Quote of the Week: April 16

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things on the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"
—Fred Rogers on 'scary' news

Timberlake Treasure Hunt

Following the release date of Justin Timberlake's latest album, The 20/20 Experience, he (along with the help of his team) hid 5 autographed copies of the album in cities across the U.S., hinting at their location via Instagram for a few lucky fans to find. 

Timberlake would dual Instagram and tweet the clues then wait. Once someone found the album, he then interacted with the "winner" by sharing their Instagram reply photos on both his Instagram and Twitter accounts, ending the whole thing with one awesome final tweet. 

This minor marketing ploy is brilliant for multiple reasons, the greatest of which is the fact that it demonstrates a very unique and compelling way for a brand — in this case Timberlake — to connect with its audience. Coupling this fun fan activity with a much-anticipated launch, like Timberlake's first album since 2007, catapulted this promo into the public eye but that doesn't mean something can't be learned...

Do you have a promo coming up that you need to get fans pumped for? Consider the simplicity of an Instagram contest (especially if the behavior of fans is already to take pictures) or "treasure" hunt.

Quote of the Week: April 5

"Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you." —Roger Ebert, legendary film critic

Song Highlight: Get the Girl Back

You're welcome fror this musical delight. Look for Hanson's new album, Anthem, out this June.

Could "Friends" BE Any Greater?

Some ladies can even make a cemetery look good. Thanks for joining us CC!#GoOn twitter.com/MatthewPerry/s…
— matthew perry (@MatthewPerry) February 21, 2013

With the upcoming reunion of one of my favorite small screen couples on NBC's Go On this April, it only seems appropriate to take some time and honor what remains arguably one of the best sitcoms of all-time (definitely top 5). How? By reminiscing over my favorite episodes of the series. This was so hard — seriously — to choose, but I've narrowed my list down to 5 of what I feel make up the best showcase of its 10-season run... plus a few alternates.

• The One Where No One's Ready, Season 3
• My favorite episodes will always be those in which the cast in a room together for pretty much the whole show. This one sticks out in my mind for so many reasons, the best of which is the competition for a chair's "essence" between Chandler and Joey, resulting in Joey wearing all of Chandler's clothes while going commando. Also, Phoebe gets the hummus, Monica changes Richard's outgoing phone message and Ross almost drinks fat as the gang tries to get ready for a benefit.
• The One With the Embryos, Season 4
• Though this episode would be more aptly titled "TOW the Bet" or "TOW the Trivia Game," I love the way it counteracts the hilarity of the who-knows-who-better trivia game (between Chandler, Joey, Monica and Rachel) with Phoebe's journey to becoming a surrogat for her brother. The best of the trivia game's lil' ditties: Chandler's TV Guide comes addressed to "Miss Chanandler Bong" and Rachel makes up a job title — transponster.
• The One Where Ross Got High, Season 6
• Thanksgiving episodes are among the best of each season and are a must-re-watch for me every time the holiday is near. This one is my particular favorite thanks to the brilliant shout-out match of confessionals at its end (and Judy Gellar's fab reaction). Plus, who could forget Rachel's trifle? "Custard: Good. Jam: Good. Meat: Gooood."
• The One With the Videotape, Season 8
• There is not one bad thing I could ever say about this episode. Many feel the show began to dip as the seasons went on but, to me, the cast just got better and better. The way the two different story lines tie in is brilliant enough (the notion of being "fake numbered" versus the "who came onto who?" banter surrounding a videotape of the night Ross knocked up Rachel), add to that the formula of the entire ensemble in a room together, and... you've got TV gold.
• The One Where the Stripper Cries, Season 10
• Friends became infamous for its flashback episodes, especially if they included "chubby Monica," and this episode was the last time the creators ever took us back. Along with some amazing revelations about the characters' college years, we get the adorably clueless Joey competing on a game show and hilarious stripper antics at Phoebe's "elegant" bachelorette party, courtesy of Danny DeVito. 

I'd love to hear 'em so please share your favorite Friends moments in the comments. :)

[NOTE: Runners up include The One With the Cop, The One With the Nap Partners, The One Where They're Up All Night and The One Where Everybody Finds Out]

Hug It Out

Tom Izzo rules. End of story.

Need SMM Help? Ask a Liar.

TV's been turning to social media over the past few years as a way to help prove the worth of its shows since day-of ratings are becoming less of a "success" indicator. ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars is an excellent example of TV getting it right.

With more than 11.3 million fans total across the three main social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest), PLL does a great job of not just honoring loyal viewers (through great UGC, such as fan art and fan reactions to "shocking" moments, and sneak peaks) but of creating useful content during the show. An example of during show content involves the show's stars holding "cue cards" that include special reactions to moments from the show or messages that hint at exclusive content, like live Twitter chats. Below is a small gallery of some of PLL's social wins (in my opinion).

Update: The season 3 finale of PLL was the first series to amass 1 million live, airtime tweets.