The idea for that particular episode, which was the show’s highest-ranked since its parodies of the 2008 presidential election, began as a twinkle in the eye of Facebook fans across the nation. After 88-year-old Betty White’s role as a quirky grandmother in the 2009 film “The Proposal” and subsequent appearances in comedic skits on the Web and a Snickers commercial featured during the 2010 Superbowl, the social media-savvy generation decided they wanted to see more of Betty – and the way to do it was to promote their support of her through a vigorous Facebook campaign to get her on SNL.

This event – among others – demonstrates that interaction in the virtual world has gained increasing influence over events that happen in our tangible one.

And though users have growing real-time influence on others through social media space, this is by no means a one-way street. Recently, Facebook announced its plans to make location networking – made popular on social networking sites like FourSquare – an integral part of its site sometime in May, as reported by Advertising Age. This functionality, which allows users to virtually “check in” wherever they might be – the local Starbucks, the library,  – to keep friends and family abreast of their location at any given point in time.

Location networking on the large-scale, like through Facebook, a site with hundreds of millions of users, leaves open the opportunity for marketers and advertisers to reach consumers in real time, targeting their efforts based on where users are from one minute to the next. Though many of us have grown accustomed to seeing advertisements based on preferences we’ve listed in our social networking profiles, facing ads for businesses within a certain radius of where we’re sitting takes things to a whole new level.

Whether the location functionality becomes a mainstay of Facebook, à la News Feed, or more of a flop (FarmVille, anyone?), there’s no doubt that this minute-by-minute type of social updating has the potential to change the landscape of marketing and advertising in the social media sphere.

First, we must understand that Facebook is, arguably, the most brand-friendly and advertising-driven social network out there; it is rapidly becoming known as the place for people to connect with the companies and organizations they are interested in. Therefore, it’s important that the way Facebook strategizes the future of its platform be mindful of the vast army of brands that have come to rely on the network as a key element of their marketing plan.

Facebook has issued a memo to its advertisers stating that the new “Like” button will function as, “a light-weight, consistent way for users to connect with the things they are passionate about.” The phrase “light-weight,” indicates that there is now somewhat less of a commitment being made on the part of the users. In other words, while one person might say they “like,” or casually enjoy Starbucks coffee, perhaps calling themselves an outright “fan” carries an implication the user isn’t ready to adopt.

With Twitter, you have the no-commitment method of simply “following” a brand rather than giving yourself a specific title. Yet, the difference there is that Twitter user accounts all exist on the same level, as opposed to the difference between “People” and “Pages” on Facebook. Perhaps one of Twitter’s greatest advantages then, is the ability to connect with a brand without feeling a sense of liability or direct engagement.

Having to declare oneself a “fan” of a product is, arguably, a lot better for Page managers who want to facilitate positive, constructive communities without having to constantly guard against those who actively dislike a person or brand. In a recent post on the unofficial Facebook resource site, All Facebook, some have expressed a fear that the new “like” feature will draw in a wave of lower-quality, or less-desirable fans, which could also potentially lead to higher unsubscribe rates from those who don’t want to receive a Page’s updates.

Due to a largely negative backlash at Facebook’s recent announcement, there is speculation that the network will not follow through with their plans. However, the situation has become an opportunity for users to reassess how they view their relationship with the brands they love—and vice versa. It all just goes to show how the growing power of social media can help determine the role consumers play in the brands they, well… like.

Custom Publishing: The Internship Difference

Some internships mean getting coffee for the big dogs, sending faxes, and taking notes, but they aren’t solid first steps into the real world. However, here at Imagination, interns actually get valuable work and experience in custom publishing and content marketing.

Imagination offers internships in many areas including editorial, digital media, web design and development, video/broadcast, business development and marketing.

To give an example of work here at Imagination, my first project was a newsletter that went out as a supplement to one of our client’s magazines. I learned a new design program, worked with an editor, and completed a project that was valuable to our company and to our client.

At Imagination

Even though I’ve only spent a month here, Imagination’s strong, cohesive culture is obvious to me. This collaborative, positive, and creative atmosphere is amazing.

Learning more about the company’s work and culture helped me realize this isn’t an ordinary opportunity. To see for yourself, check out the video my fellow interns created to learn more. Oh, and don’t forget to apply.

written by Anne McElherne, Print Design Intern

The lesson: you can make money from tools like twitter, if you make room for tools like twitter in your approach.

Without missing a heartbeat, analysts and aficionados alike are arguing about the value of twitter for brands, as they in this post on Mashable.

At the recent Search Engine Strategies conference I attended in Chicago, this topic came up with reference to social media strategies in general. The prevailing sentiment seems to be that squeezing a brand’s identity into a social media tool/platform is kind of like moonwalking at your kid’s prom. Not very cool.

The primary reason for this is simple, in my opinion: the rules of engagement, and the structure of interaction in social media is different to the ‘marketplace’ as it was known before. While billboards and print ads presented static representations of the DNA of brands, the Web allows for more dynamic representations. Rather than simply present air brushed images of brands protected from the opinion and voice of the consumer, the Web wants the perspectives behind the brand in real time with a slight difference.

Unlike the past, users/consumers no longer want to see the brand represented the way it always is, i.e Apple as the ‘cool’ guy, or Ford as dependable. They want to see that brand identity as it manifests through the thoughts, opinions and interests of its creators and administrators. So rather than converse with a corporate employee whose sole task is to market a company, users want to hear from a Steve Jobs or a Bill Gates to see what he reads and shares. It adds a certain dimension that can’t be created through advertising or marketing, but in a sense it’s the best form of advertising or marketing because it creates a unique relationship between users and brands.

So where does this all lead? In my opinion, back to the basics. If brands want to integrate new, social computing platforms and techniques into their outreach (be they auto companies, newspapers, magazines, or associations) the first and most important step is developing a complete strategy that outlines how elements like twitter, facebook, commenting etc fit in with respect to both audience/user needs and in terms of overall business objectives.

I’ve spent the last week poring over everything I can find about what marketers should do in the midst of an economic recession and the overwhelming sentiment and evidence is that the best marketers are looking at today’s economy as a real opportunity to expand market share versus weak competitors.

Since the end of World War II there have been eleven economic recessions or slowdowns in the United States that have provided plenty of opportunity to study how marketers have reacted and which companies have benefited and which have failed. Most recently, a 2005 study by the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University found that companies who have an ongoing strategic emphasis on the importance of marketing, who have nimble, entrepreneurial-type cultures and who have the resources to take advantage of marketing opportunities during a recession not only fair better during the recession but also come out of the recession quicker and significantly accelerate their growth much faster than their competitors when the economy begins to recover.

It’s not surprising that marketers who are positioned to see opportunities while those around them are cutting back marketing, costs, staffing and quality receive the double benefit of being aggressive at a time when their competition is pulling back. It’s truly an opportunity for the strongest to survive and flourish. World class athletes know that under times of great stress, their ability to focus, summon up resources and perform at a high level will nearly always results in victory against weaker opponents. They sense the weakness in their opponents, their fear, their inability to rise to the occasion and they take advantage of it. Think of Tiger Woods. Does he slack off or lose focus when he’s ahead or in dangerous waters? No, that’s the time when he goes in for the kill.

Advertising Age recently said that “recessions offer unprecedented opportunities to market in an environment of relatively less noise as others around you are cutting back”.

The November 10th issue of Business Week reported that Wal-Mart is enjoying double-digit profit growth while retailers all around them are reporting declines. Some retailers, such as Linens ‘N Things and Circuit City are filing for bankruptcy or closing stores. Clearly, Wal-Mart’s longtime emphasis on low pricing plays well in today’s economic environment. But did you know that Wal-Mart’s Every Day Low Prices slogan started during the last economic slowdown? And it’s not just about low prices, otherwise K-Mart and Sears would be reporting similar results. It’s about value, brand and staying focused in your communications.

After much reading and research, it seems the key to economic success during an economic downturn is maintaining a clear and constant focus on five critical areas: Competition, Brand, Customers, Communications and Staff.

Competition: Audit everything about your competitors. Their products, their website, their pricing, their sales force, everything! It’s critical that you know their every move not only to anticipate their tactics against you but to find their weaknesses that you might be able to exploit during a time when they are already looking over their shoulder. Take advantage of the economic uncertainty and risk to leave your competition far behind just as that world class athlete would.

Build Your Brand: Focus on those things that got you where you are today. Support and build your brand proposition. Reinforce the core values of your brand to make sure that your existing customers don’t see any deterioration in the products or services that they expect. If you have multiple products or services, make sure that you protect and nourish your core brands first particularly during poor economic times. They are your bread and butter. Never reduce quality to cut costs.

Customers: It’s common to avoid your customers during tough times in an attempt to “fly under the radar” of their economic troubles. But that’s exactly the opposite of what you should be doing. Now is the time to be listening to your customers, understanding their needs and fears, offering solutions to help. Be visible, be a partner, be a resource to them. Exceeding their expectations during tough times will pay off now and even more so when the economy improves.

Communications: Cutting back on communications and marketing during tough economic times moves you back into the pack of other companies who are running scared. It’s likely that just not reducing spending will put you ahead of your competitors. But, don’t be foolish, be smart. Adjust your spending to be more targeted, more frequent and more measurable. Economic recessions call for a focus on marketing that minimizes waste, engages customers and results in a return on investment that can be measured. Marketers move away from mass media during tough economic times in favor of more targeted, measurable media such as websites, custom publishing and community-building. Custom media continues to be proven way for companies to solidify their customer relationships, drive engagement and increase revenues.

Staff: Probably one of the most overlooked and neglected areas of focus during tough economic times is your staff. Don’t forget that they have a lot less information than you do, that they are being bombarded by bad news from the media and that they’re concerned or scared for their own jobs and their financial well-being. Now’s the time for increased communication with them that will keep them informed, engaged and with a feeling of purpose and value.

Recessions offer a time for opportunity. When everyone else around you is running for cover because the sky is falling, you have the opportunity to move your brand forward. But it takes focus, courage and commitment to be successful. That’s why small businesses generally do better than big companies during tough times because these are the type that first drove entrepreneurs to be successful. After all, entrepreneurs are used to flying in the face of advertisity, finding success when others predict failure and staying focused every day on achieving their dreams. We all need to exhibit a little more entrepreneurial spirit in these tough times, take risks and stay focused on success rather than failure.

I have a personal theory about the role of a production sample and the time and materials that go into its creation, but there is another reason that marketers tend to fall short on sustainability. The giant disconnect about who’s the sustainability officer. (Or, what’s a sustainability officer?)

While some companies create entire departments based on the implementation and strict adherence to sustainable processes, many smaller companies don’t have the necessary resources and therefore are not sure about how to become a more sustainable business and what practices they should discontinue in favor of a little more ice for the polar bears and a little less guilt while printing full color.

While I am not trying to recommend practices, I will commend our new COO Andy Schultz as spearheading this shift for imagination. While I may still opt for the occasional single sided set of copies, Andy has made it a personal goal to push each and every imagination employee to recognize their personal role in office sustainability. So while his business card may say nothing about being green or cracking the whip on environmentally friendly practices, Andy recognizes that each and every employee must recognize their own role as a sustainability officer in the work place and monitor their own practices around the office.

So follow the charge, turn off your light, recycle your scraps, and vote YES to PDFs and NO to single sided copies!

I’ve spent the better part of the last few days brainstorming keywords for the www.imaginepub.com website in an effort to boost our search engine optimization, or SEO. It’s part of the way that search engines, such as Google, find a website and list it/rank it.

The whole point of keyword selection is to think about how your customers or your audience would search for products, services or information that you provide. Sound easy? Not so much. You’re faced with the fact that a lot of other companies already may have optimized their own websites around keywords/phrases that you’d like to use.

To use a fishing analogy: You cast a wide net; then you dump out most of the fish that may belong to someone else or are too small to keep anyway.

Then, you work with what’s left: Keywords that accurately describe your offering, which also are not used by a bunch of your competitors, which also happen to be words/phrases that your potential customers actually search on.

I’m totally into this project.

But I started thinking: What would my own keywords be? Michelle O’Hagan’s keywords?

What would yours be?

On that thought, a FOLIO magazine blogger Dylan Stableford wrote an interesting post “Should Time Link to Newsweek.” Although not exactly addressing my concerns, he discusses the question of whether competitors should link to each other. He addresses the notion, (similar to how I was feeling) about “sending traffic to the enemy,” but he makes a strong claim suggesting that is not the case.

The online communities that revolve around blogging and social networks, despite generating individualized content, “link” to each other or utilize each other’s content as resources and not as something to compete with. The blog-o-sphere is more like wikipedia where each small piece of content supplied further increases the wealth of knowledge as a whole. When one blogger links to another piece of content, it should not be a question of whether their competitive stances should deter this connection, but the focus should instead be on the benefit of the online community and the ability for one person to appreciate the work of another, recognizing strong creativity and intellectual excellence despite competitive ties.

That’s my take. What’s yours?

Do you link to competitors?