As self-professed social media junkies, we have a pretty robust obsession with keeping tabs on what’s happening right now in all facets of the marketing world. We constantly have our eyes peeled for info about emerging technologies, new platforms, and most importantly, innovative campaigns that mix it up in new ways.

Take, for example, some of the inspiring (or at least creative) work we’ve been passing around the office this week:

• Omo detergent: This Brazil-based campaign is taking the marketing + GPS recipe to a whole new level. The company planted GPS tracking devices in 50 boxes of detergent, which activate when the consumer takes them off the shelf. A promotions agency will follow the lucky buyer home, surprising the family with a video camera and a day of “outdoor fun.” A bit on the stalker side, perhaps, but definitely a new way to reach the consumer.
• Levi’s Walk Across America: This two-minute stop motion commercial nixed the aggressive sales pitch and went viral. It’s a visually stunning piece, and we’re partial to the footage of good old Mt. Rushmore. YouTube views hit nearly 2 million in just two weeks.

  Click here to view the embedded video.

• Domino’s: The pizza chain’s rebranding strategy continues with the admission that food commercials may actually (gasp) doctor the product before filming it. The Show Us Your Pizza challenge encourages hungry people to upload their own pictures of Domino’s pizzas for a shot at cold hard cash. Simple concept, but we give it an A+ for engaging the audience.

These campaigns all incorporate a social element: from the Levi’s video that’s been shared and commented on thousands of times to a dedicated website that will feature footage of Omo’s winners and their stories, social media has become an integral part of the marketing mix for both big brands and small businesses alike. Traditional advertising continues to be a major player for most businesses, but combined with social, the results can be especially powerful.

Of course, social media is constantly changing, which is both exciting (for us) and intimidating (for some of our clients). We see a lot of small businesses that are interested in venturing into social, but they’re nervous about getting started. Should they be on Twitter? What about FourSquare, or LinkedIn, or Facebook? Should they start a blog? What crazy stunts do they have to come up with to be competitive? With new tools emerging as “the next big thing” all the time, businesses are overwhelmed and unsure how to spend their time and money.

Our advice? Don’t worry about tackling every social media platform or replicating million dollar detergent stalking campaigns. Start small – focus on your business goals and pick a tool that will best support your initial efforts.  It takes commitment to build a successful social media strategy, but it doesn’t have to be over the top. Provide helpful information, talk with (not at) your audience, and post often. It’s really that simple!

Still confused about the whether social is right for you? Take a look at the answers to some  social media FAQs Kyle posted awhile back.

Social Media Inspiration: Detergent Stalking and Other Stories is a post from: RSA Blog

In a brilliant and entertaining blend of traditional advertising and social media, Old Spice simply nails it here.  With a traditional TV spot posted on Youtube, they simply monitored comments on the video, as well as on Facebook and Twitter, and then shot and posted video responses to some of them.

Simply amazing. This has got to be the first time in a long time any advertising, by itself, has made me want to purchase a product!

And they’re still doing it. Prepare to waste your afternoon…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Old Spice Does Something New is a post from: RSA Blog

We are excited to announce the winners of our first Good Ad, Bad Ad Facebook contest! Congrats to Jackie and Gina, who posted ads deemed the best and worst of the bunch by our esteemed panel of judges (our Search Engine Marketing department, clearly).

Good Ad: Jackie won the prize with the latest commercial in the “Search Overload” campaign from Bing:

Click here to view the embedded video.

We can relate – and now our office is jamming out to Freak Nasty’s “Da Dip.”

Bad Ad: Gina caught our attention with something very, very bad to win the Bad Ad prize:

Okay, it’s not exactly an ad, but close enough. Read more about this British Airways faux pas,  which appeared in an internal staff magazine with an article about mobile boarding. Whether it was a mistake or a prank gone awry, that’s one heck of a PR mess.

Congrats again to our winners, and thanks to everyone for playing. Be on the lookout for more contests in the future!

And the winners are… is a post from: RSA Blog

By now you’ve probably heard that RSA is holding a contest this month. It’s ridiculously easy to play and come June 30, you could walk away with $50 in your pocket. Interested? Yeah, we thought so. Read on for all the official rules/details, then head over to our Facebook page to enter.

For years we’ve been playing a little game we like to call Good Ad, Bad Ad. Each month we get together and look through a plethora of fantastic and horrible ads. Some make us laugh, some make us cry, some make us literally spit out our coffee. It’s a great time – and starting today, you can play along.

Just Like us on Facebook, then post a link to an ad or upload a photo/video you find great or terrible – and give us a quick reason why. The winner in each category (good ad/bad ad) at the end of the month will each receive a cool $50.

We know that ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are subjective. That’s why we’re asking you to tell us (briefly please) why it’s good or bad. Want examples? Take a peek.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Heinekin’s Men with Talent: This is a Good Ad. It’s memorable and there’s no question as to what/who the commercial is for. Oh yeah – did we mention it’s hilarious?

Car Dealership Billboard: This is a Bad Ad. Too much copy? Check. Too many fonts? Check. Egregious spelling errors? Check. Contradicting directions? Check!

Fun, right?

Read the rules – then head over to Facebook to post your ad!

• Contest runs from Tuesday, June 1 to Friday, June 25.
• To be eligible to win, you need to Like us on Facebook and submit an ad. Also, you can’t be an immediate family member of any RSA staff (sorry).
• You can enter one ad in each category (Good Ad or Bad Ad) during the duration of the contest.
• Acceptable ads include commercials, print ads, outdoor (photos of billboards, buses, etc) or web banners.
• To enter, post a link to the ad or upload a photo on our Facebook page.
• Each week, RSA staff will choose the best ad and worst ad to move on to the final judging. For the purposes of this contest, entries for the week will be accepted until Friday morning at 8 a.m. MT. After that time, they count toward the following week.
• Contest officially ends at 8 a.m. (MT) on Friday, June 25.
• We’ll announce the winners (one for Good Ad and one for Bad Ad) by June 30. The winner in each category will receive $50.
• No adult content. You know better.

Announcing June’s Good Ad, Bad Ad Contest! is a post from: RSA Blog

What’s better than playing Pacman on Google during the work day? Playing our Facebook contest of course! And guess what, there’s even a prize (a good one, we swear)!

OM NOM NOM NOM

What’s this I hear about a contest?

Throughout the month of June RSA will be hosting an exciting new contest on Facebook. Anyone can enter and anyone can win. Although we can’t tell you all the details right now, stay tuned and watch for the big announcement on June 1.

Like us…or we will hunt you down

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get details on how to participate.

Summer Contest with RSA is a post from: RSA Blog

Bidding on a beauty.

On Saturday we headed west for my first Murdo in May classic car auction at Pioneer Auto. After a quick trip to Murdo, I was really getting excited and wondered how such a small town in rural South Dakota can attract so many car enthusiasts.

I lost count of the number of people attending, but there must have been several hundred car lovers enjoying the day.

There was plenty of shopping at the Swap Meet/Auction, and the Murdo Lions club did a great job keeping hungry people satisfied with hamburgers and hot dogs all weekend.

Things really kicked off Friday with the parade, awards for best cars and free live music. People from all across the country attended, and I was lucky to meet people from as close as South Dakota and as far as Washington.

Ian and Pioneer Auto's Dave Jr. at Murdo in May.

Going once…going twice…

Saturday morning the McPherson Auction team opened bidding to a record number of attendees at the classic car auction. Some of my favorites included a 1936 Dodge Street Rod Coupe and a 1955 Pontiac Star Fire convertible – unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take either one home.

The whole weekend was a great experience and I loved seeing all of the classic cars.  I can’t wait to make the trip next year – you could say I’m sold!

Murdo in May classic car auction is a post from: RSA Blog

Ericka Heiser speaks to 1000+

Yesterday a few of us had the opportunity to attend the first Day of Excellence in Rapid City. Hosted by Leadership Rapid City, the one-day conference focused on fostering personal and professional growth.

We showed up to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center yesterday, coffee in hand, interested to see if the speakers would have anything to teach us (and praying they would be funny). More than 1,200 people had the same idea, and luckily, we weren’t disappointed.

Aubrey says:

Developing a sense of purpose for everything you do: Mike “oooooh-stir” Oster, Lieutenant Colonel for the South Dakota Army National Guard, began the day with an outstanding discussion on self improvement. Helping others realize their maximum potential is Mike’s strength and the crowd enjoyed it.

Through demonstration and audience participation, Mike showed us the effects of negativity on your mental and physical strength. He said some things are obvious (like not frying bacon naked), but others, like determining your goals and knowing your purpose, are more difficult. My favorite take away from the speech is Mike’s advice to start the day out right by “smiling yourself out of bed.”

The Five Powers of Leadership: As an experienced trainer in the practice of building partnerships, Malcom Chapman provided conference attendees with many useful tools – or powers – that can help anyone become a stronger leader.  Malcom expressed that if you are willing to change, then you can make it happen – a point that touched me and many other members of the audience.

Tarah says:

What goes around, comes around: I had read V.J. Smith’s book, “The Richest Man in Town,” a few years ago, but listening to him tell the story of Marty, a Walmart cashier who touched thousands of lives, still put a lump in my throat. V.J. impressed upon the crowd a few VIPs (very important points), including 1) you get what you give; 2) you don’t need money to be truly rich; and 3) never ever forget to say thank you.

Side note: If you haven’t read V.J.’s book, I highly recommend it! Aubrey even bought a copy, so if you ask nicely, maybe you can borrow hers.

I’m a Sally: Bryan Flanagan, a corporate trainer for Zig Ziglar in Dallas, took us through a series of exercises to determine our personality types (David, Irene, Sally, Charles).  While identifying a working personality is nothing new, Bryan did give practical tips for relating to other personality types – including what words and tones to use to communicate most effectively. Bryan also encouraged us to bring out other parts of our personalities in the workplace, meaning I need to work on bringing out my inner Irene.

We left Day of Excellence feeling happy and uplifted – and impressed that so many people in the Black Hills community turned out for the event. Leadership Rapid City was able to donate $44,000 to local charities, making it a truly excellent experience.

Did you attend? What was the best part of the Day for you?

Never Fry Bacon Naked….and Other Important Lessons is a post from: RSA Blog

Video + Blog = Vlog, to test this theory we enlisted the help of Sean Coyne, our superstar videographer and office comedian.

Sit back….grab your lunch, a snack or maybe that fifth cup of coffee needed to get through your day and enjoy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sean says: “Visit our Youtube channel”

Video Confessions: Sean is a post from: RSA Blog

I like it. Kind of. Like, maybe.

This month Facebook started rolling out a change to “fan pages” that takes the “fans” out of the picture. Now instead of becoming a “fan” of something, you simply “like” it.

I guess the reasoning is that becoming a “fan” is too much of a social investment for people, resulting in lower page activity than Facebook desires. I get that. There are plenty of brands, organizations, causes and such that I “like” but wouldn’t consider myself a “fan” of.

The problem is they took away fans, but replaced them with… nothing. What do you call those people now? Likers? Former fans? We have a verb replacing a noun, and it just doesn’t work. They thought “fan” was a little too high on the approval scale, but they overcompensated by plummeting to a mere appetitive whim. Blaaaaaah. It’s weaksauce (that’s right, weaksauce).

Like it or not (I’m punny), it seems to be a permanent change. So no more Fan Pages. No more fans. We’re all just people again.

But the burning question I think we’re all asking is this: where the DEUCE is our “dislike” button?

There’s your shot from the hip for this week.

Stop Fanning Facebook and Start Liking is a post from: RSA Blog

[In this guest post, Tracy Mailloux points out a trend in advertising he noticed while on his Great Education Adventure, and is kind enough to share some insight with us. Thanks, Tracy! ]

Interactive TV ad

Traditional TV isn’t dead… yet. It is, however, on a respirator, and the priest has been called in for last rites.

Digital TV, on the other hand, is very much alive. Although in it’s infancy, it is growing at a rapid pace–its steroid of choice: advertising.

Now I know what you are thinking, “there’s nothing new about advertising on TV.” True, advertising has been around ever since cavemen could sketch on rock walls. But with the digital revolution in TV, advertising is becoming more and more interactive and engaging, which is a new thing for ads.

Invention or Ad-vention?

“It’s about making the TV a more lean-forward medium than a strictly lean-back medium,” said Bob Ivins, vice president of research and data products with Comcast Corp.

Digital Cable and Satellite (DC&S) are employing advertising techniques conceived on the internet through your DVR. It first started about three or four years ago when DC&S started advertising on the menu screen or guide page on your digital service. For example, while searching for your favorite TV show, there is an advertising banner, usually at the bottom of the screen, prompting you to “click here,” for more information about a show, a product, a service, etc. DC&S collects a fee every time a viewer clicks on this feature.

When DC&S started this, many people were not happy with it at all. Many felt that it slowed down their DVR’s response time–just to linger an extra second so you might be captivated by the banner and decide to click on it. For me, that little banner isn’t a problem. I’ve never used it to request any information, but have used it to watch movie trailers. I actually think it’s a great advertising method that is capitalizing on a captive audience.

Ads within ads…

But I was taken back the other day when I noticed advertising within advertising. That’s right, advertising within advertising. Basically DC&S are now able to have “pop-up banners,” during commercial breaks. For example, let’s say you’re watching a commercial about Viagra. As the commercial plays, a pop-up (no pun intended) banner appears prompting you to “click here,” (using your remote) to receive a free trial pack. With that one click, your information–from DC&S–is transmitted instantaneously to a processing center that will fulfill your request.

“It allows us to combine the power of the Internet–with its engagement, targeting and accountability–with the power of the big screen,” said David Kline, Cablevision’s president of ad sales.

Being in the advertising business, all I can say is… wow, that is insane. On one hand, I think that it’s a great idea to be able to request information, coupons, free samples, enter sweepstakes, or have an agent contact me about a product that I am interested in as I sit in my pajamas while watching TV–very cool! This is the ultimate for advertisers: seeing exactly who their audience is, and build databases from that contact.

On the other hand, I do worry about what the next phase will be. Will advertising become too obtrusive while watching TV, as it can tend to be while surfing the internet? In addition, with my information being sent to companies and stored in their databases, who is to say that they won’t sell my information to third parties? Next thing you know, I am receiving more junk mail and spam calls.

So where’s it headed?

To be fair, the survival of DC&S depends on their ability to get creative with the way they execute ads for their advertisers. The reason and culprit for this is the fast-forward button. How many people skip commercials with their DVR’s fast-forward button? I know I do.  Because of this, DC&S must implement interactive advertising channels. Now you can go to this interactive channel, say you see an ad for Walt Disney World, with one click of your remote, you can request for a travel agent contact you. Next thing you know, your telephone is ringing–it can be that fast.

“Using interactive techniques, we can get a targeted consumer to engage with a brand on TV for a much longer period of time than just a 30-second commercial,” said Jacqueline Corbelli, chief executive of media agency BrightLine iTV.

Kevin George, an ad executive at Unilever who oversaw one such campaign, said “the response was great” because it reached its targeted audience “without interrupting them,” in part because Unilever reached the audience “in a place where they’re comfortable, giving them the option to participate without interrupting them.”

In addition, due to the fast-forwarding of TV commercials, there are talks about having TV shows being sponsored again–much like they were back in the 1950’s. Be on the look out for these and more changes in the years to come.

When Digital TV started, they promised better picture and sound. But with the great potential now for much more data to be sent through your television, TV will become more and more interactive. Pretty soon, TV and your computer will be one and the same.

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Digital TV Advertising: is it Invention or Advention? is a post from: RSA Blog