http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_old_spice_won_the_internet.phpWhat I love about this the most is that a team of creatives are in a room with a couple of social media experts and a tech dude, making ads in realtime in response to actual questions from online influencers.
This is one of the first examples I've seen of true team work - collaboration between techs and creatives to produce a piece of marketing which is succeeding in all of its goals. Each member of the team is key to the result, and we are watching a successful campaign play out right in front of us due to those combined skills.
By creating a character and a campaign which allows 'internet celebrities' to draw promotion from a commercial marketing campaign, Old Spice have had questions sent to their character by the likes of Demi Moore (aka Mrs Kutcher), Alyssa Milano and Perez Hilton in less than 24 hours.
This highlights the core of social media ... "It's all about me".
These internet celebrities are following the 'if you talk about me, I'll help promote you' line that has seen forgotten celebs like Alyssa Milano make a comeback through building relationships with past fans and online followers.
The social media specialists, often dismissed for being full of 'hot air' as the article says, are showing that their value is the ability to think on their feet ... to maintain a goal, irrespective of the challenges and changing dynamics of the environment, the social media specialist is simply using their personality, knowledge and experience to react and respond in the most effective way while working within technical and creative limitations.
This reminds me of a method we used in adult - solo girl site fan sign sessions. Affiliates who marketed our websites were given the option, in live sessions held on chat forums, to request a photo or video from a model which is customized to them. The photo would feature a message written on a sign and the video would feature a spoken message thanking them for their support. Key influencers were done first, often even if they didn't request one. These photos and videos would then be posted on their sites and the rest speaks for itself. Give people an opportunity to talk about themselves and promote their agenda and they will - even if it means promoting you in turn.
The conclusion? Social media peeps rock.
See? This article was all about me.
