#ShipMyPants by Kmart

In a time where one single video (in this case an advertisement) can put you on the map, brands have to  really think outside the box to make their message compelling to audiences across multiple levels — social, print, digital and television. Kmart's most recent endeavor to "break the mold" did just that.

Kmart, a relatively conservative retail brand, took the topic of online shopping and turned it into a play on words that highlights their we'll-ship-it-to-you-free-anywhere (home or your favorite location) program while also appealing to its audience's sense of humor. The retailer used social listening as an early test to anticipate the reaction of a much wider audience, partnering with ad-creator agency Draftfcb Chicago for the full spot. The result? Up to 13 million views within the week and 18 million to date, on par with "viral" YouTube views of spots that aired during the Super Bowl.

Key Lessen: Pay attention to your social audience and use their reaction to help inform larger business decisions. The results could, and most likely will, surprise you.

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.

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.

#Oscars2013, A Recap

The best things (branded or otherwise) to happen during last night's Oscars ceremony, a retrospective.

- Sandra Bullock struggles (and is still totally awesome)

- Jennifer Lawrence trips, meets Jack Nicholson (remains fabulous)

- Chobani did this...

Real is honest. twitter.com/Chobani/status…
— Chobani (@Chobani) February 25, 2013

- Host Seth MacFarlane danced with JGL and Dan Rad.

That is all. Happy Monday. :)

Hashtag Fail: Herbal Essences

Our new collections aren't the only thing making a comeback! Check out our NEW ad #firsttime #GRAMMYfirst youtu.be/AI5UIP-qTs8
— Herbal Essences (@herbalessences) February 11, 2013

During Sunday night's Grammy Awards, Herbal Essences debuted a new ad for its classic collections. Though the ad is a good one that takes fans of the hair products back to the glory days of the "Yes, Yes, Yes!" tagline, the attempt at social media tie-in is — in my opinion — an epic fail.

The hashtag #FirstTime has a lot of conversation around it already and is used, most often, in instances unrelated to haircare. Plus, when you see it in the commercial, your immediate reaction goes to something that is most likely NSFW, amiright?

Let me know your thoughts on #FirstTime in the comments.

Super Bowl XLVII Ad Round-Up

The advertising profession's biggest day has passed. Naturally, I'd like to weigh in on what I found to be the most enjoyable ads of the night — top 5 style. (Though, let's be honest, nothing can top the blackout and the consequent buzz allotted both Buffalo Wild Wings and Oreo afterward.)

1. Jeep, Whole Again

Oprah is the only person who can follow Beyoncé. Also, I teared up. The end.

2. Tide, Miracle Stain 

I'm not gonna lie: Generally, my favorite commercials during the Super Bowl are NFL-related. It's the league's time to shine and I seriously love the sport so they totes speak to me. Though Tide is not the NFL, they did the best job this year of bringing football to life with this totally unbiased take on rivalry. Can it be next September already?

3. Budweiser,  #Clydesdales: Brotherhood

Horses + a "man's best friend" vibe = adorable waterworks. Ah, to have amazing pets.

4. Oreo, Whisper Fight

Shhh! Even the police whisper. This also wins for best social integration since it is a specific plug for the brand's Instagram account.

5. Taco Bell, Viva Young

Part of their ongoing "Live Más" campaign, this commercial rocks because it turns fun.'s "We Are Young" into a Spanish song and entertains the idea of a nursing home sneak out. Senior citizens are always funny. Always.

Best Celeb Endorsement: Tied between Best Buy's Asking Amy (Amy Poehler) and Samsung's The Next Big Thing (Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, LeBron James)
Best Tie to New Orleans: Bud Light's #HereWeGo "superstition" ads (here and here).
Worst Commercial Noise: Go Daddy's #TheKiss. Seriously, no one needed to hear that.

Hot Topic: Vine

Vine is officially the latest buzzworthy social media tool and I love it. Similar to Instagram,  Vine one-ups the photo-sharing app with the awesome ability for users to upload personalized videos (with or without sound) or GIFs. Amazeballs? Totes.

Check out some of the already fabulous creations from hip "socialites" (including me!).

My #firstpost on Vine: 6 sec desk tour! (cc: @vineapp) vine.co/v/bJEtjr0QEmu
— Emily Drake (@DrakeEmily) January 30, 2013

A trip down #Gap advertising memory lane for our #firstpost on Vine. vine.co/v/b5PeYQOLuLj

— Gap (@Gap) January 25, 2013

Dying for a coffee. #magic #vineart #pleaselike vine.co/v/bJwnA9qjYiH

— Ian Padgham (@origiful) January 29, 2013

Bad Lip Reading Does... the NFL!

Happy Super Bowl week, friends! Enjoy. :)

NARS + Andy Warhol

Isn't it app-tastic? A recent "Profile Makeover" Facebook app from NARS Cosmetics finally brought the art of Andy Warhol to the world of Facebook, thanks to the beauty company's Limited Edition Andy Warhol Collection.

Though a great idea, the app's run has ended with all that's left being the below video. The brilliance of this idea comes from it not only being a "game" of sorts but a game that allows the brand to spread the word through fans in a fun way that doesn't come off as "branded."

Simple. Brilliant.

In a brand new marketing ploy, Clorox has jumped into the spotlight with a truly brilliant campaign. How? By capitalizing on the product's basic functionality.

"Bleach It Away" combines clever billboards throughout Las Vegas with a fun digital counterpart for fans to fill-in-the-blank. The downside: In true "What Happens in Vegas" spirit, the phrases some people come up with may be less than ideal... but, hey, it has people talking about Clorox and reaches a new audience. These days, classic brands such as this need to find relevance in a crowded market where consumers will not necessarily have the same brand loyalties as boomers once did.

[Side note: Clorox has quite an impressive Facebook following but not so impressive engagement in the social space — maybe that's their next aim... ;)]

Instagram Launches .COM Profiles

Pretty sweet!

Though, how similar are these to the new Facebook timeline design? Too similar? That's what I was thinking...

Similarities aside, I love that there's finally somewhere to direct to for non-Instagram users. I will admit that I don't necessarily have much reason to do so, but this is great news for brands and marketers to show non-iPhone using fans.

Backstreet's Back...With Killer Social

Contrary to popular belief (at least according to everyone who makes fun of me for still being a fangirl), the Backstreet Boys are still around and they still have a huge following. With 6.5 million Facebook fans, 395,000+ Twitter followers, a quickly growing Instagram community (at 15,000+) — they've even opted to join Pinterest to stay on top of things — and a pending star on the Walk of Fame, they're not going anywhere anytime soon.

Though I could gush a lot about my love for the boy band of all boy bands, I wanted to take this time to share a marketing lesson about the music entertainment industry. Why is BSB my example? Simple: They are getting SMM (that's social media marketing) right. Sure, Taylor Swift does a great job, too, because she offers a personal relationship with her fans — mainly by showing adorable vidoes of her cat, Meredith — but BSB, on top of doing fabulously wonderful "throwback" posts of them back in the day, have recently amped up their game since Kevin's return, and it is paying off.

Sprinkled through this post are behind-the-scenes photos that BSB has been sharing from their London recording studio, where they are currently at work on their eighth studio album, including shots of them behind the mic (top left), collaborating with other artists/producers (middle right — that's Craig David, remember him?) and goofing off in their free time (left). What's so genius about this? In my experience as an Internet creep, I have never once seen an artist give fans this much of a glimpse into their everyday work life... in real time. Not only is it interesting, but it's exactly what fans want to see. Thumbs up, boys.

The New Face of Movie Marketing

It's no big shocker to anyone that I love movies. I love that they can make you laugh, cry, dance around or even teach you something. I love the amount of thought and artwork that goes into each one. I especially love the millions of different combinations that, since the 1920s, have been used to tell great stories ... on camera. Most of all, I love the way(s) they're marketed — exciting trailers, gorgeous posters, press tours, premieres, etc.

Movie marketing is brilliant, glamorous and, at face level, seems so simple. Social media (another "love" of mine) is beginning to change the way this marketing is done. Films like Chronicle, The Muppets, The Vow, Paperboy (above right) and Five-Year Engagement are just a few examples of movie studios jumping on the bandwagon and getting social right. For those that have hit theaters, this has meant major Box Office pay-off.

I present to you a pre-release case study on Five-Year Engagement's social strategy, which I very much believe will result in significant success for the film (something I suppose we'll find the answer to come April 27):

Though not as intense as was the online promotion for actor Jason Segel's last film — The Muppets — the strategy behind Five-Year is impressive. While the movie does have the standard Facebook page and Twitter handle, it has still found a way to take social a major step further. Instead of adding to these "standards" by merely creating a site for the film, Five-Year has created a wedding blog for its engaged characters, Tom and Violet. Further, the film has opted to use its YouTube channel as a vlog for those same characters. Only time will tell what other shenanigans Segel and his crew will come up with so stay tuned (and check out the trailer for Five-Year Engagement below!) ...

Quote of the Week: December 9

"I realized that just by posting something, I can really influence someone's day."

— Dianna Agron on being active in social media (and her new site You and Me and Charlie) to NYLON Magazine

Google+ Versus Facebook

Well, it appears a new social network has arrived and seemingly rivals the coolness of Facebook. The name of the network? Google+.

Obviously, Google+ hails from the Internet giant Google. Not so obvious is what exactly the network is meant to do and why they have decided to go up against Facebook (who recently added a new Skype feature to its chat function). Google+ is circle-driven, meaning it turns all of Google into a social networking platform and allows users to integrate sharing into all of its other functions. What's even better is it allows certain types of information to be shared with certain groups that you yourself create (i.e., family, friends, co-workers, etc.). Perhaps the coolest feature of all, however, is the fact that through Google+ it is said one can chat with up to ten people at once.

Have you joined the site? Will you? Are you even on Facebook? Share your thoughts if you feel so inclined. I can tell you that I am not on the network and don't think I'll join too soon, but, as they say, never say never.

Social Media Day

Happy Social Media Day, blogosphere!

In honor of today, I wanted to share this wonderful infographic — from a recent Mashable article — about the history of social networking. (It may look small here but just click on it and the web will allow you to zoom in.)

Tweet/Facebook/Blog/etc. away!

My Apologies

Hey everyone!

I wanted to take a second to apologize for failing to update my blog as regularly as I'd like to. There are so many things to keep track of these days!

Anyway, I wanted to point you to my Twitter (I update that almost hourly...maybe not something I should brag about :/), as well as the VIM Magazine blog, for which I am the current lead blogger.

Other than that, as soon as I have something worth sharing with ya'll I promise I will!