Anyone annoyed yet with the obscene amount of “What I really do” images popping up all over Facebook?  Don’t worry, you’re not the only one.  If you’re one of the only people in the world who hasn’t seen them yet, let me clue you in.  The memes focus on a specific job and then use images to illustrate how that job is perceived by different groups and individuals compared to what the job actually entails.

The first “What I really do” meme is credited to artist Garnet Hertz.  He created one depicting preconceived notions about contemporary artists and posted it to his Facebook page on February 2, 2012.  That’s right– the first one was created just over 2 weeks ago.  It’s shocking just how fast a trend can spread on social media these days.  Here’s a graph analyzing Google searches for the topic over the last 30 days:

Obviously, this trend’s popularity spiked extremely fast and looks like it may already be on the way out– which seems to be the unfortunate fate of most social media trends.  They’ve spread easily since they are extremely easy to make and can be applied to numerous topics.  The themes of the memes range from humor, jobs, and politics.  Mashable put together a great compilation of the best job-themed memes.

Despite the unbelievable viral growth of these images, the general response to them appears to be negative– at least judging from my own experience.  What do you think?  Are these memes fun, insightful, or just obnoxious?  Do you have a favorite?  Please share below!

With discussion of this Sunday’s Grammy Awards blowing up on social media, it’s time to reflect on how the web and social have affected the music industry. Obviously, music moguls and the internet haven’t been the best of friends in the past.  Napster lawsuits and piracy issues have made record labels, musicians, and producers wary of new sharing technologies,  but has the online world had an entirely negative effect on the music business?

Let’s back up a few years.  We all remember MySpace, right?  Although the social networking site is now shunned by the masses, the first social media giant did have one strength– music.  Members could include a “theme song” on their profile, and bands could upload their latest tracks.  The format was an effective, inexpensive way for new bands to promote their songs.  After struggling to compete with Facebook for years, MySpace finally learned to embrace this strength.  These days, MySpace only focuses on music and entertainment.

Of course, nowadays, many people not only listen to free music on sites like MySpace and Shazaam, but they can also download free music– legally.  Many artists are choosing to give away all of their music for free.  Artists like Pretty Lights have provided free downloads of all of their albums on their website.  However, while this new technique may be effective for  musicians with a strong fan base, it won’t work for new bands trying to make it in the competitive market.

Although the industry as a whole may fear the internet, individual artists are embracing the possibilities.  In addition to giving away free downloads, other artists have embraced the interactive nature of social media in other ways.   The Red Hot Chili Peppers is a band using social to great effect.  They have recently released a new interactive video for their single “Look Around.”   Fans can zoom in and out, move around, and locate eggs to bring them to other sites.  This interactive video has been a great technique used by many other bands.  In addition to these more technical techniques, the Chili Peppers are all active Tweeters– which is a great way bands have built their audiences.

It’s fascinating to watch how social media and music can use each other for success in spheres where the “next big thing” is always around the corner.  What other interesting ways have you seen social media and music interact?

Who’s excited for the Super Bowl this weekend?!  Even better, who’s excited for the ads?!  Since the Vikings’ embarrassing season, I have to admit that I’m primarily looking forward to the Super Bowl because of the creative spots.   While throughout most of the year, people claim they hate advertising, this is when the industry shines.  Most agencies base their strategy on making the funniest ad.  Winners in years past have been Dortitos, Snickers and various car companies.  This year is no different, with car companies in particular creating expensive ads that they have been promoting for weeks in advance.

This is a great way for advertisers to milk more value out of their Super Bowl spots, which are reportedly costing a record-breaking $3.5 million this year.  To gain buzz online, they’re releasing videos early, providing extended videos, allowing fans to vote on their favorites, incorporating hashtags, and even developing apps.

By using these various strategies, companies are able to build excitement over their spot and get people talking online.  The goal is to build buzz and allow people to share the videos with their friends.  Numerous ads have already been extremely popular on social media.  This year, the dominant players in the ad game are car companies.  Here are some of our favorites:

- An extended two-minute ad for the 2012 Honda CR-V features Matthew Broderick reviving his role as Ferris Bueller.  The video includes numerous small references to the film, which viewers have loved finding and discussing.  As of today, the video has over 10 million views on YouTube!

- After the unbelievable success of Volkwagen’s “The Force” ad (which was the most watched ad on YouTube last year), they have decided to stick with the “Star Wars” theme.  This year’s “The Bark Side” teaser trailer features an assortment of adorable pups barking “The Imperial March.”  There’s even an Ewok puppy– too cute.

- To promote it’s new LED headlights, Audi has released its “Vampire Party” spot.  To launch the ad, the car company incorporated a social media contest where fans could attempt to “unlock” the ad.  If they unlocked it, they could watch the entire spot and be entered to win a trip to the Audi Sportscar Experience in Sonoma, CA.   The ad is also prompting discussion on Twitter by inserting the hashtag #SoLongVampires.  The creators of the ad just hope they aren’t isolating their “Twilight” fans.

- KIA released an ad featuring supermodel Adriana Lima waving a checkered flag… for FIVE hours.  It’s in slow motion, but seriously, she must have had to wave it for at least two hours straight.  I’m not exactly sure what the ad has to do with KIA (I didn’t have 5 hours to spare), but it’s certainly attracted the attention of the Super Bowl’s demographic target!

What are your favorite pre-Super Bowl ads so far?

In terms of social media, we tend to think that larger, well-known companies have it all figured out.  You know- they construct the perfect viral Facebook campaign, invent insanely clever hashtags, and are using an array of different social sites perfectly.  Even if they do encounter a complaint, they know how to resolve it perfectly.  With budgets like theirs, how could they ever screw up?  Right? Wrong!

This past week, our favorite dollar menu destination, McDonalds, proved that a large corporation with a huge following can really put their foot in their mouth.  The campaign seemed innocent enough– they wanted their Twitter followers to help them paint a warm fuzzy picture of their past McDonald’s experiences using the hashtag #McDStories.  Here’s what some people said:

Ouch.

This isn’t the first time McDonald’s has struggled on Twitter.  Back in 2010, they tried to promote the return of the McRib by paying to promote the phrase “McRib is Back.”  Unfortunately, fans used the phrase to say things like, “McRib is back and it’s as bad as you remember.”  One tweet summarized the problem when they said, “I like how 90% of the tweets related to the promoted ‘McRib is back’ are making fun of it.”

For all the good that can stem from a Twitter campaign, brands need to recognize that they involve an inevitable lack of control.  Once a hashtag or phrase takes off, it is impossible to stop.  This is vastly different from Facebook, where social media managers can oversee the reaction to a campaign.  In order for a Twitter campaign to work, the hashtag should start organically or really resonate with the target.

But don’t worry, McDonald’s isn’t the only large company screwing up.  Wendy’s also attempted the delicate art of the hashtag.  They used #WheresTheBeef as a promotion tool.  I’ll let you guess what happened.  Another screw-up was Chapstick.  Yup, sweet, innocent Chapstick managed to get themselves in one of the biggest social media fails of the last year.  Oops.

These various failures by McDonalds and others show just how confusing social media marketing can be.  It also demonstrates how social media levels the playing field when it comes to promotions.  Smaller businesses have the power to become great and larger businesses can be brought to their knees.  Unfortunately, it also shows that companies like McDonald’s can throw away money on experimental campaigns– which smaller companies could never afford.

What do you think of McDonald’s Twitter struggles?

For all the students out there, you might find that researching a paper is a little more difficult today.  Wikipedia has blacked out its entire site to protest two bills making their way through the U.S. legislature. Both bills will ultimately censor the internet.  Wikipedia has been a leader in the movement against SOPA, contributing to what may be the largest online protest in history.  Here’s what you’ll find on their site today:

Both the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), will be voted on by the Senate on January 24th.  The bills are designed to prevent piracy, yet they will affect everything from Wikipedia to Google– completely changing the way we use the internet.  Copyright laws do need better protection, but the senate needs to realize we live in an era of mass collaboration.  Our culture has changed, relying on the values of shared, free knowledge and content.

Before this, the responsibility for guarding against copyright infridgement fell to users and copyright owners thanks to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. (I would hyperlink this to a Wikipedia article, but that’s currently impossible).  Now, the responsibility for policing content would fall to the site itself– which would be far too great a burden even for large sites such as Wikipedia and YouTube. Imagine the hurdles that would pose for new, up-and-coming sites– sites that could provide more jobs and economic growth.

Google provides a great explanation about the negative aspects of SOPA and PIPA, in addition to why they won’t solve the issue at hand.  Not only will these bills hurt the internet, but in doing so, they will harm American businesses.  Online companies are currently one of the most significant sources for job growth in America. If those businesses have to reallocate their time and resources to constantly policing users, the opportunities for growth will be greatly diminished.  Here’s a helpful video that explains the issues at hand:

Numerous other sites have blacked out their pages in protest of SOPA and PIPA.  Sopastrike.com is facilitating the protest by providing the HTML codes to black out a sites. They’re also offering other tools such as apps, petitions, and WordPress plugins.  Facebook and Twitter chose not to host a blackout, prompting some to accuse them of not having enough courage to do so. Still, the founders both Facebook and Twitter have made it clear they oppose the anti-piracy measures.  Frankly, it would be unwise to shut these social sites down in the midst of the protest, because they are currently providing an outlet for the public to discuss, learn about, and knock the two bills.

Throughout the day, the public has also taken up the mantle to protest the legislation.  The Google petition page has been shared all over Facebook, and many people have created YouTube videos to voice their opinions.  On Twitter, hashtags like #FactsWithoutWikipedia, “End Piracy, Not Liberty,” and “Tell Congress” have been trending, allowing websites, organizations and celebrities to share their view.

Watching this process unfold shows beyond a doubt how powerful the internet is.  The thought that our leaders have the power to censor this amazing medium, even unintentionally, is terrifying.  If these bills pass, it would completely alter our access to the online world, transforming our economy and how we interact with the rest of the world.  While I support artists, filmmakers, musicians, and anyone else trying to preserve their content, these bills are not the solution to piracy.

Have you told Congress your feelings about SOPA and PIPA yet?  Click here to take action and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

For movie, TV, and music freaks out there, this is an exciting time.  It’s awards season!!  These types of shows have plenty of ways they can promote themselves on social media.  Not only can they spark debates over who will win in each category, they can also focus on fashion and celebrities.  However, some awards shows do it better than others.

First up is the People’s Choice Awards.  The awards show aired this past Wednesday on CBS.  Because the show is based on allowing the public to vote for their favorites, they have a distinct social advantage over other awards shows.  This year, over 230 million people voted.  Despite the overall negative reaction to the program due to excessive, poorly integrated advertising, bad writing, and questionable winners, the program still receives a A+ from us for its use of social media.

Leading up to the big night, the People’s Choice Awards used Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and even MySpace to promote the show.  During the awards, host Kaley Cuoco frequently pulled out her phone, read Tweets out loud, and invited viewers to continue live tweeting.  At one point, she even asked the fans to vote for the next dress she should wear.  Fans could also continue voting in a few award categories throughout the beginning of the program.

Overall, the People’s Choice awards did a great job utilizing social media.  They posted interesting content often and made sure to keep their fans engaged.  The hashtag #peopleschoice was extremely popular Wednesday night.  Neil Patrick Harris even said, “Love those Twitter fans. Keep it up, guys” during his acceptance speech.

Alright, now for the Golden Globes, which air this Sunday on NBC.  This program only has about 168,161 fans on Facebook, which is about 100,000 less fans than the People’s Choice Awards– surprising, considering how much longer the Globes have been around and their notoriety.  They also post regularly, but each post gets minimal fan engagement.  They are also giving away 5 of the same gift bags the attendees receive.  While a cool prize, I like the People’s Choice giveaway much better.  They offered one lucky person the chance to actually attend the event– much more exciting than just getting a gift bag.  Finally, the Globes have decided to post pictures like this on their page:

REALLY?

It will be interesting to see how the Globes utilize social media and Social TV throughout their program.  Because they don’t rely explicitly on fan engagement, they need to use a different strategy than the People’s Choice.  They could take a similar approach to last night’s Critic’s Choice Movie Awards on VH1.  The show used the hashtag #CCMA and encouraged the audience to download VH1′s “Co-Star” app to follow along.  Hopefully the Golden Globes will foster a great Social TV experience for fans despite their ho-hum, pre-show social media tactics.

Be sure to watch the Golden Globes on Sunday and keep an eye on Twitter.  Let us know how you think they did!

2011 has seen numerous changes in the social media world.  Google+ was hyped, launched, and seemingly forgotton.  Twitter redid its brand pages.  Facebook debuted its new insights and Timeline options.  LinkedIn went public.  Other smaller sites like StumbleUpon and Pinterest proved that alternatives to Facebook are welcomed in the market.  In addition to these big changes, many articles and trends were popular throughout the year, showing the importance of virality.

Despite the many technical changes, it is most important to understand how they have affected the way people interact with each other and things they care about.  Events throughout the past year have proved time and again that as far as marketing is concerned, consumers are more in control than ever.  After the Bank of America fee scandal it’s apparent that complaints that once went unheard now have power.  The same woman who organized that protest recently created a petition against a fee from Verizon.  The company removed the fee within hours.

According to Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey, “The Internet is the great equalizer, and that’s a beautiful thing – even if it’s not positive for us. . . We made mistakes that hurt our brand, consumers let us know about it, and now we’re rebuilding step by step.”  Perhaps you remember a little thing called Quikster that would have replaced Netflix’s streaming service.  Yup, didn’t happen– once again because of outcry and ridicule on the internet.

Thankfully, in addition to complaints, consumers are also able to express their undying love for their favorite brands– companies such as Krispy Kreme have been able to turn their fortunes around thanks to the passion of their fans.  Others like Zappos, Starbucks, and Apple continue to show the rest of the world how social media and consumer engagement is done.  Even smaller companies, such as the St. Cloud, MN based scrapbooking company Creative Memories is able to engage superfans successfully.  Social media is able to foster this love by interacting with consumers that are passionate about the brand and letting them know they’re appreciated.

Looking forward, brands and companies need to learn how to interact with consumers, foster love, and properly respond to complaints in order to flourish in the new “relationship era.”

Visit our homepage to find out how.

Anyone interested in social media has undoubtedly heard or seen the Facebook Timeline profile.  The Timeline was announced to the public in September 2011, but it was only released to people with “Developer” profiles, leaving the rest of us itching with excitement.  Well, the wait is over, with Timeline’s unveiling last week.

So what exactly is the Timeline profile?  This profile is designed to be a scrapbook of your life.  According to Facebook, “Timeline is your collections of the photos, posts and experiences that help tell your story.”  The Timeline features a sleek new design that focuses on photos and videos– the ultimate strength of Facebook.  It also finally allows users to incorporate their own design ideas on their profile.

One of the most positive aspects of Facebook’s biggest change yet is that it is not forcing users to switch to it immediately.  Facebook is brilliantly allowing the new profile to go viral instead of forcing something new on users– which has historically been met with a negative backlash.  It is unclear yet if and when all users will be eventually forced to switch to the new look.

As with most Facebook changes, the biggest concern for most people is their privacy.  Thankfully, the Timeline creators have taken this into consideration for once.  When you opt to switch to the Timeline format, you are given seven days to review your posts, filter through posts, and alter who can see what.

Of course, to research this blog I had to make the switch myself.  Fortunately, changing to the timeline was easy and I love it.  The only downside is that it does emphasize those moments from High School that I would rather forget and certainly don’t want a future employer to see.  Despite this drawback, I would recommend switching to the timeline format immediately.

Have you switched to the Timeline profile yet?  What do you think?

In the spirit of the holidays, let’s revisit a social media “classic”: Office Max’s Elf Yourself campaign.  The campaign was launched in 2007 and is still extremely popular on social media. When social media trends typically enjoy an hour of popularity, this longevity is impressive.

For less than the cost of a commercial, the “Elf Yourself” campaign was created by the since-disbanded Toy, a New York advertising agency.  When the campaign was launched in 2007, it was primarily intended to be an e-card.  People could go to elfyourself.com, create a video, record a message, and send their e-card to whomever they wished.  The creators of the campaign have wisely evolved– the video can now be shared on Facebook or Twitter or downloaded for a small fee.

According to an interview with Bob Thacker, Office Max’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Advertising, the goal of the campaign was to associate Office Max with the holiday, since office products are not a typical gift idea.  Also, they wanted to differentiate themselves from their competitors by reminding consumers that office products could be fun!

This campaign has been named on numerous sites as the most viral online campaign EVER.  In the first year of its creation the campaign engaged 11 million people.  In its second year, Office Max aimed to double this, but ended up gaining ten times that number.  Here are some other fun stats:

    – Office Max saw a 190% increase in its websites’ traffic

   – There were over 193 million hits on the Elf Yourself website

   – Over 123 million elves were created

   – It was viral in traditional media as well.  The campaign was featured on CNN , ABC World News, Good Morning America, The Today Show, TNT Sports News, Fox News, Rosie O’Donnell’s blog, and the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Keep in mind, these stats are just from the first year of the campaign!

So what’s the lesson learned from this campaign?  In the words of Elizabeth McDowell, the co-creator of Elf Yourself, “Keep it simple, make it personal, and give people a reason to pass it on.”  The best part of the campaign was that it was ultimately focused on the consumers.  Office Max is building a positive image for its brand, without explicitly trying to sell anyone anything.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, the SociaLink team… ELFED!  Happy Holidays!

Some of you may have read posts on Facebook over the past few weeks talking about Pinterest, the latest social media craze.  The site was created on Thanksgiving day 2009, and despite a slow start, it has since gone viral.  Its recent growth is rivaling Facebook’s early days.  After trying it out for a week, I can understand all the buzz– the site is easy to use, somewhat addictive, and syncs easily with both Facebook and Twitter.  Plus, sharing images of kittens dressed as Santa and mouth-watering food is way too much fun.

The website is a basic image sharing site with a clean, simple design.  It’s based off the idea of a digital bulletin board where you would use pushpins to display things. On Pinterest, users create “pinboards” where they are able to “pin” images they find on the web to a board that others can see.  The signature feature of the site is the “Pin It” button.  When you see any image you like on a website, you simply click the “Pin It” button and to post it to your board. The button serves as a mini-app on the user’s toolbar so that people can pin an image or video from any site around the web.  This “decentralization of the user experience” is part of the strength of Pinterest.

Pinterest is inherently social with the ability to follow users, “Like” pins, and “Repin.”  You can post your favorite images to your Facebook wall or Twitter feed as well.  So far, the only downside I’ve found is that you cannot pin an image directly on Facebook.  Still, you can download it from Facebook and upload it to a pinboard.

The Pinterest app is extremely successful, occupying the number six spot on the iTunes social store.  This is part of its success– it is addictive across all channels.  Despite the hype, it is much too soon to call Pinterest the “next big thing” in social media.  It may be just a fad, but its accessibility from any site is certainly a unique strength that will influence other future social media endeavors.

Although I may have made you want to join the fad and get on Pinterest right away, unfortunately, you still need an invite from an existing member to join.  My advice- blow up your Facebook asking for an invite– you’ll thank me later. Happy Pinning!

What do you think of Pinterest?  Do you think it will remain popular or is just a fad?