Sometimes I wonder if we truly grasp the impact social media has had and will have on the way we sell and conduct our lives.  Maybe we’ll really notice it in some years when we take a look back at the shift we are witnessing today. The birth of the Internet definitely provided us marketers a new channel through which we could reach out to people, but in the past years, social media has proven to be a whole different story. I personally feel that this phenomenon should mark a ”before” and “after” in our philosophies.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine sent me an article that states that we should discard the previous marketing literature we’ve based our practice on. Could this be true? I couldn’t agree more. Yes, the fundamentals are important (for my men Ries, Trout and Gobé will never be obsolete to me), but being aware and embracing new influencers in our clients’ behavior is what constitutes the difference between those who are one step ahead of the game and those who are not. That is where our true challenge lies. You might possess the best campaign, but if you are not where people are, forget it. Concept and channel are equally important. And I’ll let you on a little secret- this is what makes me fall in love with my profession every single day… the search and discovery of new ways into people’s minds and hearts. It’s ever-changing and constantly surprising us. So it’s time to reboot and refocus our schemes.

Today I stumbled upon this pretty interesting presentation on “Social Media for Business Branding”, by Heidi Miller. I think it’s a pretty great step-by-step overview for those who want to get acquainted with the topic.

Check it out:

If you’re interested in the subject of Social Media, you must check out these sites:

Mashable

El blog de Marketing Online

Enjoy!

By Maria Elena Moré
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Connect with More Than Branding on Facebook and Twitter (@MTBranding).

Drumroll please…

Forbes  has published the list of the ‘best-ever’ social media campaigns. Author Victoria Taylor dives deep into the vastness of viral and buzz marketing and selected the best of the best.

Check it out:

She also shares what she thinks is the secret behind the winning campaigns we’ve all come to love:

“The bottom line is that a successful social media campaign requires creativity, a clear message and needs to make a splash at the right time. A good-looking guy in a bath towel doesn’t hurt, either.”

I couldn’t agree more.

To read her full article, click here.

By Maria Elena Moré
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Connect with More Than Branding on Facebook and Twitter (@MTBranding). 

Hats off to the folks of Tipp-Ex. Their most recent campaign, “Hunter shoots a bear”, is yet another example of an excellent execution of what we call viral marketing. French agency Buzzman has been responsible of creating an awesome interactive experience, in which users can determine the fate of the bear. Instead of the original “Hunter shoots a bear”, people get to “rewrite” (as you do when you use Tipp-Ex) with whichever word they prefer: hugs, eats, dances with, etc…just name your pick.

Andy the hunter wants you to 'rewrite' what will happen to the bear on the Typpexperience Channel

The campaign strives in a positioning  a brand that for many represents a commodity item, specially during the ’back-to-school’ period, as well as truly communicating the significance and importance of erasing , hence engrossing the audience on a psychological level.

Even though the number of viewers are pouring in- almost hitting the million mark since its launch on August 25 - some think the it resembles its predecessor far too much- Burger King’s Subservient Chicken campaign. Others ask themselves just how many people who flock the internet actually still use pens, much less correction fluid.

All in all, my belief is that they have definately succeded in generating buzz and interactive engagement…and given us a lot of laughs. (Write down ‘hugs’, it’s hilarious)

*Note: Thanks to my friends Fernando Lopez-Quero and Bud Lake for breaking the news for me…you rock!

By Maria Elena Moré
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Connect with More Than Branding on Facebook and Twitter (@MTBranding).

Word on the street is that our man Steve Jobs proposes a whole new way of listening to music…again. The new iTunes 10 has been re-vamped with new features, logo and it’s very own social network called Ping- described by Jobs as “Facebook meets Twitter for music.”

This new button on the sidebar of iTunes will enable people to follow their friends and favorite artists- by viewing their photos, status updates, as well as knowing what they’re listening to or creating- and may be able to interact with them.  An awesome opportunity to purchase on the spot what people’s favorite artists have just recorded and what they love… Soo great, that they will be consumer motivators and prescribers without even knowing it. Combining social networking and the purchase of a song will be as a easy as the click of a mouse, amazing for music labels.

Ping also features a news feed, more than 17,000 concert listings custom and album charts, and will be available to 160 million iTunes users, in desktops, iPhones and iPod touch. This represents even more potential sources of revenue as Apple expands their product and services portfolio- something that sounds like music to my ears…

“Ping is a social music discovery”, said Jobs. “It’s a social network all about music- it’s that simple.”

Will this new feature prove itself successful and boost music and video sales? Will folks learn to associate Apple with social media? Only time will tell.

But for now, crack open a bottle of champagne… they’ve done it again.