Gap Fall Ad Campaign Goes Social!

Okay, so anyone who knows me (loved one, client or friend) knows that I am a huge advocate for social media and have recently been touting social media as "the new mass media". Just this week I have given three presentations on how to use social media and I came across this news from The Gap this afternoon, which made me squeal with delight.

The Gap will not be using its tried and true television advertising for its "Born to fit" fall ad campaign. That's right folks. The Gap is trading in its old denim for the new media...Facebook! They will have print ads, cinema ads and outdoor - all driving traffic to their Facebook page! I love it! The message they are sending to others is loud and clear...be there or be square.

We're developing social media solutions for clients in a wide variety of industries. Have questions? Give me a shout. I'd love to talk shop with you.

Cutest Dog Competition

Okay so I love my dog Yetti! He is sweet and cute and very well-behaved. Please vote for him. If I win, I'll be sure to throw a big party and invite all who helped me win!

What's up With Twitter & Facebook?

So apparently Twitter has had some kind of long-term failure as it's been down all morning as far as I can tell. Tweetdeck was missing a lot of data when I opened it as well. Okay this we know. So what's going on with facebook? All morning it's been slow and giving network transport data errors. Weird!

Those of us who relay on social media as part of our daily routines and jobs are frustrated by this as I can tell from the numerous status updates on facebook about. I hope this is fixed soon!

Social Media for Businesses - Large and Small

One of my former agency managers said "social media doesn't work". That's odd because I see it in action all of the time. Take yesterday for example, I went to a new salon to get my hair done. I learned about the salon because the owner friended me on Facebook. I talked with her yesterday and she said she has gained many new customers through this kind of marketing.

I've learned of chiropractors, new musicians and special promotions at Starbucks, etc all from social networks. All of these businesses have benefited from social media. Big brands can capitalize on community-building for their brands and achieve reach and frequency more often and less expensively. Small brands can build their awareness and their communities just the same - although smaller the principles still apply. The link below is an article I read today on Mashable, highlighting some additional small business success stories.

http://mashable.com/2009/07/28/social-media-small-business/

Additionally, the intelligence one can gather on social networks (especially Twitter) is invaluable.

So to my former agency manager, I have to kindly disagree because I see it working everyday.

Social Media Helps Brands Grow & Yield ROI

I was just reading the results of a study by Wetpaint and the Altimeter Group, which indicate that companies using social media as part of their overall marketing efforts are realizing financial gain. Brands like Starbucks who jumped on the social media bandwagon early are reaping the rewards but they've also invested the time and resources to do it right.

I've been talking with several companies over the last couple of months about social media and the implications for their business. I am an advocate for it because of a number of reasons including but not limited to realizing personal success and also because this is how people are communicating now. It can't be ignored or dismissed as "the latest thing". Growth in social networks has exploded in the last year or two and that trend is not going to change.

The best way to get started personally is just to dive into it, but I will caution you that the time investment initially is great if you are to develop a thorough understanding. If you're interested in social media for your business, start by putting together a plan or have an agency (like WhiteSpace) put a plan together for you. If you create objectives in the beginning, it will be much easier to track success.

DMB Concert Opener is Old Crow Medicine Show

The video below is for a song called Caroline. This band (Old Crow Medicine Show) will be opening for Dave Matthews at Blossom in Cuyahoga Falls on July 29. I've never heard of them but it's a big deal to open for DMB so I would say following the tour they should be getting much more attention.
Old Crow Medicine Show - Caroline Video by Old Crow Medicine Show - MySpace Video

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Ad Agencies: 5 Ways to Find Prospects on Twitter

Interesting article on using Twitter to find agency new business. I love Twitter and think it is a tool worth learning and using for this and numerous other reasons.
Ad Agencies: 5 Ways to Find Prospects on Twitter