Social Distortion

After browsing through a handful of agency blogs and reading the year end reviews it's pretty clear that almost every shop is trying to figure out how to leverage social media for their clients. I was more heavily involved with social media a couple of years ago and there was an underlying tension between agencies and clients because nobody couldn't really agree on how to use it. Not only was it literally changing by the day, most agencies were still figuring out how to integrate online and offline initiatives. But as I sit here with my iPhone downloading apps to make my mobile life more fluid you can feel the shift that social media is making into everyday communication and (brand) relationships. 

These three trends from the OgilvyPR blog (http://blog.ogilvypr.com) connect the social media engagement into tangible results.

- In crowdsourcing, My Starbucks Idea reported receiving over 75,000 suggestions since its inception in early 2008; the company has implemented several of those including complimentary wi-fi at stores

- In microblogging, Dell Outlet reported selling over $500,000 in refurbished items through Twitter promotions

- In applications, Acuvue reported greater brand awareness and an 18% sales lift in the quarter following the introduction of a creative corporate Facebook application: Acuvue Wink

Even the local deli is getting into the social media game and I particularly enjoyed Dan Shust's blog entry about Twittering Pastrami. http://blog.resource.com/2008/12/twittering-pastrami/

A spin on the 4P's that I thought was relevant for social media I came across on Mark Stinson's blog (http://brandinnovator.blogspot.com/2008/12/6-fundamentals-of-branding-in-digital.html). Mark suggests extending the "4P's" idea into Personal support. This is one area I think social media can play a huge role in connecting with customers beyond the typical (and reactive) customer service call center. 

If everything in social media is happening too fast for you Big Spaceship does a great job of taking a step back and looking at the big picture: "Way back when, email was scary too. Maybe in the near future, social media will be thought of as just another office tool." Read the full entry at: http://think.bigspaceship.com/2008/12/16/think-before-you-twitter/

Until then you can follow me at http://twitter.com/smithdidit

What A Character

The Stinson Brand Innovation Studio whiteboard has a personality all it's own. But this has sparked an idea to do a series of these for the Studio website. To be continued...

Innovative Leap

The company I work for (Stinson Brand Innovation, Inc.) used the extra calendar day this year as an opportunity for the entire company to get in the same room and cover the walls with tactical ideas that would benefit our clients brands.

From my perspective the most innovative ideas that were presented were operational ideas that would allow us to streamline communications with our clients. There is so much potential with all of these new tools (Adobe Connect, WebEx and Creative Manager Pro to name a few) that clients and agencies will really start integrating teams on a whole other level. Not only will these tools transform the way we work they will most likely transform entire organizations.

Just as technology propelled certain organizations through the Industrial Revolution, these new tools will propel marketing organizations through the digital revolution.