Social Media

Well, it probably won’t make up for yet another Patriots Super Bowl fumble, but perhaps regular Padma Lakshmi sightings could bring some folks in Boston a little cheer. Digitas is trying to lure Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio and the rest of the gang from Bravo’s Top Chef to film their tenth season in Beantown via a social media campaign called “You Gotta Try Boston.”

As you’d expect, the Digitas effort includes a Facebook site (nearly 600 likes and counting) where visitors are (obviously) raving and posting photos/links about Boston’s restaurants, dishes and the like. Of course, Twitter also comes into play and Digitas is asking folks to tweet about what makes Boston the best with the hashtags #topchef and #yougottatryboston. If you’re so inclined to join in on the conversation, go here.

Speaking to the site called, yes, Wicked Local, Digitas ECD Rob Rizzo says that the campaign idea was hatched a couple of weeks ago and regardless of the outcome, he hopes that some of the smaller, low-profile restaurants around town gain notice. We’re big fans of Top Chef, but to be honest, we’re not willing to go all in on a Boston season next year.

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.

The CP+B-aided reinvention of Domino’s continues as the pizza chain is heralding the launch of its new Facebook platform called Think Oven, which serves as both a suggestion box (or “Idea Box” as they’re calling it) and an outlet for Domino’s to dish out projects for its consumer base to take part in.

First up to bat on the Think Oven project list? New uniforms. Yes, it appears that Domino’s is looking to update the ol’ blue and red-based outfits and is looking for your best ideas. The two best visual and written submissions will each win a cool $500, so why not channel your inner Project Runway designer. If you need a prettier explanation of what Think Oven is, see visual presentation above. Deadline for the uniform project, by the way, is March 4. In conjunction with the Facebook launch, Domino’s has also rolled out a new TV spot that tells the tale of how the brand’s new Parmesan Bread Bites came to be. Hint: The product idea wasn’t hatched at corporate HQ. Check it after the jump.

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Our Super Bowl-related submissions continue to roll in, and today, we hear from Mr. Youth VP of marketing Christian Borges, who discusses his love for the game, ad meters and more.

I love Super Bowl Sunday. Especially when the #Giants are in it, but I digress. For me, it’s a day chock-full of friends, family, chips, dips, wings, beer, gambling and #smacktalk galore. It’s an opportunity to gather around the TV to watch what is arguably the single greatest sporting event of the year. Hard to believe that just 28 years ago, on January 22, 1984, more than 90 million people watched when Apple famously launched the Mac with a $1.5m, 30-second commercial that ran during TV’s biggest event, the Super Bowl.  Today you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody worth their salt who wouldn’t agree with the sentiment that when Ridley Scott created Apple’s iconic “1984,” it effectively changed not just advertising, but the Super Bowl viewing experience.

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You might remember Miami Ad School alum Charli Hoffman as the better or worse half of that hire us or we’ll get married pair from months past. Now, the young lady is telling us how to “Spotify your status” as you can see from the clip above. Frankly, I’ve hated Spotify since the mandatory Facebook integration, so it makes yours truly glad to be grandfathered in before such things were necessary. Anyhow, those of you willing to be more social media-savvy can get a gander at what she’s talking about above.

Our Super Bowl-related submissions continue to roll in, and today, we veer from the party scene to the social one as Brian Cavoli, an MPG/Carat alum who currently serves as director of marketing at WOM shop BzzAgent, discusses social media measurement come game time.

Social media gets a lot of attention this time of year. Early in January, every social media guru shares predictions for the year about what’s ahead for Google+, Facebook and the next great social sensation. Now at the end of the month, Super Bowl advertisers take over with talk about video contests, ad hashtags and Facebook games to extend the life of their message beyond their 30 seconds of glory in the big game.

30 seconds during the Super Bowl goes by fast and it can be easy to miss. Especially if nature calls, or if a chipful of con queso dip spills on your friend’s new sofa (sorry Steve). Advertisers need to make sure their 30 seconds are memorable. But being memorable is hard. Looking at Nielsen’s Top 10 most-recalled Super Bowl ads for each of the last four years shows just how little people remember.  Just four companies – Doritos, Budweiser, GoDaddy and Pepsi – made up 75 percent of the memorable ads during this period. That’s tough competition, kinda like the New England Patriots of advertisers.

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Super Bowl: The only day in America where TV viewers actually want to watch commercials. This year’s NFL championship, pitting the New York Giants against the New England Patriots, is in a sense a “rematch” of the 2008 edition of the big game. Due to this unfortunate match-up (blame Billy Cundiff and Kyle Williams for their failures), it’s possible that TV ratings could actually be lower than last year’s game. This would clearly be a total bummer for advertisers who spent $3.5 million for a 30-second spot. But, on the bright side, maybe people will be talking more about the ads than the actual game at the water cooler the next day, right?

Of course, the veritable “water cooler” has evolved in the digital age. The folks at Venables Bell & Partners have decided to provide a handy infographic that maps the who, where and how of post-game advertising conversation. Out of the bevy of stats they’ve given us, a few stand out. For example, “Almost one in five (19%) Americans searched for ads before the game in 2011, about double (11%) who did in 2010. Of that group, 48% searched for ads on Facebook, putting the site just ahead of popular video sharing site YouTube, brand sites, and media sources as the lead destination to find ads.” In other words, Facebook is becoming a more popular video search engine than YouTube, a fact than is no doubt pissing off the powers that be at Google.

Also, “Americans are almost as likely to ‘like’ a brand on Facebook that advertises during the Super Bowl (20%) as they are to ‘like’ a team (29%), with 23% of young adults likely to ‘like’ a brand.” Not a bad way to measure social media ROI compared to TV ROI, is it? Well, at least it’s somewhat “believable.” Check out a full-size image after the jump.

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Ahh yes, let’s cue the blurry dream sequence and shimmering music to reveal a new social media-related infographic from The Barbarian Group, which is giving us the reminder that it seems like only yesterday…or three weeks ago. Anyhow, it’s a nice little refresher and as always, you can read about the behind-the-scenes info on TBG’s blog.

 

 

Fresh off of nabbing two top digital talents, JWT and its chairman/CEO Bob Jeffrey are now making their mark in Vegas with a new web series as part of CES, which winds down today.

For the first episode of “Worldmakers,” Jeffrey sat down with Facebook’s VP of global marketing solutions, Carolyn Everson, to discuss the “I need a little Facebook” mentality that many marketers have when implementing a social media integrated campaign. So, who’s doing it right? Unsurprisingly, Everson praises American Express, with whom Facebook partnered with this summer to launch a new “social deals” program. If only Everson would have called out one of JWT’s clients for “doing it wrong” and Jeffrey responded by throwing water in her face. We can only dream.

Those interested in seeing Jeffrey interview representatives from brands like Schtick, LG and Electronic arts from CES can do so at JWT’s YouTube page.

 

 

Another year, another intern-wrangling effort from Minneapolis-based operation Campbell Mithun, which is seeking a new set of “Lucky 13″ interns. Since today is Friday the 13th and all, seems appropo that the agency would roll out its roll call for a new set of agency potentials, which is determined by the set of guidelines below:

1.      January 13, 2012: Registration opens on www.lucky13internship.com.  Eligibility: Applicants MUST be a college student with a graduation date between fall 2011 and summer 2013.

2.      February 13-25, 2012: Candidates submit application in the form of 13 tweets.  Each tweet must include boththe primary #L13 hashtag and a secondary hashtag to indicate their discipline of interest:

• Account Management: #CMam
• Account Planning: #CMap
• Media: #CMcpm
• Creative: #CMcr8
• Technology: #CMt3ch

 

3.      March / early April:  finalists will be interviewed; internship offers will be made.
In conjunction with the “Lucky 13,” Campbell Mithun is soliciting 13 non-profit Greater Twin Cities United Way agency partners to compete via social-media vote to become the pro bono summer project that the interns will take on. The “13 Tweet/13 Causes” movement makes us all that more superstitious, but best of luck to those who want to give it a go.

 

This summer, NBA point guard Chris Paul became the league’s most sought-after player. After commissioner David Stern shockingly blocked a trade to the Lakers, Paul found himself in L.A. nonetheless, now starting for a young Clippers team. All this to say, it was only a matter of time before Paul ended up being bit by the movie bug, directing and starring in the above spot for Sheets Brand Energy Strips.

Paul joins of roster of celebrity endorsers including hoopsters LeBron James and Amar’e Stoudemire, and unintelligible rapper Pitbull. Sheets Brand Energy Strips are a curious product, ingested as one would ingest a tab of acid, and used as a substitute for other performance enhancers like energy drinks or steriods. Right now, Sheets Brand Energy Strips are taking to Facebook, asking users to create their own video ads for a contest judged by LeBron. Apparently, the video above is just Chris Paul doing his part.

So, athletic readers who regularly take part in strenuous activity, how do you “take a sheet?” Maybe you take a sheet in the alley outside of your office before work. Maybe you take a sheet after a big meal. Maybe you even take a sheet before you and your loved one get intimate. Whatever the case, visit Sheets’ Facebook page to tell other teenagers who think this pun is hilarious how it’s done.