So true, Patrick Pichette, but I think it’s even more than that. The Old Spice YouTube Tweetathon altered the social media landscape in one day.

1. Corporate Libertarianism

Kudos to Procter & Gamble for trusting its team to attempt this epic experiment with little to no supervision. ReadWriteWeb wrote a great post about how the videos are being made. The company has entrusted a team of social media guys, marketers, scriptwriters, creative and tech support to create 87 short videos in 11 hours…7 minutes per video. This leaves VERY little time for an approval process. Social media is about real time, and Procter & Gamble gets it.

Side note: It’s incredible that all of these people could work together so efficiently and effectively. Walls between departments are falling fast, and lines are being blurred. To create a successful social media campaign, you need the skills of creative, PR, marketing, copywriters, tech and social media professionals to get the job done. I for one am psyched about this collaborative philosophy.

2.  “What’s Next?” Has Been Answered…for Now

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, foursquare…these applications have established themselves as the giants. For the past six months, it seems that everyone has been regifting these concepts. Social media began to blend into the humdrum of everyday marketing until July 15. The Old Spice campaign took what was available and reinvented how these applications could be used together. What’s next? Looking at what’s available and pushing the limits of its capabilities. This will dictate future applications.

3. Human Nature Explored

Social media has made the idea of “15 minutes of fame” possible…except now it’s 15 seconds of fame. It has made the distance between celebrity and civilian shorter. Old Spice capitalized on both of these concepts. Social media users were invited to ask questions directed toward the “Old Spice Guy” – Isaiah Mustafa. The responses were tracked, and the most interesting or highest-profile inquiries were addressed via personalized video, doing the following:

• Feeding consumers’ egos by utilizing their creativity/ideas to drive the topics of the videos
• Giving consumers their 15 seconds of fame through personalized video
• Bridging the gap between the brand and the customer
• Closing the distance between celebrity vs. civilian by streaming videos for Alyssa Milano and Jonathan on Facebook as equals

Brands are going to need to refocus their attention from defining who “they” are to defining who the customer is and how to create a personal, engaging and lasting relationship. We are a self-centered, ego-driven, short-attention-span society, and now that we know what is possible, expectations are going to change.

Update: The Old Spice personalized videos have amassed more than 5.2 million views! That is more than some (many) television programs.

Spirit Airlines Online Ad

I am a brand strategist and have been a marketing professional for the past 25 years. I’m not sure of the last time I saw such a display of bad taste in marketing. Today, Spirit launched a campaign touting its “Check out the oil on our beaches” campaign. The campaign shows a series of beaches in locations Spirit flies to. I didn’t think it was possible to outdo BP’s lack of PR and marketing prowess. Really? Are you kidding me, Spirit Airlines?

A little research informed me that Spirit’s CEO loves shock-value marketing. CEO Ben Baldanza says Spirit has cut its marketing and distribution expenses by more than 80% during the past three years “by using edgy viral marketing.” The savings have resulted in very inexpensive fares, he says. Spirit’s advertising “may be more colorful than some,” but it isn’t “out of the norm” when compared with many retailers’ ads, Super Bowl commercials and the content of TV series, Baldanza says. Well, I think it’s time to start spending some money on a brand marketing and PR agency that can knock some sense into this inane approach to marketing.

I have to cry foul. This is, to use your terminology, out of the norm, Mr. Baldanza. It’s shameful. Offensive. And an assault to the people, like me, who are proud of the impact brand marketing has had in building businesses, adding jobs and fueling the economy. Millions of people in the Gulf states are worrying every day and night about where their next dime will come from. The environmental impact of this spill is nauseating. And you, Spirit Airlines, want to make fun of it for the PR value?

Yet here I am, writing about it and giving them the PR visibility they would hope for. Well here’s my PR, Spirit Airlines: I will never fly your airline. I will tell everyone I can about this. And I will use my company’s communication platform to be sure the word gets out.

This campaign does nothing to represent the American Spirit I grew up with and my father fought for in WWII. I’m just one brand marketer, but I’m taking a stand. I encourage anyone reading this to do so as well by writing Spirit and keeping your dollars far away from them, now and forever. Let’s not let this tasteless approach to brand building win, low fares or not.

I was talking to a friend in Atlanta the other day who also happens to own an agency. I said, “Let’s get some friends together and go to the beach on the Florida Gulf Coast, support these folks down there and bring some much-needed money to the region. She jumped at the idea. Oh yes, we’re going. It’s the American thing to do. But you can be sure we won’t be traveling on Spirit Airlines to get there. Or anywhere. Their brand has no value as far as I’m concerned.

Cause marketing is nothing new. And according to reports, it’s known to be effective. Bob Gilbreath, chief marketing strategist at Bridge Worldwide and author of “Marketing with Meaning,” stated this year that:

• 71% of consumers are giving as much or more now as they were before the economic downturn.
• 87% of consumers would switch brands based on association with a good cause.
• 50% of consumers would pay more for products from brands that support causes.

Yet what sets TOMS apart from the rest is the company’s holistic understanding of creating brand ambassadors. From social media to its website to packaging to ad campaigns to designer contests to founder Blake Mycoskie’s talks around the nation (shout out to Vanderbilt!)  customers are able to plug in, converse, interact, advocate, and promote TOMS shoes. The company informs you via videos about shoe drops in Africa, posts pictures of you wearing your TOMS wherever you are, asks you for advice on the next line of styles, replies to your tweets, encourages you to host TOMS parties, and always, always keeps its mission clear and simple – One for One.

This week, I received my first pair of burlap slip-ons at the office. In the sustainable box were my shoes with One for One inscribed on the insole. Collateral told me to take the fabric TOMS flag that was wrapped around the shoes and post a picture of myself holding it to their website. It also told me how to find out more information about the impact TOMS has around the world. Finally, they included a sticker for me to slap on my Nalgene.

Today, you’ll see my TOMS flag on my bulletin board. You’ll see my TOMS sticker on my Nalgene. You’ll see my TOMS shoes on my feet. And most importantly, you’ll find the newest TOMS Brand Ambassador.

Alas, an early spring chirp was finally heard this week signaling a possible resurgence. At the Chirp Conference Twitter execs announced a series of significant changes that address much of what the industry has been crowing about:

• The really big news is promoted tweets, a new advertising platform where advertisers can buy access into a topical Twitter stream. With some similarities to Google’s AdWords platform, this might just start building a justification for the billion-dollar valuation the revenue-neutral service has earned thus far.

• User Streams, a new data service provided by Twitter to desktop applications. This allows developers access to real-time data directly from Twitter. Look for a flock of new Twitter-enabled applications in the near future.

• A developer roadmap to calm the fears of developers and marketers about the service and where it is going. Look for increased functionality around location awareness, annotations, and other features.

• A new home page to address the high abandonment rate of new subscribers. Early tests show a 20% increase in retention.

Along with the technical discussions, Twitter management also shared data about the service that has long been speculated and rarely confirmed. It turns out that Twitter is bigger than we all expected. According to cofounder Biz Stone, Twitter has nearly 106 million registered users and 180 million unique visitors a month—far above many previous industry expectations. To date, the service has been tight-lipped about this type of information. Even more impressive, Twitter is growing at a rate of 300,000 new users a day, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Twitter still has a rough flight ahead. Archenemy Facebook is gearing up for the annual F8 Conference, which promises the unveiling of new features and direction for the 400 million user–strong social network. But for now, Twitter can enjoy the warm glow of springtime optimism.

1. Respond quickly
2. Address the situation
3. Stay positive

In theory, this advice makes perfect sense. In reality, it doesn’t always work. Take one of our experiences for example.

Round 1: A young, vocal detractor posted a negative review on a client’s Facebook page. I would categorize it as a somewhat merited attack expressed in a very vengeful manner. When the post was discovered, we proceeded with the customary strategy:

1. Responded promptly.
2. Addressed the concern of the detractor, thanked him for bringing it to our attention, and provided some insight into what steps were being taken to resolve the perceived problem.
3. Invited the detractor to contact the company (provided a name and number) to discuss any questions or concerns in person.

Textbook fix, right?

Result: Apparently, this particular book was a “choose your own adventure” volume—and the detractor chose an alternate ending. Within minutes of our client’s posted response, the detractor began a full-scale attack campaign, recruiting friends and family to join forces in harassing the company through Facebook. One negative comment turned into eight, which then turned into a photo album, leading to the grand finale—an “I Hate” Facebook page. Why did this happen, when we’d done everything “right”?

Round 2: We responded, again inviting the detractor to an in-person meeting to discuss concerns. Each direct response actually seemed to motivate the detractor to step up his smear campaign, leading to an increase in negative postings. We obviously needed a new strategy:

1. Against all common advice, we did not post immediate responses to the continued negative comments. The attention only encouraged the detractor.
2. Since each personal response fueled the fire, we addressed the perceived problem globally through status updates and addressed it to the entire Facebook community instead of responding personally to the detractor.
3. We invited everyone in the Facebook community to contact the company if they had any questions or concerns regarding the perceived problem.
4. We began proactively posting status updates about any and all steps or programs in place addressing the perceived issue.

Result: Brand ambassadors began speaking up, complimenting the company and posting positive reviews. The attack campaign fizzled. Since we became more proactive with our posts regarding the perceived problem, it has left little room for negative feedback. We continue to monitor the “I Hate” page, and activity there has significantly decreased.

In Conclusion: I have every confidence that the detractor will come back, but we are prepared. The standard steps for handling negative feedback on social media sites are a good starting point, but that is all they are … a starting point. The response an unhappy consumer may take to those steps is unpredictable. If things take a sharp turn toward the unexpected, you may have to take the time to re-evaluate your steps and pursue an unexplored path—one that is customized to your unique crisis. As we all know, the exceptions make the rules.

Key takeaways from Steve Chitwood, Director of Digital Media and Online Strategy:

• Social and Location Integration:
  • Moving forward we will see more integration with social channels such as Facebook Connect that do things like allow users to interact with a website and simultaneously publish updates to social channels.
  • We will also see a tying together of social connections and discussions to specific locations. Having discussion with friends that are near one another or topically connected to a location is all the rage.
  • Mobile applications such as Gowalla and Foursquare were this year’s “golden children.” Facebook and Twitter are now the old guard, or platforms for these newer applications to build off of.

I bring up this article because I see validity behind the points. I think it’s something to consider when suggesting Twitter to clients or for your own company. One director of social media strategy stated that Twitter was effective for only a few areas of marketing:

• customer relations management

• deals and promotions

• conversations for smaller, lesser-known brands.

The statistics also prove a point. Large brands, such as Verizon and Target, have 5,000 to to 10,000 followers. Smaller “organic” brands like Woot and Someecards have almost 2 million followers. And some celebrities? 3-4 million. Why? Because the smaller brands and the celebrities have distinct personalities that larger brands simply cannot have on Twitter (unless it’s the CEO or a customer service help-line like Best Buy’s Twelpforce). Think about how many checkpoints corporations have to go through if they want to get their tweets approved, etc. It takes a long time, and the personality gets lost in the process.

The CEO of Someecards, which has 1.7 million followers in a little over a year, credits his success to his ability to express his creative personality within his brand on Twitter (snippets of wisdom, random links, etc). Twitter matches with the company mission – their cards are all short-form communication. They are known for great one-liners. Twitter works.

Bottom line: No one is really certain how long Twitter will be around. But what I am learning is that before we jump into these social network tools, we need to be thinking about what purpose they serve us. Does Twitter really work for your company? It’s easy to set up an account, it’s easy to acknowledge that everyone in involved in it currently – but are you asking: Why is it good for me?

Being on the cutting edge is crucial in this industry. Equally so is our ability to evaluate these cutting-edge trends and decipher whether or not they align with our brands’ goals. I would love your feedback.

While the Aardvark addition pales in comparison with other acquisitions in recent years, such as the $1.6 billion paid for YouTube (now the second-largest search engine, masquerading as a social video-sharing site), it continues to extend Mountain View’s reach into the social web while taking another competitive swipe at perennial runner-up Yahoo! – this time targeting the popular Yahoo! Answers service with which Aardvark competes using a decidedly social media flair. The upstart leverages your own social network connections to provide answers to a user’s questions.

Earlier this week, Google Buzz came thundering onto the social scene offering much the same functionality as Facebook. With Buzz, users can create profiles; embed media from sharing sites such as Picassa, Flicker and YouTube; share information; create groups of friends; post status updates, etc. ¬– all from the comfort of a couple hundred million existing Gmail accounts. While disrupting Facebook’s momentum seems unlikely, the heft of Google’s offering, its reputation for solid technology and its immediate availability to the vast Gmail user base make it a social networking contender worth watching. While I was writing this post, this tweet came across my screen: “Google Buzz makes Facebook look like some college kids’ computer science project.”

One could catch the buzz about Buzz by following the very popular trending topic on Twitter. You could also point your browser to Google and take advantage of Google Social Search. For the last couple months, real-time content from Facebook, MySpace.com and Twitter has been integrated into traditional search results, blending in wall posts, blog entries, tweets and video tags and bringing real-time relevance to users’ queries.

Few dispute that social media is here to stay, that the rise of social networking has truly changed online behavior and that new technologies and evolving trends promise to maintain the dizzying momentum we have seen over recent years. Even fewer should dispute that, however social media matures, Google will be an ever-strengthening force.

So what does that mean to companies still running print ads in the local paper? It’s time for a change. You don’t have to stop thinking of advertising in the traditional sense (intelligent media buys, call to action, enticing creative), you just have to open your mind to the endless possibilities that this new technology has provided. As we are learning with the evolution of social media, if you don’t participate in the conversation with your customers, your voice will never be heard. What better way to communicate with your audience than to deliver information directly to a device that is never more than an arm’s length away?

The big question, and even deterrent, for most companies when considering how to delve into the mobile world is: “Where do I get started?” It is important to remember that mobile campaigns can range from elaborate guerrilla programs, such as Carnival’s digital fish tank that allowed pedestrians to personalize their own fish, to a simple text-to-win sweepstakes. Platforms are easy and affordable to use, and mobile ad buys are becoming just as accessible as, if not more than, traditional online-banner ad buys.

My advice for marketers who are ready to take the leap is to start with the basics:

1. Get your website in mobile shape. How can you expect to have an effective mobile presence when your PC-size website is crammed into a tiny mobile screen? Trim it down, and focus on what mobile visitors will want to see when you get them to your site. Think of your mobile site as your regular site on a diet.

2. Integrate your mobile efforts into your other advertising efforts. Mobile campaigns are most effective when other forms of media supplement and/or support them. Try having consumers text a picture of your print ad or QR code to enter them to win a prize.

3. Make it worth their while. Cellphones are as personal as people’s homes, making the opt-in process extremely important. So how do you get “invited” in? Make sure that your campaign/message adds value to the lives of your target, and they will not only welcome you in but also interact with you on a regular basis.

Marketers across the board are seeing the benefits of utilizing the mobile Web to reach the 450 million worldwide Internet-connected mobile users, and that was just in 2009. This massive number of users, which is expected to double in coming years, proves that mobile marketing is not just a fad, but a legitimate channel and is not going away any time soon.

Statistics can be fun, and are used to justify many positions. In fairness, as I have no State of the Union address nor party rebuttal to prepare, I will dare to add clarity to the rhetoric. Reports by HubSpot and RJMetrics both show a decline in the rate of growth of new Twitter memberships since its peak last summer. Does that mean users are abandoning the service in droves? No. It means the pace of adoption has slowed. It is still noteworthy that the service is adding more than six million new users a month (versus a recent peak of nearly eight million). It’s still growing and growing fast—just not as fast as it was when frantic passengers were tweeting their harrowing survival story from the wings of Flight 1549 while floating in the Hudson River, or amidst the prime-time race between Ashton Kutcher and Anderson Cooper to best one another in first ascending to the million-followers club.

Much attention is being paid to the numbers of inactive users and users who use the platform sparingly. Combined with the reports of a slight slowing of the rate of new members, a dramatic story can emerge. While RJMetrics focuses on the increased number of inactive or less active users, both reports agree that, for those who use the platform regularly, their dependence on the platform is growing.  HubSpot notes a dramatic rise in both the number of tweets and number of followers for the average user from July 2009 to January 2010.

Perhaps some of the sparkle has dimmed. But there is a more relevant story here.  Users of the platform, of which there are upwards of 100 million, seem to be settling into a pace. The platform has matured. While there should be no surprise that many curious people register and never become active users, both reports indicate that among active users, the service is gaining ground.

From my vantage point, I see mainstream acceptance. Gone are the days (thankfully) of tweeting one’s dinner choice or sock-color mismatch adventures. On the rise are countless examples of the effective use of a relevant communications channel. Companies in every industry are learning to leverage direct micro-communication to build brands, engage customers and provide quick service to an increasingly mobile audience.  People are connecting, learning, reporting and communicating—and doing it more effectively in just 140 characters at a time.

Join the conversation via the comment section below. Which quote do you think describes Twitter’s fate?

• “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”  Dr. Seuss
• “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Mark Twain