can prove to be a useful networking tool for the corporate or business professional. A social CRM system also proves helpful for many businesses and marketers.

ROAMZ.
Here is the reverse of Foursquare. It knows where you are, and curates content from social web, and suggests events, shindigs and general places nearby that are aligned with your personal interests. Roamz analyzes content from all of the major silos that contain location data (FB, Foursquare, Instagram and Twitter), but the duration process shows users interesting and relevant nearby posts from all users rather than only friends or those in your social graph.

Thank you. I love it. This sounds like a great tool to filter out everything around you and provide you with what you want. WE are bombarded with TONS of information everyday and it would be nice to have a filter or a direction of where to go, for instance in a new city or on vacation. If integrated in the right way with the locations that surrounds you this app will be likely to provide you with great finds that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. HIPSTER PARADISE.


All in all, Social and digital media is really taking over our personal lives. Yes, these apps prove to facilitate business operations and marketing but what about your day-to-day living experience. These few apps really show how social discovery is turning from a humanly, person-to-person experience to a mobilize digitized application process much like crunching numbers into a calculator. Are we looking at the onset of a Matrix type world where our technological innovations take control, EEKK? What will our phones be able to do for us next?

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This won't come as a surprise but there has been increasing Buzz around social media and the new attributes of our digital age. These create significant implications for many firms in moving forward. Notably many are left in the dust due to 40+ CMOs and marketing teams that simply do not know how to adapt their company to a new era.

Take for instance the good old accounting firm. Now an organization filled with number crunching, 'mindless,' geeks, how is that suppose to develop into a hip, trendy and up-to-date establishment utilizing all this 'techy' know-how. Can accounting firms truly leverage today's technology? I'm not talking just about social media here, because a strategy most certainly can be developed for that, but most importantly mobile advertising, apps, IPad, flipbooks. How do these firm's transition?

This is the issue I am experiencing. As the sole proprietor and manager of three social media campaigns for the accounting firm I work at, I seek to do more to bring this firm to being more up-to-date. It is a problem, and with technology changing at such a rapid pace how do we keep up? An important issue to note, is the viral nature of the trending media that advertisers are now using. Consumers looking for accounting and financial consulting DO NOT want the information they disclose to be viral or available through an app. So how do we compensate?

So as marketers and advertiser fawn over the new digital word, one must remember that a few firms are left in the dust.
At times not by choice. Could it be that some business environments are not conducive to this change, yet are needed by society?

it is interesting.

Remember Ted Williams, the man with the golden voice? Well KRAFT has developed a heartarming endeavor featuring Mr. Williams. This Valentine's Day all you Tweeters should know that you could have Ted read out your Valentine's Tweet with his magestic voice if you type #voiceoflove at the end of whatever you'd like him to say. And it gets better as with every Tweet he receives, KRAFT will donate 100 boxes of Mac & Cheese to Feeding America.

Now I'm not sure how well Mr. William's voice qualitfies as a voice of love? In my opinoin, not romantic in any sense. Like com' on when he reads that sample Tweet, didn't really do it for me. Hit and miss, but I see what your trying to do KRAFT. It is a great cause, and having Ted Williams, a homeless man who hit it big representing the cause is a great mix. But in all, this just goes to show how integrated social media has become into marketing. 

Other brands have been utilizing Twitter in such a way too. The integration of social media into a campaign shows how to build-up fun and excitement around a brand through providing an additional venue for consumers to interact with it instead of just making purchases. For instance, Heineken launched a similar endeavor where consumers can 'serenade' a date online. In detail, this Valentine's Day, Heineken is giving consumers the chance to personalizee video-serenades to send out to their Facebook friends. Recently, Heineken's social media monitoring revealed that the campaign is creating positive discussion amongst its target market, young adult males and women alike.  All in all the integration os social media encourages fans to make links with the brand, while also driving consumer-to-consumer engagement around the brand. Great stuff!

In the end, I think im gunna embarras my Boo with a Heineken Serenade =]!
Check it out. IT IS HILARIOUS! (https://www.facebook.com/heineken?sk=app_137291299679912)

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