Social Media in 3D

Social Media is more real in 3D, by Adam Vincenzini

Just because you are engaging in online activity via a predominantly two dimensional platform i.e. your computer that doesn't mean you have to act that way.

I often see people follow a pretty standard template: text only blogs, wooden tweets and token engagement.

Here are some ideas to help make social media more fun, and in the process, help bring out more of the 'real' and three dimensional you...


Social Media in 3D - Tips and Hints

1. Experiment, regularly: Not every blog post has to be 250 words and initiate a discussion. Try instead to deliver something that reflects you i.e. a series of pictures, a podcast, raise a simple question that has been on your mind, craft one big and bold statement, tell us 3 things you are passionate about, challenge your readers to a test, ask the people that have taken an interest in you what they'd like to hear from you - mix things up and be personality driven.
2. Use video: Apart from meeting someone face-to-face, nothing brings you or your personality to life more than video. Provide us with a 2 minute video about you, a subject you're passionate about, a talent you have...anything. It'll help people gravitate towards you and vice versa.
3. Get in the know: Read people's biogs before you start engaging with them, find out what they are passionate about, establish some common ground and 'actually' take an interest in them, not just give the impression that you are.
4. Spend a week just listening: Take a week's break from Twitter, and just take everything in. Keep a record of what you learn. And then write a blog about it!
5. Meet in the flesh: Make the effort to meet some of the people you connect with in person. If you feel a little uncomfortable about it, arrange a group meet up and bring a friend along. Social media is just an introduction, make it stick by taking it offline
6. Break 'the rules' from time-to-time: Not every tweet has to be a re-tweetable length. Not every blog post has to be useful. Not every twitpic has to be funny. Always act with courtesy (because you are a member of a commumnity afterall) but don't be robotic.
7. Take part in live chats: I have met some of my favourite people courtesy of #PRstudchat and #journchat. But no matter your passion area, there's always a 'live' place to express yourself.
8. Put thought behind your #FollowFriday recommendations: Tell us why we should follow that person. If you want to nominate a few people, write a brief blog post which tells us a bit about them and then share it. Simply listing 8 names is pointless.
9. Have an opinion: The most interesting people online and in real life have opinions. Comment on blog posts, or take it a step further and write a full response if you're passionate enough about the topic.
10. Don't be afraid to be nice: I often get the feeling that being nice is misconstrued in social media. If someone makes your day with a message that makes you feel good, tell them. If someone says somethiong you don't like, do the same, but be considerate. Treat people like people.

Finally, don't be anything in this list: These are just one person's suggestions / opinions. They may work for you. They may not. Just be you!

And as always, less is usually more.

If you are responsible for a brand's social media activity, these ideas are just as applicable (within your guidelines). Even if you can't try them all, just remember to keep 'people' top of mind when you're conducting your activity...communicate 'with' them, not 'at' them...and be real.

If you have any other tips / ideas on how to be more '3D' when it comes to social media, drop them in the box below.

Thanks
Adam

40 of the Most Useful Social Media and PR Blog Posts of Q1, 2010 (Jan - Mar)

Note: Part 2 (Q2, Apr-Jun) available here.

The #Fab40, compiled by Adam Vincenzini 

(As featured in Social Media Today and Holy Kaw!)

Late last year, I published my picks for the 99 most useful social media posts of 2009, a collection which was received really well.

This year, I've been publishing 10 of the best posts from around the web each week as part of the '10 out of 10 in 2010' series.

Now that the first quarter of the year has been completed, I thought it was worth bringing together 40 of my favorites from 2010 (so far)...and, here they are...


The 40 Most Useful Social Media Posts of Q1, 2010

I've broken the collection into the following categories: Tools, Social Networks, PR, Blogs / Blogging, Content, and General / Other.

Tools
1. The ULTIMATE list of 29 top tools for competitive intelligence
2. The 39 Tools I (Jay Baer) Will Use Today
3. 11 free tools for social media optimization
4. 5 online tools making social media easier in 2010
5. 10 essential design tools for social media pros
6. The one-stop social media toolkit shop
7. The top 10 re-tweet measurement tools
8. 9 tools that will help you livestream your newsroom
9. A list of social media management systems
10. 20 Free Social Media Tools To Help Find Your Brand's Social Media Mentions

Social Networks
11. The 11 Commandments of Corporate Tweeting

12. How to retain Facebook fans

13. The complete Twitter 'follow / unfollow' guide

14. Top 10 ways to drive blog traffic using LinkedIn

15. The 7 news ways to use Twitter

PR
16. How To Write Media Releases That Google Will Love / Get Page Rank
17. Designing a Social Web Marketing and PR Strategy
18. PR crisis management in the 'Twitter Age'
19. Blogger relations: 5 tips to hone your approach
20. The PR 2.0 Checklist

Blogging
21. 12 things to do before launching your Blog
22. The Key Traits Of A Successful Blog / Blogger
23. 10 tips for making your Blog posts more del.icio.us
24. 22 Linkbait Headlines That Almost Every Blogger Can Use
25. 10 Ways To Get More Blog Comments

Content / Interaction
26. Planning a content strategy
27. 5 easy steps to creating reusable social media content
28. How to write for search engines without knowing SEO
29. 5 'unorthodox' ways of fixing your social media
30. The anatomy of fruitful online conversation(s)

General / Other
31. How to use Bit.ly (advanced) for spying, link building and happiness
32. 10 great tools to create a mobile version of your site
33. 4 simple ways to integrate analytics into your daily marketing efforts
34. How to manage your online reputation
35. Social Media's top 'how to' blogs
36. Understanding the participatory news consumer (PEW study)
37. Justin Timberlake and the art of presenting well
38. 7 online video tips every B2B marketer should know
39. Simon Mainwaring's Top Ten Trends for 2010
40. Einstein's guide to social media (my favorite post of 2010 so far)

The great work of more than 30 people is featured here so be sure to thank them when you click through to the links you are interested in.

I wanted to make special note of a few people featured in this post including Amber Naslund, Jay Baer, Jason Falls, Lee Odden and Steve Farnsworth - you share and produce an awful lot of great stuff.

There are also a few posts from me scattered within the selection above - so thanks for supporting those posts as well.

Have fun reading and stay tuned for more throughout the year.

Adam Vincenzini
Lead consultant, Paratus Communications, London

Ignore the 'little people' at your own peril

As featured in Social Media Today.

The term 'influencer' frustrates the hell out of me.

While a select group of people who specialize in specific sectors may 'currently' shape opinion more than others, making them the entire focus of your communications approach is terribly short-sighted.

It is vital that equal treatment applies when interacting with all of your prospective audiences.

I'd like to provide you with a couple examples of what I mean and then share some thoughts with you about why it's important to engage with people in a more balanced manner.

Ahead of the 'curve'

In the last few months, I've been studying the social media activity of a few soon-to-be university graduates in the US.

The guys I've taken a particular interest in have been: Samantha Ogborn (@SJOgborn), Lauren Novo (@lmnovo) and Mikinzie Stuart (@mikinzie).

Now these guys have not even secured their first full-time jobs yet, but are driving conversations amongst their peers in a really meaningful and impactful way.

They are even making headlines in spaces normally reserved for communications veterans or pros (as evidenced by Lauren's appearance in PR Daily this week).

Now, I'm not calling these guys 'little people' - in fact, I consider them the opposite - they, via the quality in which they conduct themselves online, are really inspiring to watch, and are being true 'leaders' of tomorrow.

If you were to judge them simply on what they have done, or how many followers they have (even though they have a few!) you'd be missing a big trick.

Who you are, not who you were

I think we get too caught up on where reputations come from.

What we are seeing now, which I love, is people developing relationships based on what they do every day and more importantly what they 'could' do one day...not what they 'once' did.

So, next time you receive a message from someone who only has 'a handful' of followers or a see name you may not immediately recognise, treat the communication based solely on what is presented, not what is perceived.

I guarantee, the guys you aren't considering right now will be the ones you'll be desperate to know very soon.

Your turn

Does anyone have any thoughts on this subject?

Are people judged more by a 'perceived reputation' as opposed to current production / engagement?

I'd love to know what you think.

Adam

Rewind: The 10 most viewed COMMS corner posts of March 2010

It's been a big month here at the COMMS corner.

March has been one the busiest months the Blog has enjoyed since being launched in November 2009 as far as visitors, subscribers, comments and general interaction goes.

Thank you for the continued support and making it what it is. I really appreciate it.

To celebrate, let's take a quick trip down memory lane at some of the posts that have made March 2010 a 'biggie'.

1. Five online tools making social media simpler in 2010 (as featured in PR Daily and Ragan.com)

2. The launch of #BeMyGuest: a month of 'mutual' blogging (as featured in BrisbaneTimes.com.au)

3. The mis(use) of Twitter by the UK's biggest newspapers

4. Ignore the 'little people' at your own peril (as featured in Social Media Today)

5. Social Media's Top "How To" Blogs

6. Are we 'breaking' news or 'faking' news?

7. Social Grapes? How America's Wineries Are Using Social Media (as featured in Social Media Today)

8. An interview with Mikinzie Stuart: The future of PR

9. The art of 'live blogging' by Joanne Jacobs (as part of #BeMyGuest)

10. Is it time to use the 'C' word? (Sorry, Mum)

And it's not over yet.

Next week, the 50 most useful Social Media, PR and Digital Engagement posts from the first quarter of 2010 will be published, as part of the '10 out of 10 in 2010' series.

And, next month is shaping up as big if not bigger than March with the scheduled launch of a couple of new and exciting initiatives and some more build up to the FIFA World Cup as part of the 2010 Social Media and Sport Report Series.

And we also reach a major milestone in The 2010 'Newpaper-less' Experiment: Day 100 falls on the 10th of April...assuming I get there!!

Thanks again for all your support and involvement, this really is a lot of fun.

Adam

Social Grapes? How America's Wineries Are Using Social Media To Extend PR Impact by @SuzieLin (as part of #BeMyGuest)

As featured in Social Media Today.

Welcome to a guest blog post with a twist!

Suzie Linville (@SuzieLin) is a wine consultant who works in PR, is a big Denver Nuggets fan (although she is now based out of Washington, D.C) and an all-round great girl.

Today, she blends together some of her passions and serves up an intriguing look into wine, PR and social media.

Let's hand things over to Suzie...



How America's Wineries Are Using Social Media 

By Suzie Linville (as part of #BeMyGuest Month)

Every day it seems someone is writing about social media in terms of marketing, but where does it fit into PR?

Look at the wine industry.

Wineries are receiving all sorts of criticism when it comes to implementing social media (SM).

However, there are many who are utilizing it to directly connect with consumers, promote events, increase wine club membership and of course, increase sales and brand awareness.

Media relations and social media

Media relations is a major component of our jobs.

Securing coverage for clients in the appropriate target media for that brand / product is how PR professionals help build brand awareness.

A measureable result of securing an article could be an increase in sales or an increase in followers on Twitter promoting a positive image of the brand through tweets.

I’m a huge wine enthusiast having worked as a wine consultant for over a year and it’s been fun watching vineyards jump into social media.

From a PR perspective though, who’s been successful?

This isn’t marketing or advertising where you can control the message.

The big risk in social media is the message is even less controlled then when talking to a reporter hoping the outcome is a positive article.

Case studies

There are two wineries I’ve seen that are successful when looking at social media from a public relations stand point.

Rick Bakas, director of social media marketing for St. Supery, has been quoted in wine blogs and numerous articles.

Most recently he was quoted in the New York Times supporting vineyards on getting involved in social media.

St Supery comes to mind every time I see something from Rick.

He is carrying the brand and consumers see it each time he is quoted.

In addition, Rick leads monthly tastings via Twitter focusing on different varietals. The last one in March had over 600 people participating on Twitter discussing different Sauvignon Blancs.

Why is this a good thing?

As a consumer in a wine store, wine labels jump out based on things people recognize.

If someone is shopping and not sure what they want but recognize St. Supery from Twitter, chances are they will buy a wine from that vineyard.

It’s the same thing when customers come in with newspaper articles from the Washington Post or Wall Street Journal asking for wines recommended in that week’s column.

Breaux Vineyards is leading the way in Virginia when it comes to utilizing social media.

Jennifer Breaux Blosser engages and connects with people as much as time allows her and invites those who are local to visit the winery.

Who are some of these people?

Wine bloggers of course and they are known here in Virginia for their knowledge of wine and the local wineries.

Social media, like wine, is a great tool to connect with people.

That includes reporters who have interest outside the beats they cover.

Think about it, you connect with someone who shares a common interest, start talking and boom, you discover they write for Newsweek.

Naturally you start reading what they write.

These bloggers are reaching her core audience; that being the local wine drinker who hasn’t made it to Breaux yet.

Every time these bloggers attend the winery and try a new wine or barrel sample, she gets a post out of it.

The Virginia Wine Examiner wrote an excellent article following the annual vertical Cabernet tasting.

Her followers and people tweeting about going to winery have increased.

When my friends come to visit, Breaux is at the top of mind on places I’ll take them.

An added benefit is it’s pet friendly.

Relationship building

Social media is a powerful tool when it comes to building relationships.

Reporters are using it to gain insight and story ideas and people are using it to reach out and connect.

For public relations professionals, it’s a great way to build relationships with the bloggers, reporters and influencers that serve our clients audience.

Wine is also powerful when it comes to building relationships.

Here are two wineries using SM not only to directly connect with consumers but to establish themselves in the industry and increase awareness through media outlets.

What are wineries in Europe doing when it comes to social media? 

Do they see it as a need or do they feel established enough that they don’t need it?
______________

NOTES:

A big thanks again goes out to Suzie for compiling this really interesting post.

If you'd like to enjoy more of Suzie's thoughts, visit her blog or follow her on Twitter.

For more on #BeMyGuest Month, visit BeMyGuestBlogger.com

Thanks
Adam

Social Media's Top 10 "How To..." Blogs

"A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way."

- John C Maxwell

I love "how to..." Blogs and Bloggers.

The tips and tools they serve up each and every week embody what social media is all about.

Here are 10 of my favourites...hopefully you find them as useful and helpful as I do.


Social Media's Top 10 "How To..." Blogs

Socialmouths

Ever wanted to know how to get the best photography for your blog or how to produce high quality web videos? Soicalmouths is a great place to start. Some of the best Twitter advice I've received has come via this Blog too. If this isn't part of your RSS feed, add it...now!

MakeUseOf

A goldmine of 'how to' tips and THE place to find out about the latest tools via it's daily 'Cool Websites and Tools' posts. Super handy.

TopRankBlog

Led by Lee Odden, the Online Marketing Blog serves up some of the most useful advice going around. The concise and easy-to-comprehend posts that are featured make this an ideal destination for people at any level.

twitip

The ultimate place to go for Twitter tips and tools. This is another Blog that caters for users at any level, and often features some 'left field' posts that help you consider issues / approaches that wouldn't normally be on your radar.

Mari Smith

Mari is the first person I think of when it comes to advice / guidance about Facebook. She is also incredibly fun and entertaining. One of the things I love about her Blog is the clever use of imagery that helps bring her 'tutorials' to life.

Jay Baer's Convince and Convert

Jay has been the man behind some of 2010's most popular posts. Why? He just gets to the point, is no nonsense and easy to relate to. Lovely fella too. I imagine he might already be on your RSS, but if he isn't get clicking!

Social Media Explorer

Jason Falls is another guy who makes it easy. His advice is always helpful and often includes real life examples to practically demonstrate the supporting theory.

Daily Blog Tips

This was one of the first Blogs I consulted when I started my Blog last year. The regular posts providing tips about how to promote your Blog come in especially handy. Great stuff.

HubSpot

Another social media blog that incorporates a marketing approach to it's shape / content. Videos are often featured on this Blog which are a really engaging way of passing on advice.

Social Media Examiner

Head straight to the how to section of this Blog and you'll see very quickly why this one is so popular. Varied information is it's strength. One worth visiting everyday.

So, there you go. 10 Blogs that help make social media easier and fun. Enjoy!

Adam

NOTE: These Blogs don't just provide 'how to' advice, they do LOADS more too.

The (mis)use of Twitter by the UK's biggest newspapers

Newspapers continue to treat Twitter like a glorified RSS feed, not as an opportunity to build communities or conduct conversations

By Adam Vincenzini (as part of the 2010 'newspaper-less' experiment)

The UK's major newspapers, like The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Independent could be classed as 'anti-social' if they were judged by their collective use of Twitter.

An investigation of their primary Twitter accounts shows that while they might be 'well-followed' they fail (it seems) in two very important areas: 'engagement' and 'generosity'.

Let's take a look at some of the key findings from the investigation:

• The five most most 'popular' newspapers on Twitter in the UK (outlined above) are followed by a total of 164,623 people, yet only follow back 3,445 -  which is an average ratio of 2.1%.
• Replies or mentions of others by these five newspapers in question account for less than 1% of total activity
• More than 98% of their activity is automated i.e distributed by clients like TwitterFeed
• And, on average, these newspapers Tweet just under 38 times per day

If represented visually, they'd resemble the image on the left as opposed to the three grouped together on the right:

(Note, the accounts used for this analysis were: @financialtimes, @guardiannews, @telegraphnews, @timesonline and @TheIndyNews)

What does this mean?

This will mean different things to different people.

Someone representing one of these newspapers might say, with some considerable justification, that:

There is more than one use for Twitter. We've decided to make our primary accounts real time feeds to help deliver news to our readers that fits in with their daily routine. A good percentage of our individual staff and desks / departments engage in a lot more 'two-way' activity via their accounts. We think this is the right balance.

Someone else might have the following, contrasting, view:

These publications are missing out on a great opportunity to build a loyal and engaged community via their primary Twitter accounts. So much is written and said about consumers moving away traditional outlets, which is why Twitter, if used properly, could bring people flooding back to these titles because they'll have an increased sense of ownership / involvement.  

Personally I think, for what it's worth, that these titles might be missing a trick by taking option one.

They (potentially) have an army of loyal and passionate ambassadors waiting to be engaged.

5 simple tactics these titles could consider to increase engagement

1. Make it more personal. Don't 'only' use an automated Twitterfeed, have a PERSON (or team of people) fronting the account. We connect better with humans than machinery / technology.
2. Share the love. At the moment it's one way traffic. Change that up, encourage people to respond to the news you deliver by requesting comments, links to similar topics and links to their own posts. Once received, share some of this information with your 'huge' audience. It'll be appreciated.
3. Give thanks. Your readers will often retweet your articles amongst their networks, many of which won't be regular readers of your publication. Thank these people for helping you spread your content further with a simple 'thank you' tweet from time-to-time.
4. Provide the occasional exclusive. Who's to say you can't deliver a link to a story that is initially hidden on your site and only made 'available' to Twitter followers as part of a 10-minute window. People love 'breaking, breaking news' - give them that thrill once in a while, it'll go down well.
5. Surprise us. Break up the monotony of the 'feed' by providing some content we wouldn't expect, and more importantly 'involves us' - we like routine, and to know what we're going to get, but the occasional 'left field' Tweet is always received well.

As I stated earlier, this analysis and subsequent tips are only based on the primary accounts of each of the publications in question.

BUT, these are the accounts that are the most followed, and present the biggest opportunity to increase engagement.

I'd love to see someone give it a decent crack...any takers??

Adam Vincenzini

______________
Notes:

The stats used in these piece were primarily sourced via www.mediauk.com and www.tweetstats.com.

A similar study was conducted looking at newspapers in the USA last year (albeit far more robust) - you can take a look at this by clicking here.

I decided to take a look at the Twitter activity of these newspapers as part of the experiment I'm conducting this year which involves not physically reading 'printed news' for 365 days - full details here.

The 2010 Social Media and Sport Report (Pt 1): Fueling 'March Madness'

By Adam Vincenzini 

A special series looking at the build up to the first ever 'truly social' FIFA World Cup, South Africa, June 2010.

Today, we look at how one of the world's most famous and 'tribal' sporting events, the NCAA College Basketball Championship, is using social media and online channels to fuel 'March Madness' and the high standards being set ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

March Madness 101

If you're not familiar with 'March Madness' let me give you a quick rundown.

One single elimination tournament. 65 US college basketball teams. TV, digital, radio and publishing rights worth $529 million. 130 million viewers worldwide.

TNS Media Intelligence, VP of research, John Swallen sums it up well:

“As a sports marketing event, the collegiate basketball tournament is part of a Final Four alongside the Super Bowl and the Summer and Winter Olympics.” 

In other words: IT'S A BIG DEAL.

The Method Behind the Marketing of 'March Madness'

The BIG question is: How is the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and it's commercial partners leveraging the passion fans have for the tournament?

NCAA.com - the 'hub'

The 'star' of the NCAA.com hub is March Madness on Demand - live free video streaming featuring EVERY GAME of the tournament.

CBSSports.com is powering the dedicated channel, delivering around-the-clock coverage in HQ (High Quality) which would have only been a pipe dream for sports fans just five years ago.

An official March Madness on Demand iPhone app has also been launched to support the web channel, giving fans mobile access to the excitement.

Social Media Platforms

Most of the major social media platforms are being employed by the NCAA, including:

- NCAA Blog Central
- Twitter / NCAA
- Facebook Fan page
- Podcasts
- YouTube Channel

Nothing particularly groundbreaking is happening via these platforms, but in making sure each platform is integrated into the 'fan offer' with each featuring fresh content throughout the tournament, the NCAA is ensuring fans can connect via the channels they use on a regular basis.

Things to take note of:

- Membership of the NCAA Basketball Facebook Fan Page is at about 12,000, where as the recent Vancouver Winter Olympics Fan Page reached more than 1.2 million fans. There are definitely more opportunities of cross-promoting this channel within the streaming broadcast.

- The NCAA has chosen not to use a 3rd party photo sharing platform like Flickr, instead adopting a more 'old-school' and commercially focused approached by hosting galleries solely within NCAA.com.

- The NCAA Twitter account is almost being exclusively used as a news feed, with not much interaction taking place. This element of the offer could be bolstered if the the NCAA responded more to followed more fans, responded to fan comments and re-tweeted other people's content. I think they are missing a trick here.

Commercial partner activity

A lot of creative activity is being undertaken by the brands associated with the NCAA including: AT&T, Coca-Cola Zero and Capital One.

Coke Zero and Capital One are probably the two worth looking at in the most detail as they are taking very unique and engaging approaches to their partnership exploitation.

Coca-Cola Zero: Brain Bracket Championship

This simple, but clever idea, involves asking fans to submit innovations (or as they call them 'fannovations') to help enhance the fan experience of the Championship.

The shortlisted ideas have made it into the final 64 elimination showdown, where they go head-to-head and voted for by other fans.

The ultimate winner receives $10,000.


Capital One: The Ivan Brothers 

Another clever idea, this time using YouTube as the hub.

To launch the new Capital One Venture Credit Card with Double Air Miles, two medieval brothers standing at 7'2" and 7'8" feature in a series of mini-movies showing the power of 'doubling up'.

I like the use of video in this campaign however this appears to be a more costly execution than the route Coca-Cola has taken but only sign-ups / leads generated as a result will give us a complete picture.

In saying that, the channel has already had more than 285,000 views.

For more, check out TheIvanBrothers.com

Summing it all up

I think it's fair to say that the NCAA's commercial partners, especially CBS Sports, Coca-Cola and Capital One are really doing some innovative and powerful things around this year's NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA itself, like most amateur sporting associations, is probably not meeting the same 'grades' via their own channels (most likely due to funding / budgets) but some minor tweaks like increasing Twitter engagement levels could make a big difference.

It's a great case study, and one that FIFA should keep a close eye on.

Adam Vincenzini

Notes:

Prior to joining Paratus Communications, I worked with Cricket Australia for a number of years, helping to market Australia's most popular sport and it's 'proudest possession' - the Australia Cricket Team.

In the build up to the 2006/07 Ashes Series we, and our commercial partners, activated a number of campaigns to bring fans closer to the contest, including the launch of the Australian Cricket Family - the official fan membership of Cricket Australia.

In just four short years, the way sports fans connect to major events has changed dramatically, thanks mainly to the improvements in the technology available and the social media explosion.

Review: iTunes + Spotify + Twitter = mflow (aka #SocialMusic)

The future of music sharing (incl. video demo)

By Adam Vincenzini 

I often review tools and apps on the COMMS corner but usually as part of sets i.e. 5 online tools making social media easier in 2010

However, it's very rare for me to single out one social media service or product.

It has taken something "pretty freakin' awesome" to change that fact...and that dose of "awesomeness" comes in the form of mflow.

What is mflow?

mflow is music sharing on steroids.

In order to give you the best insight into what it is and how it works, check out the demonstration video I compiled below:



(Excuse me and my cold...sound a little 'nasaly')

As you'll see from the demonstration, it is a really clever and fun service.

The fact that you can earn credits (in addition to topping up your balance via your bank card) by being active and recommended music is a really engaging feature.

Now, it's still in Beta and won't be released in full until mid-April, so it's hard to be too critical of the bits that are missing i.e. the music selection (currently) is relatively limited and it is also only available to UK users (again, currently)

Nevertheless, I really think it gives us a preview into the future of music sharing / buying and I encourage you (for what that's worth!!) to try it out.

Special trial code for readers of the COMMS corner


The guys at mflow have been kind enough to give me a bunch of trial codes to pass on to you so you can try the service out for yourself.

Simply go to:

1. mflow.com

2. Enter the following code: ADAMV77

3. Test away!

There are only a limited number of trial passes available, so get in quick.

For more on mflow, check out the mflow Blog

Adam Vincenzini

Oh, if you want to follow me on mflow, my user name is AdamVincenzini

NOTES: I do not have an official connection / involvement with the marketing or operation of this product. It is simply a really interesting idea that I wanted to highlight on my Blog

Are you ready for 'Citizen Advertainment'?

A new era of brand infiltration is on our doorstep...

By Adam Vincenzini

I noticed a bunch of chatter on Twitter last night referring to the overtly blatant, but somehow palatable, brand / product placement in the new Lady Gaga video, "Telephone".

This subject is nothing THAT new of course, but it did show how sophisticated branded content or advertainment has become.

'Advertainment' and brands

If you're not familiar with the term 'advertainment', Wikipedia describes it as:

A form of communication that combines the elements of advertising and entertainment which is designed to overcome the tendency, especially among television viewers, to change channels or mute the audio during standard television commercials.

This isn't just applicable to television.

Social networks, radio programmes, magazines and online news all serve up incredible amounts of content driven by and / or featuring brands.

A new era: 'Citizen Advertainment'

What we might be on the verge of seeing is the coming together of two activities, that we perhaps never thought would be commercially important enough for brands to pursue until now.

I'm talking about 'Citizen Journalism' i.e. Bloggers and 'Advertainment', which fused together creates 'Citizen Advertainment.'

The rise of Social Media, the instant 'fame' that can be created via vehicles like Twitter and Blogs has suddenly made the 'everyday Joe' incredibly influential.

These people are also much easier to trust because we don't put them on a 'pedelstal' and don't consider them as 'tainted' as we might do with a 'conventional' celebrity.

What does this mean and what impact will it have?

It's pretty simple.

The smart brands will look at the conventional model, of which Lady Gaga's video is a great example, and produce content in consultation with these influencers.

They won't 'pitch' stories at them, nor will they pay them to feature content on their Blogs.

What they will do is create platforms that will not compromise the 'brand essence' of the parties collaborating, providing the consumers with entertainment they trust and can easily engage with.

'Citizen Advertainment' is already happening...now, perhaps, we have a fancy term for it...which I'll happily claim unless Google proves me wrong (and no, that was not a branded plug for Google).

Adam

Note: You can view the 9 minute epic that is Lady Gaga's "Telephone" video below.