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.

Pepsi goes after those looking for a clear and pure cola alternative...as well as those looking for a pop first thing in the a.m.

1. Crystal Pepsi – This came out when I was in middle school, and I admit, I completely bought into it without ever understanding the point. According to Wikipedia, Crystal Pepsi was a caffeine-free “clear alternative” to normal colas, equating clearness with purity and health. I just thought it was funny that a pop that tasted like Pepsi looked like water.

Honorable Mention: Pepsi A.M. This was marketed to those who like to drink pop in the morning. Side note: I consume at least two Diet Cokes before 9 a.m. each morning. I am the target market. I would not drink this.

2.  Beer Gimmicks – Beer companies put other marketers to shame in the “Gimmick” department:

Ignore the ice running down the bottle, the blue mountains tell you this beer is cold!

• A label that turns blue when cold – I don’t know what to say about this…isn’t it cold when it feels cold?

• The “wide-mouth” can – I always thought this was to help you drink it faster, but after doing some research it is apparently to help ventilation…who knew?

• The “light beer” race – I was someone who looked forward to Michelob Ultra launching. And then the floodgates opened. Budweiser Select 55, Miller Genuine Draft Light 64…does it matter that none of these beers has any taste anymore? Give me a Guinness.

Honorable Mention: Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign. Did the announcer just say, “When he punches you in the face you will have to fight the urge to thank him”? It took me four times watching this commercial to figure out what it was trying to sell. I’m pretty sure I purchased this beer after that fourth viewing.

3. Cocaine Energy Drink – Who thought this was a good idea? We can guess what went on in that brainstorm session.

Honorable Mention: Red Bull “Gives You Wings.” The commercials are a bit offbeat, but I think it works for them, as they are a quirky brand. But more importantly, I love how they have taken this “gimmick” and translated it into the world’s coolest competition – Flugtag. This “homemade, human-powered flying machine” challenge is on my bucket list.

4.  Crayola – Quiz: How many times can a company sell you the exact same product? These are ALL markers in one shape or another.

A marker by any other name is just a marker...right? Not at Crayola.

• Glitter Paper – Sparkle built into each fun-tastic page. Just use clear Color Wonder Markers to create colorful, shimmering masterpieces.

• Color Wonder Light Up Markers – Simply connect the Color Wonder Marker into the light wand and click it. The barrels light up to identify each marker color.

• Color Explosion 3-D – With just one clear marker, create images that leap from the page in cool 3-D effects.

Honorable Mention: 3D everything. My husband claims he can’t see 3D because of some vision dysfunction he “thinks” he has, yet he wants the 3D television. And he calls me a “marketer’s dream.”

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.

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.

We have all witnessed the rise of embedded Facebook applications by major brands. Recently, Gap and Southwest Airlines deployed sophisticated campaigns centered in the social network. Pepsi, in a newsworthy announcement, shared its plan to abandon the expected Super Bowl TV spots in lieu of a social marketing campaign. But new opportunities for innovation abound, and not just for those with eight-figure online marketing budgets.

A small San Rafael specialty coffee roaster has recently taken a subtle step that just might foretell a gathering storm. Armed with a relatively simple software product from San Francisco start-up Milyoni, Equator Coffees & Teas launched their ifanstore – an e-commerce application embedded within the company’s Facebook page. Rather than using Facebook, like millions of others, to promote a product and drive traffic to an external website shopping cart, Equator has brought the store to the masses. It has rolled its espresso wagon right into the middle of the conversation.

While Equator will probably never compete on the scale of a major brand like Pepsi or Gap, I would expect the trend they are at the forefront of to rapidly grow. Amidst all of the video and interactivity of Gap’s Facebook jeans promotions, it seems like a logical next step to simply order a pair of jeans without having to leave the party. Southwest does a great job drawing me into the conversation and whetting my appetite for a cheap weekend adventure. Why should I have to leave Facebook and head off to another website? Just let me buy the ticket and invite my online friends to join me.

Perhaps it was intrigue over a new approach to a classic online marketing problem. Perhaps it was just the prospect of a great cup of coffee. Regardless, I purchased a pound of Equator’s coffee after reading what other followers had to say, and posted my success on my own Facebook wall. I could probably use a new pair of jeans, and I could definitely use a weekend on a sunny beach, but I’ll settle today for the prospect of a great cup of coffee and continuing the dialogue.

Rest assured, this trend will grow. The advent of the Facebook applications platform and the growing sophistication of related tools and add-ons has begun blurring the lines between a company’s website and its Facebook page. Embedded e-commerce, though in its infancy, accelerates that trend and leaves us all wondering what’s next. Where is the line between a company Facebook presence and a website? Do we need both? Please leave your comments below to continue the discussion.

As a PR professional, I am an advocate of social media, but as a human being I surely don’t agree that this is the evolution of how we show affection. I would love to know who came up with this statement. I think the idea to include the Tweet Me Sweetheart is clever, and the brand received a huge story in USA Today (also linked on the Huffington Post), as well as coverage in the Boston Herald. Also, I am blogging about it (as are others), Twitter is a partner, and there are tweets rolling in about it. But I would have recommended focusing on the fact that the brand responds to what is happening in the culture. The article also talks about its iPhone app, which sounds interesting and further demonstrates NECCO’s ability to evolve with the current happenings. For what is a smart partnership and a great campaign for building conversation about the brands, I would have expected a smarter statement as to the “why.”

In the end, the brands fit really well together … short and sweet. But I have to admit that personally, when it comes to showing affection, I prefer a call, a note, flowers or a hug.

This is an open letter to people who do not see the benefit of social media in marketing – namely, my husband, who thinks “social media marketing” is just an excuse to cruise around on Facebook while at work and who to this day is the only person I know without an account. First, let’s take a quick look at the history of censuses. They began during the early Pharaonic Period in Egypt and were used to issue land grants and for taxation purposes. The first U.S. census was conducted in 1790; a census is done every 10 years to record the population, which also helps determine the number of United States Representatives each state receives (thank you Wikipedia).

So, the goal is to count EVERY American. In 2000, the census counted more than 281 million people…talk about a daunting task. This year, though, they have social media to help the campaign. Below are reasons why I think this is cool:

1. If this ancient practice can evolve into the social media landscape, any business can.

2. The U.S. Census Bureau’s sole goal is to reach as many people as possible, and it is turning to social media to help accomplish that. Those wary of social media in business, think about it…the census needs to reach everyone. If social media can help with that, it can certainly help reach different target markets and customers.

3A. I can’t remember hearing a word about the census 10 years ago. I was also in college and had recently turned 21, so that may have had something to do with it. Different priorities.

3B. My 22-year-old brother HAS heard of the 2010 census because it’s being talked about on Facebook and in different blogs he reads. That doesn’t guarantee he will participate, but it certainly presents a better opportunity.

4. It’s mind-blowing to think about how social media/online applications will be utilized in the future and even more exciting that we have the opportunity to help shape it. Will the entire census take place through Facebook or iPhone apps? That means my husband probably won’t be counted as a human because he still won’t be on Facebook.

5. It’s interesting to watch how social media continues to infiltrate different aspects of our lives. We no longer have to look for information, it finds us. The census found me, and for the first time, I will be accounted for.

CNBC, CBS Sports, NPR, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal the list goes on and on.

If you haven’t heard (you must be living under a rock), Pepsi will not be advertising in this year’s Super Bowl for the first time in 23 years. Instead the soft drink conglomerate will focus on a new marketing effort that will appear mostly online. I can’t help but think…NOT advertising may be one of the most genius PR stunts in recent history.

Lets guesstimate that Pepsi spent $20 to $30 million in Super Bowl ads last year. I’m sure they were clever, well produced and probably featured super stars like Justin Timberlake. So, let’s tack on another couple million dollars just for celebrity endorsement, creative concepts and production. This year, Pepsi pulls their ads sending shockwaves through the advertising world. Not only are they focusing on an “online” marketing strategy vs. traditional advertising but also saving millions of dollars. On top of that, by simply announcing this decision, they have generated millions of dollars in free publicity for this yet-to-be-created online campaign. Everyone’s interest is peaked…what could be so big that Pepsi isn’t advertising in the Super Bowl. You can bet that I will be on alert for this new marketing campaign.

Looking at the bigger picture, what does this mean for traditional advertising? If Pepsi pulls out of the Super Bowl, will Budweiser soon follow suit? Is Pepsi realizing the power of online is more powerful than the Super Bowl? Is this truly a publicity stunt? Time will tell if this move will pay off for Pepsi but this football fan is much more intrigued by Pepsi’s “Non-Advertising” campaign than any 30-second commercial with Justin Timberlake.

Follow the continual stream of news about Pepsi’s big Super Bowl decision on Bing News: http://ow.ly/No97

H&M Window in New York City

H+M, the Swedish retailer, has taken the U.S. by storm in recent years. They do it right every step of the way. The company has a clear brand position and definite understanding of whom their target customer is and her lifestyle and they constantly work to build that brand position with every customer touchpoint.

I was fortunate to be in New York City last week. While my associate Robin Lybarger and I were walking to a meeting, we were both taken by the signage in H+M’s windows. Well, not really their windows but the communication about why there was nothing in the windows. Wow, do they GET IT!

Using simple but highly effective copy on a plain background, the retailer covered their windows while in transition from one display to another. They could have said something mundane like, “Sale” or “New arrivals for Fall” but no, instead, they used humor to support their overall brand message and voice.

Copy lines like, “Sometimes even our mannequins have a hard time deciding what to wear” are fun, imaginative and spot on for the woman that shops H+M. Brilliant.

It speaks to the power of using every customer touchpoint, in this case window signage, to express a brand strategy. When looking at your brand, you have to first identify all the ways your external and internal targets interact with the brand and use those touchpoints as a platform for communications. Even things as simple as an invoice form, a company internal newsletter or intranet, a social media site or even a window display message. Every touchpoint brings the brand to life, every step of the way.