The New York Times published an article this week detailing the new social media marketing partnership developed between General Mills, and the immensely popular Facebook game, FarmVille, created by the Zynga Game Network.

The agreement between Zynga Game Network and Cascadian Farm, a General Mills subsidiary, allows users to plant an actual Cascadian Farms product – organic blueberries. The aim of the in-game crop branding is to increase awareness, as well as educate consumers about the benefits of switching to organic produce.

Cascadian Farm’s integration into FarmVille represents a unique step forward in both social media marketing and in-game advertising. The majority of social games have incorporated ads that takeover the entire game, or are custom games designed for the brand itself. In this situation, Cascadian Farm is opting for a more subtle approach, and is simply sponsoring a single crop within FarmVille. By becoming part of the game, rather than take over the game, they avoid harassing players with excessive advertising. They give the user the choice to “opt-in” on their own, and choose to plant their branded crops.

Users who choose to plant the Cascadian Farm Organic Blueberries will be rewarded with shorter harvest times and larger cash returns. By adding extra value to the crop, players have an extra incentive to plant the blueberries. This is a savvy marketing move on behalf of FarmVille. Adding the extra value to the crop increases the likelihood of a user planting it, this, in turn, increases Cascadian Farm brand name awareness.

Will the FarmVille product placement generate brand awareness for Cascadian Farm? I think so, but only because there is an extra incentive for users to choose to plant the Organic Blueberries. Can Cascadian Farm educate users about the benefits of choosing organic products? Potentially, but I don’t have high hopes for this effort. Users don’t want to be directed to another website while playing FarmVille; they want to focus on their crops, not leave and go elsewhere.

The partnership between Zynga and General Mills is reminiscent of deals negotiated in the mid 2000’s, when the virtual world of Second Life was at the height of its popularity.  Many real-world corporations couldn’t establish an in-game presence fast enough. Second Life, like FarmVille, allows users to play for free, but encourages citizens to purchase the in-world currency to enhance their ‘second lives’ by purchasing in-game items.

However, while brands like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and AOL were clamoring to be first to open a store or sell products to Second Life residents, the citizens of the virtual world weren’t all that enthusiastic about being treated as ATM machines.  They were less than enthused by the new corporate invaders. Pay a visit to many of the real world corporate presences in Second Life today and you’ll more than likely find an entirely new and unrelated building, or more commonly, vacant land.  Ruins of a failed brand experiment deleted long ago.

Perhaps the most important question in the Zynga and General Mills scenario is whether or not the brand awareness generated through this in-game advertising will translate to actual revenue for Cascadian Farm? While I do approve of the method, I don’t envision much success at the cash registers. FarmVille users are logging in for an escape; to tend their crops and have fun online. They’re not coming to learn about organic produce and green living. Besides, who’s to say that the grocery shoppers in the household are even logging on to FarmVille in the first place?

Because of the added incentives offered to the user for choosing Cascadian Farm’s Organic Blueberries, I think that Cascadian Farm’s foray into branded content within FarmVille has the potential to succeed at increasing brand awareness.  However, I don’t think that this integration will generate increased real-world sales and revenue.  There’s simply not enough to motivate the user to actually purchase the product in the stores. 

Increasingly, brands are becoming hip to Twitter. I normally follow my favorite brands to keep track of promotions, events, and news. Recently, I decided to use Twitter to complain about a bad shopping experience.

On Tuesday evening I received a limited edition Chanel lipstick from Saks Fifth Avenue (Twitter handle: @saks). I was about to try it on to show off to my Twitter pals, when I realized the lipstick was used! Immediately, I took a photo of the product, and tweeted the following:

So @saks sends me the rare Chanel Super lipstick. About to try it on & notice it's been used. Super #fail http://twitpic.com/1n2b5a

The next morning I received a Direct Message with instructions to email them about the situation. We exchange emails. In less than an hour, I'm informed that I will get a refund for the order, and that they will ship me a replacement. Pumped up about it, I tweet the world:

Shoutout to Douglas from @saks for helping me with my Chanel lipstick dilemma. Quick, quality customer support! Thanks again!

Hours go by, I'm about to leave the office. Another representative from Saks calls me up and tells me that they've located the product in their Greenwich location, and an associate would drive to my house and deliver it to me that evening!

And yes, I received the product (brand new), delivered by Elizabeth, who coincidentally had her mortgage done by my fiancé.

 

 

This past week, in Austin Texas, Twitter CEO Evan Williams delivered a keynote with the biz spin that a lot of South By go-er's expected to hear. After all, Twitter's been popular for a few years, it's gained its start-up tenure, and with Foursquare already making good on their business model, it's high time for Twitter to follow suit. 

During his keynote, @ev explained a new (but not really) concept that will catapult Twitter everywhere... everywhere it isn't already, that is. It's called @Anywhere. This facebook Connect-ish platform will allow third party websites to align themselves with Twitter, enabling shared user names, profile info -- possibly like the latest location web feature -- and tweeting. 

Though the official Twitter blog is vague on the details of the platform, it names several sites that are anxiously awaiting its launch, including Huffington Post, The New York Times, and YouTube. Twitter's VP of Comm, Sean Garrett also told Gigaom that like Facebook Connect, @Anywhere will start by allowing duel sign in, curated Twitter list management while offsite, and "richer experience [for] engagement." 

So before you yell out, "But I already use the API for Twitter integration," here are few examples of what @Anywhere could possible deliver that an API wouldn't be able to *fully* dig into. 

1. Foursquare, Gowalla, and geo location tweeting. While you can currently view your friends' Twitter feeds on Foursquare, there's no way to tweet to them unless you manually "shout out." And Gowalla and other location games don't even have this aspect yet. Think of how much fun it would be to not only see that your friend is at Magnolia Cupcakes, but tweet her to pick you up a Red Velvet before she leaves? 

2. Though a FBML superstar would create some sort of API for Twitter/Faceboiok integration, tweeting on the 'book will be easier than ever. This means big business for corporations who have poured lots of money into fan pages and have yet to create the desired engagement they crave. Simplicity and easy access is the name of the game where enabling these two is concerned.

3. Whether you're creating a one-time campaign or branded messaging, your thoughts will carry more virality. On Facebook, microsites, or informational websites, having the ability to log into Twitter handles and broadcast your message in bite-sized characters at the push of a button couldn't be more helpful in passing word around. This also adds a new element to contests. While you can't require that someone become a Facebook fan on Facebook to win a prize, you can require that they become a Twitter follower or immediately tweet your chosen message. 

4. For event websites and superstars, @Anywhere opens up a new function of RSVP. While users respond to your invitation, they an send out automatic messages promoting the event. Of course, when their followers see your amazing event, they'll want to RSVP with the push of a button as well. That opens this up to creative API uses and new clients that allow invitation responses, live event tweeting, and more momentum for your party or event.

5. Like the new breed of Facebook Connect sites (link to Discovery Shark Week and the CNN thing), there's great ability for microsites to pull your information from Twitter instead of vice versa. Of course, with this ability comes the understanding that regulations and copyright laws might also need to be created. Can publications now pull from your @Anywhere-enabled comments as quotes? Are your 140 characters your own anymore? 

The Facebook and away messages are everywhere: “The best 2 days of the year.” Yes, March Madness is upon us. And both the digital marketing game and the one on the hardwood are intertwined now more than ever. Long gone are the days of pocket folders stuffed with crumpled brackets and stored away in the safest place in the home or office. Flipping between ESPN’s game scores and a css coding reference guide, a few lessons can be taken away:

1. The odds are more in your favor than everyone would like you to believe - “The odds of having a perfect bracket are one in nine million trillion” people say. No, they are not. They would be if all teams were of even skill, but they aren’t. They would be if number 16 ranked Vermont was an even match for number one ranked Syracuse at 9:30 pm on Friday, but they’re not. In fact, a number one seed has never lost to a sixteen seed in the first round. And we marketers aren’t just “shouting” on an even playing field, it’s a 2 way street (or court). The digitalization of media has allowed us to listen to consumers through email lists, tweets, and fan pages.
   
   
2. Everyone’s doing it – with the digitalization of brackets, it’s no surprise the sheer volume of brackets has increased too. Final Fours are constructed and reconstructed with a few clicks of the mouse. Scores and matchups are tweeted left and right; currently as I write this more than half the trending topics on twitter are NCAA basketball related. Because of how easy it is to be informed, and then actually fill out a bracket, more people are getting involved. Everyone, including my mom, is filling one out. Information is readily available and cheap, instead of sending out snail mail flyers, a couple tweets and page update can now suffice. And just as if you didn’t fill out a bracket, your probably going to feel left out – a Twitter account and fan page isn’t really an option for businesses anymore, it’s a necessity.
   
   
3. The purse is now larger – NCAA pools can be anywhere from $5 to $50, so the winner usually walks away with a pretty good amount, depending upon how many people are in the pool. But this digitalization has added a new winner: the bracket websites. I alone am in three Yahoo brackets. And aside from the potential pool’s prizes, Yahoo is awarding one million dollars if anyone picks a perfect bracket. The page hits on Yahoo’s NCAA basketball page is probably going to be staggering over the month, almost as staggering as they money raked in from those clever KFC ads pasted all over the site. So much so, Yahoo is probably going to come out ahead giving away a million bucks. If there is such a large industry where there wasn’t one a couple short years ago, what else can be brought to digital?
   
   

Just as with the NCAA tournament, marketer’s goals are clearly defined, but there are many combinations and paths to get there, it is usually the ones with knowledge and skill level who come out on top. Just don’t be surprised when the girl who picked Kansas wins – because she thought the Jayhawk was “cute”.

 

 

 

With the sheer number of platforms alone, it can be difficult to keep track of your social media campaign. Throw in funky new apps, 1,001 Thought-Guru-Ninja’s, and a near excruciating among of Internet noise, and its way too easy to make a simple mistake. To prevent miscommunication and errors before they occur, you’ll need to keep a tight ship when it comes to your social campaign management.

Jump-start your organizational habits by creating a document of accounts. Try excel, or some other very simple list tool and map out account, URL, username and password, who is running it (if applicable), and space for any notes such as personnel changes, creation date, etc. It’s all too common for a switch of account manager to result in lost passwords, or inability to even get into an account. Plus, it’s a good idea to use a general company email address as username or entry point for these accounts- including a personal Facebook account for everyone to access. This lessens the chances of admin turnover error.

Some managers are adept at the quick browser/window switcheroo; some are not. If you fit into the latter category, desktop managers can be your best friend. Seesmic Desktop, or the Chrome browser extension put your web accounts on your desktop- no window surfing required. Or, status management tools like HootSuite can place all your searches, tweets, and links in one place. CoTweet is another do-it-all, with metrics, link shortening through bit.ly, and group management tools. Plus, with their recent acquisition by email marketing guru’s ExactTarget, they have a lot more social integration and management planned.

It may seem like a no-brainer but tasks lists are an absolute necessity when you’re working in 2, 3, or 4 campaigns. Start off a daily to-do list with the same check-off: A count of fans or followers or engagements, replying to questions, and catching up on lost tasks from the days before. Task managers like 5pm and Action Method can help you create and share lists of items to get done, let you assign them, make notes, and even perform a glorious check-off when they are completed. Whether you work with a team or by yourself, setting goals is imperative when your playing field is the vast Internet.

No man is an island- and none can manage the Internet by himself. Sometimes it may be essential to delegate tasks, and when it is, it’s super important to go by your team’s strong suits. If you’re using all your management tools and metrics, you’ll know who supercharges enthusiasts, and who is a numbers whiz. You’ll also know when to step-in and get things done your way.

Probably the most important tool for the management of your social media campaigns is communication. Communication with your client or brand, communication with your fans and followers, and communication with the team you work closest with. Always be aware of what’s posted, who’s talking, what’s going on. There are just too many opportunities for error if there isn’t a clear message sent across all team members; particularly ones who work on the same accounts. And the greatest asset from clear communication is the extra brainstorming and input you’ll get from having an open floor policy.

 

Last week, Flightpath hosted the New York Social Media Roundtable event "Social Media and the Travel Industry." In front of an audience of 200+, four panelists who excel in their own corner of hospitality, from blogger to hotelier, public relations maven to travel agent, detailed their social networking plans and how it has driven them to success. 

Top takeaways from the event include:

1. TweetDeck is the simple Twitter client that is rated tops from panelists, unanimously. It's quick, painless platform makes for easy posting and reporting. Foursquare, however, is a new fav and being adopted by the travel elite ast hey city hop. Custom profiles are worth looking into.

2. The guests and visitors of a hotel are the story it should be promoting. The building is nothing without the heart and story of each guest that walk through the door. By promoting the user experience and each guest, you create a community ofboth locals and visitors.

3. Using a dash of personal voice can spice up the tone of your accounts. Instead of taking cues from press releases, personify your venue account. Pulling back the curtain to ocassionally reveal the source is okay, as well. People expect a knowledgeable base behind their favorite establishments.

4. Brush up on your regulations. As a blogger you might feel the need to cash-in on every free trip and stick up a posting, but the FTC is regulating your ability to do so. Keep an eye on what you legaly can and can't do. And as a venue, be selective in your search for press. To ignore your standards not only cheapens the reviews of great journalists but weakens the experience of the "average joe" who pays his bill and also has a voice.

5.Find the method that works for you and beware of spreading across too many channels. Be resourceful in one station- the platform that best shows off your prowess. A blogger might have great insight on video with a simple iPhone camera, while a hotel blog best showcases the talented staff within it's walls. When you findthe channel that highlights your assetts, you don't need to attach more than one networking site, becausey our information will spread for you.

To view more takeaways, follow the event Twitter stream #nysmrt. For more information on the event, to view photos, and find links based on tips shared, visit nysocialmediaroundtable.com or facebook.com/nysmrt. 

Last Monday night, Mike Mitchell, a 27-year-old freelance artist living in Los Angeles, tweeted a link to a poster he created in support of Conan O’Brien. The poster—which has become the official face of “I’m with COCO,” the quasi-official campaign in support of Conan O’Brien against NBC’s decision to restore Jay Leno to the nightly 11:35 slot—bears more than a passing resemblance to Shepard Fairey’s iconic image of Barack Obama.

I recently spoke with Mitchell about the viral image that he created. “I woke up the next day and it was crazy,” Mitchell said, “I was getting contacted by all of these media outlets and being flooded.” In a matter of days, countless people, including Conan’s staff, started using the image as their avatars. Mitchell doesn’t know how it spread so fast.

As it turns out, the “I’m with COCO” image was promptly picked up by another Conan supporter who created the “I’m with COCO” fan page on Facebook. (Mitchell was then added as an admin.) The “I’m with COCO” page—which facetiously, albeit plausibly, describes itself as a “Religious Organization”—has garnered over 250,000 supporters in the past week, far outpacing anything in the Leno camp. If you were to hit “Refresh” on your browser any night last week, you’d likely see the number of COCO fans increasing by 20-30 in a matter of seconds. Over on Twitter, the web’s other bellwether of now, data compiled by Trendrr and featured in Advertising Age showed that chatter and sentiment on the site leaned heavily in favor of Conan from January 9th to January 16th.

That Conan would appear to be more popular on social media sites is not surprising given that these sites are more popular with young people and Leno’s audience tends to be older. What is surprising, if not perplexing, is that NBC has chosen the older demographic over the one traditionally favored by advertisers. (That’s still how television networks are supposed to make money, right?) Fox, which employed Conan O’Brien as a writer for “The Simpsons” and may be courting him again, must be toasting right now to the NBC debacle.

History repeats itself, sort of. Back in 1992, NBC’s decision to tap Jay Leno, and not David Letterman, to fill Johnny Carson’s coveted chair reminds us that the network is no stranger to “Tonight Show” drama. The difference between then and now, however, is that the audience is not a faceless Nielsen rating: it’s connected, vocal, and in typical web fashion, very opinionated.

The online campaign for Conan will not reverse the decision of NBC executives. Still, moving forward, it will probably cause the big networks to think more carefully about how their audiences might respond—especially when that audience is armed with social media—before making big decisions. I asked Mike Mitchell what he saw as the goal of the “I’m with COCO” movement, which has moved from the internet to staging ‘rallies’ in various cities, and he offered a humble response, “I’d like NBC to look at it and maybe think that they’ve made a mistake.”

 

 

Foursquare has been living in the social media spotlight.  Sure, it is fun for users; you virtually check-in at certain venues across your city and receive digital badges and accolades for frequenting select spots. But, what do businesses have to gain from Foursquare? What business model will this new chosen one of social media show us in 2010 that will solidify it as a digital tool and not just a trending topic?

Among the best recent news out of 4sq headquarters is the announcement of global domination. Though the game was once restricted to specific cities  with numerous venues within each, you can now check-in from any location across the world, and any venue in any location is fair game. This global awakening is just the first step in providing access to millions of businesses’ who couldn’t reach users before.

No venues? No problem! In 2009, 4sq partnered with Motorola for its CLIQ and DROID parties. When the party elite arrived at New York City's Morimoto restaurant and pulled out their gadget of choice to check-in, they were greeted with a Foursquare surprise! Upon check-in, they received a special message encouraging them to tweet with a suggested hashtag and giving a few lines of info on the party. Though Foursquare has made it's rounds encouraging venues to offer incentives and deals, in terms of temporary events, this was a first. And, by enabling this check-in, Foursquare made it easy for bloggers and microbloggers to share information from this event.

Also on the horizon for the GPS based app, don't be surprised if you see Facebook-like fan or business profiles. Though every Foursquare user is provided with a profile, A venue could potentially work with the company to create branded top user and mayor lists, incentives clubs, and daily specials. Brooklyn Museum, for example, is one of the first company's to use this model by providing a great to-do list for museum go-ers and locals interested in arts and culture. The online savvy hot-spot lists staff picks in the area and links to a mobile site where users can find out more about the art on display.Effectively, you would check-in upon arrival to the museum, via Foursquare, click over to the mobile site to browse the galleries, and click back over to the staff picks list when it's time to head to dinner. Pretty effective planning on the part of the museum.

With the many incentives Foursquare can create to draw new business, locate where patrons visit the most, and entice frequent trips, this start up has definitely proven its worth in terms of a steady business plan. Though they are closely related, and often thought of as a predecessor of Twitter, I wouldn't expect a Twitter-like wait for this business model to become mainstream. Though some of these initiatives are still in beta or early form, they are paving a path for future business models, as well  

 

 

 

It seems like every few months Facebook rolls out a new design, or changes on existing designs. For users, these changes are often frustrating, but for developers and designers, it can be downright crippling to turn the blind corner. There's no miracle tutorial, but there are a few very simple thing you can do to ensure that your next project doesn't go up in flame (or completely disappear) when Facebook incorporates its next round of updates.

1. Keep Up With the Timeline. No Facebook project ever keeps an exact date of completion, but the Facebook Developer's Wiki has some pretty good estimates that you can follow along with. Bookmark the site and check back regularly for updates. Even if a change goes live prior to expected date, you'll already know what was in store and know how to deal with it. Also, add Mashable, Facebook Insider, and All Facebook to your daily blog reader for other news and tips. 

2. Design With Changes in Mind. You can't always predict what the next big update will be, but remember that as far as Facebook goes, nothing is set in stone. Many companies spent thousands of dollars on promotions that use capabilities that are either no longer available, or not allowed any longer; that's wasted money and time. Of course you want to put your all into everything you develop, but keep the Developer's Wiki in mind. Maybe you want to roll out a game that has unique Application Dashboard settings now, so when that change comes, you're ready. Maybe it's time to begin designing in 520px and preparing your Boxes tab for removal. Any decision that prepares you will be well worth it.

3. Bounce Ideas Off the Like-Minded. If you aren't surrounded with Facebook-on-the-brain friends, try the F8 Conference. This Facebook conference, scheduled for April 21-22 in San Francisco, is a great way to catch up with other Facebook Developers. There's no shame in not being versed in every single detail of upcoming updates, particularly for a platform that changes so sudden and rapidly, which is why keeping a roster of friends around is handy. Who can tell what tiny detail you've missed that a friend can remind you of -- and vice-versa.

4. Expect Change. Certainly you expect change; you work on social platforms, after all. But your client doesn't. Gently remind anyone you create Facebook promotions for that this is a fast-moving system. Today’s great idea might be tomorrow’s ancient history. Online is not traditional marketing and everyone needs a little patience, and to go in and out with the tide. With this in mind, you’ll never have all your eggs in one basket with the chance of total failure should your well-developed pixels or sidebars change around. Plus, once this process is understood -- and once you've built-up trust -- you'll be working with a client who is open to so much more of what's offered out there, and you'll have more fun. 

 

 

 

 

Social Media ROI is the big topic these days. What can corporations do to see a return in profit from their online efforts? How much should be spent versus how much will come back? However, bloggers, personality tweeters, and Facebookers are making profits, too, and yes, you can also make a little cash off your personal accounts.

Izea, is a self-proclaimed “World leader in sponsored conversations.” Through several targeted programs, Izea connects bloggers with products and pays the bloggers for writing about the products in their own voice- a sponsored blog or tweet. Sponzai, another incarnation of this product, has sponsors crafting their own copy, and selecting from a pool of blogs to publish on; the blogger gets paid for this post.

Sound scandalous? It shouldn’t. In 2009, Twitter made approximately $29 million from its syndication deals with search giants like Google and Bing. That’s $29 million Twitter is making off your tweets. Your movie opinions, lunch choices, and inner thoughts, putting money in Twitter’s pocket; why not use Twitter to put money back in your own pocket, right?

Not surprisingly, the system of earning cash through your tweets or blogs is the topic of much criticism. Sponsored blogs are often thought of as insincere, with sincerity being the very essence of why we love bloggers. Tweets with the “#ad” hashtag are sometimes labeled as spam even though Izea follows a strict code of ethics and is considered a governing member in good-standing of WOMMA . But what does a system of pay-per-tweet say about the direction social media is going in?

Is this a chance for the every-man to regain control of his content or are we at risk for a new level of spamming never before seen: from friends and family straight to your mobile, home, and work devices? And what does this mean for those personal relationships? Sponsors aim for tweeters with a large following, but aren't those with a close-knit, respected group going to bank more clicks? Are you less likely to trust your friends and businesses after seeing a sponsored post?