In the ‘Judge’s Pick’ portion of the competition, Digiday’s editorial team named us the ‘Most Innovative Agency’ of 2013. We attribute this recognition to our culture of curiosity, passionate and persevering team members and amazing clients who are willing and eager to stretch the boundaries of marketing in the digital age.

The Oreo Blackout Tweet”  tied for Best Creative and “The Great American Bacon Barter,” a 360i-led campaign on behalf of Oscar Mayer, took first in the Best Branding Campaign (B-to-C) category.

Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners of the Digiday Awards!

The digital campaign, called ‘Oreo Dad T@ts,’ inspires people to celebrate dad in a fun, imaginative way. Here’s how it works: All day, @Oreo is inviting fans to tweet a description of their pop with the hashtag #OreoDadTats. The brand will be creating customized tattoo designs in real time based on the descriptions, then sending them back to fans to share. A team of virtual ink artists will be on call all day to create the custom content as fans tweet in.

The artwork puts a playful spin on the recognizable ‘Mom’ tattoo by letting fans give their dads a similar tribute – using an Oreo twist that encourages fans to go beyond just giving their dad a card, but to actually be the card. In fact, some fans might even opt to print their designs on clear transfer paper and show their digital ink off to dad in person.

Some early examples:

Hail to the chief, @juliephayer! Here’s a Dad Tat for your Founding Father. #OreoDadTats twitter.com/Oreo/status/34…

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) June 13, 2013

Here’s a Tat for @lcomanto‘s Dad “T-Bird.” Have fun fun fun this Father’s Day! #OreoDadTats twitter.com/Oreo/status/34…

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) June 13, 2013

Slap on this Dad Tat, @anniemos, then ride off into the sunset. #OreoDadTats #Yeehaw twitter.com/Oreo/status/34…

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) June 13, 2013

You can join the fun by sending Oreo a 140-character description of your old man and following #OreoDadTats all day long.

Yesterday, Facebook announced the first in a series of new features that will make it easier for its users to carry on public conversations – beyond their circle of ‘friends’ – within the platform. This marks a significant shift, as Facebook has traditionally built its conversation platform in a more limited, non-public manner.

Beginning today, users will be able to click through hashtagged words on Facebook. Upon clicking, they will be able to view all public posts – from both individuals and pages – on that same topic. Users can also enter a hashtag directly into the Facebook search bar to explore conversations there.

For Facebook, the move seems to make sense. People already proactively discuss major events and topics on the platform every day within their own network of contacts. Yet unlike more public platforms such as Twitter, these conversations have not been searchable and it hasn’t been possible for people to enter a broader conversation – beyond their own network – around a given topic.

And according to a recent Mashable report, only 28 percent of Facebook posts are ever made public beyond a user’s intimate circle of friends. Whether hashtags indicate that Facebook is making an effort to become an even bigger player in search remains to be seen; remember, Facebook doesn’t ‘crawl’ the public web like traditional search engines do.

Users remain in complete control of who can actually view their posts, so marketers must monitor adoption over the coming weeks. Consumer behavior across other platforms would indicate that many people enjoy following and participating in public conversations during live events and programs, but this behavior is completely new to the Facebook environment.

The addition of hashtags unlocks new potential to create greater conversations on Facebook, but if users keep their privacy settings limited, the impact of this feature will be smaller. It will also be interesting to see if the addition of the hashtag feature inspires people to use Facebook as more of a ‘real-time’ community than they do currently (e.g. live commenting on a sports game vs. sharing a few select posts).

Demographics will also play a significant role in hashtag usage and consumption. According to Pew Research Center’s most recent report, Facebook’s audience skews older than the Tumblrs and Twitters of the world, so hashtagging conversations is not as natural of a behavior to this audience. Moreover, the generation of digital natives that have come to utilize hashtags most – teens and Millennials – are spending less time on Facebook.

Implications for Marketers

So, what does this move mean for brands and how can they capitalize on it in the coming months? With Facebook’s constantly changing algorithms that affect how and when brand content reaches fans’ News Feeds, the use of hashtags in campaigns will make it that much easier for fans to seek out, discover and participate in specific conversations. Brands must tap into the power of hashtags within search functionality, content discoverability and conversation participation – all the while ensuring involvement is relevant and genuine.

1. Search: Brand marketers, as Facebook suggests, can search for and view public conversations to (potentially) enter, where it makes sense for them. The hashtag search functionality will be a great tool for brands to leverage when uncovering real-time, trending conversations to fuel and reassess content strategies.
2. Discover: Developing a cohesive hashtag strategy and alignment across all social platforms will be even more important in brand content and conversation discovery. The same creative best practices on Facebook still apply – compelling copy and photography that is in the brand voice works best. In addition, hashtags won’t impact the distribution of or engagement in News Feed on either desktop or mobile.
3. Participate: Brands can enter into conversations that are larger than their current audience of dedicated fans. By participating in relevant conversations in real-time, brands will have another opportunity to get content in front of prospective consumers (exploring the walls beyond just “friends of fans”).

Looking ahead, Facebook has reiterated on its blog that hashtags are merely a first step in its endeavor to “help people more easily discover what others are saying about a specific topic.” On the radar: trending hashtags and “deeper insights.” Once this next wave of features rolls out, we expect the opportunities for brands to multiply, especially from a paid media standpoint.

Cover photo via Mashable

Contributors: Orli LeWinter, Director of Social Marketing Strategy and Matt Wurst, Director of Digital Communities and Content Marketing at 360i.

Most of the discussion so far has focused on shiny new hardware, and the dramatic aesthetic changes to iOS. Amid these high-profile announcements, Apple announced several developments that will specifically affect digital marketers.

iTunes Radio

Apple’s entry into the world of music streaming isn’t a surprise, but some of the details bear analysis. Like Pandora, iTunes Radio is based on channels (as opposed to Spotify’s playlist-based system) and will allow users to curate their own channels that stem from specific artists and songs. The service will be free for all iTunes users, and will be supported by display and audio ads served through the iAd platform. There will also be an ad-free paid option, tied to the existing iTunes Match service, for $24.99 per year.

There is already some skepticism about Apple’s ability to compete with Pandora – a product that has had 13 years to mature and develop a user base – but one should not underestimate the adoption boost that comes with being pre-installed with the OS. The iTunes music store has a massive user-base already; if Apple is able to leverage even part of that into iTunes Radio, they will be a very serious player in the streaming radio game.

iTunes Radio, and rumors of a future Apple ad exchange, represent a huge potential shift in momentum for iAd. This will be the first Apple-produced app that uses iAd, and will represent a massive influx in inventory, and visibility, for the platform.

Siri and Bing, Safari and Google

Those paying close attention during the keynote may have noticed a touch of schizophrenia when it came to Apple’s relationship with search. The new version of Safari in iOS 7 features a unified address/search bar, reminiscent of Chrome’s and powered by Google search. But when it came time to demo the new and improved version of Siri, Apple specifically called out that Siri’s web searches were powered by Bing.

So, what’s the story? Speculation is rampant. Regardless of Apple or Google’s motivations, the Siri-Bing partnership provides a potentially significant opportunity for Microsoft. Bing is still a substantial underdog in the world of search, but mobile search will undoubtedly play a key role in the future of that market. If Siri gains traction as an entry-point for search—as Apple clearly hopes it will—that may just be the opportunity Bing needs.

New Features of iOS 7

The iOS 7 SDK (software developers kit) is only available in beta, so many of the details on what new capabilities will be available to developers are still unknown. That said, we’ve seen some tantalizing hints that suggest future opportunities for innovative campaigns and technologies. Here’s a summary of what we know right now:

Bluetooth LE and iBeacons: Bluetooth LE (low-energy) is a technology that allows for tiny, long-lived, self-contained modules that can be found and communicated with through standard Bluetooth radios. This may not sound exciting if you’re used to thinking of Bluetooth as a connector for earphones, keyboards, and similar devices, but Bluetooth LE is an early step into one of the next big things in the digital space: spatial awareness.

Spatially aware applications can make use of simple Bluetooth beacons to detect what surrounds them, and to contextualize user behavior. For example, a beacon placed in a movie theater doorway could allow an app to automatically mute a phone when a user entered, and un-mute it upon their departure. Another example – and one that is often more exciting to marketers – is a beacon placed in an in-store display that would trigger a custom coupon for loyal customers, delivered seamlessly to their Apple Passbooks.

Startups like NewAer are already exploring a lot of these possibilities, and Apple’s move to support these new standards will be a welcome sight for them. Spatial awareness is on the horizon, and it will be a huge opportunity for the first companies that figure out how to use it well.

Barcode Scanning and Passbook: Apple continues to slowly push Passbook as a solution for digitally managing tickets, loyalty cards, coupons and the like. The new version of Passbook in iOS 7 has an interesting new feature: a “Scan Code” button. Though it’s not yet clear how the new feature will work, it seems likely that Apple will support some form of barcode or QR-based scanning to add new cards to the Passbook digital wallet.

Moreover, the new iOS SDK features a universally available function for utilizing the iPhone camera: barcode recognition. Essentially, any app that wants to will now be able to quickly add in support for barcode scanning. Plenty of iOS apps for barcode scanning already exist, but this move could indicate that Apple is eyeing barcode scanning as a core function of its devices.

Having an app on a stock iOS device that has the capability to scan and interpret QR codes would instantaneously lower the bar for adoption of QR scanning. A few Android phones have come with QR scanners pre-installed, but so far on the iPhone, the first step to having a user scan a code was telling them to download an application—a huge barrier to adoption. The key lies in how easy and seamless the process can be made for users.

Cover photo via The Tech Block

National has recently launched the ‘Healthy Business Traveler’ program – an influencer marketing effort that provides a value-add for its customers through simple, straightforward tips that travelers can use when they’re on the road for business.

For this campaign, National partnered with FitFluential – a nationwide network of fitness enthusiasts – to create videos and blog posts that show travelers how they can stay healthy while on-the-go. The content series hits five key business trip spots through a fitness lens: the airport, waiting (e.g. in line at the hotel or waiting for a meeting), the hotel room, in-transit and outdoors.

Beyond FitFluential, the content is being shared within National’s social channels to help build awareness among the brand’s core fans. And to get the conversation going, the brand is hosting a special Twitter chat on June 11 at 12 p.m. ET. The chat will be co-hosted by National (@NationalPro) and FitFluential (@FitFluential). Travelers can participate and follow along via the hashtag #HealthyBizTravel.

The ‘Healthy Business Traveler’ program gives National customers a new avenue of engaging with the brand beyond, and in addition to, the car rental experience. By identifying a core challenge among travelers and creating content to help address it, the brand is connecting with existing fans in a valuable way, and entering relevant conversations among a broader group of business travelers.

Here are some tips for success when it comes to partnering with influencers to create custom content for your brand:

1. Identify a new point of entry. Consider your core audience’s passions beyond what you’re trying to market to them. Your audience is comprised of unique individuals with personal interests outside of your brand’s vertical. Connect with them on a personal level to keep engagement and loyalty high, and to reach new consumers.
2. Tap into the power of third-party influencers. By partnering with trusted experts in the field, National is providing travelers an authentic experience direct from fitness experts with authority in the space. Although fitness is not an area of expertise for National, the brand knew it could still add value by working with the right partners. Thanks to this insight, National travelers will now have digital-personal trainers with them every step of their next business trip.
3. Seed content in the right places. Given the saturation of social content out there today, how you place and promote your content is just as important as the content itself. By sharing unique FitFluential content with National’s communities, the brand is providing a novel experience that piques the interest of even the most avid fans.

Learn healthy business tips from National by following the brand on Twitter, or on Facebook.

The re-design is firmly rooted in insights derived from the CRACKER BARREL Facebook page, which launched before the brand website. We saw how much fans of CRACKER BARREL loved this product (CRACKER BARREL is one of the highest engaged CPG brands on Facebook) and often shared emotional stories about how CRACKER BARREL is a part of their lives. Marrying that with the finding that customers trust online reviews 12 times more than descriptions from brands, our strategy centered on consumer testimonials – using current and new fans of CRACKER BARREL to demonstrate their cheese expertise and share their love with friends and family out west.

As such, from the first page, CRACKER BARREL asks visitors to “Be the Judge” – taking them to a page where they can offer their Facebook reviews on the product or see other consumers’ stories. And for the new consumer, CRACKER BARREL takes the extra step to create valuable, helpful content, sharing tips on what unexpected ingredients to pair with the cheese (artichoke hearts – who would’ve thought?) and a downloadable guide that explains the 5 S’s of expert cheese tasting.

Visit the new CRACKER BARREL site to explore and judge the cheese for yourself.

Launched today, Ben & Jerry’s ‘City Churned’ campaign invites people from New York, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C. to invent new flavors around the unique attributes that make up their cities – including things like public transportation, parks, landmarks, tweets, photos, traffic and, of course, the people themselves.

Additionally, some of the votes within each city are automatically cast by the city’s natural ‘heartbeat,’ or the everyday choices of its residents. For example:

• In New York City, cabs traveling uptown count as votes for Peppermint, while cabs headed downtown count as votes for Fairtrade Vanilla.
• In D.C., every on-time Red Line and Orange Line Metro train will count as a vote for either Cherries or Fairtrade Bananas.
• In Portland, votes are cast for either Marshmallows or Graham Crackers depending on whether a man walking through the door at Cartopia – the city’s famed food cart pavilion – has a mustache or a beard.

We’ll be using video footage of these happenings and other quirks in each market, and leveraging the content within a larger digital media campaign used to drive people to the City Churned microsite, where ice cream lovers can then track, vote for, and even name their favorite flavors. Content captured on the ground will also be used within the Ben & Jerry’s Facebook and Twitter communities, where fans will be asked to tweet their wittiest and most creative ice cream flavor name alongside their city’s City Churned hashtag.

For the past three years, the brand has been delivering summer fun across cities nationwide via its popular ‘Scoop Truck’ campaign. Ice cream lovers could tweet to ask Ben & Jerry’s to stop by their office or location with free ice cream or Greek frozen yogurt. This year, the Scoop Truck will serve as yet another voting platform. For instance, once city natives are done enjoying their complimentary Ben & Jerry’s via a Scoop Truck visit, their spoons will be turned into ‘ballots,’ and they will then be asked to deposit their ballots in one of several recycling boxes marked with various ingredient names.

At the end of the Scoop Truck’s visit in each market, Ben & Jerry’s will host a ‘Community Build’ day of local service, during which residents of the city will have the one-time only chance to taste their exclusive City Churned flavor from the truck!

This campaign marks our first work in market following 360i’s new partnership with Ben & Jerry’s, announced last month. You can read more about the effort in Adweek.

“The Oreo Blackout Tweet” was deemed the winner in the Best Use of Media in the Confectionery & Snacks category and “The Great American Bacon Barter” won for Social Media, Advertising Effectiveness in the Savory Foods category.

Pictured Above: Rob Connolly, Managing Director of 360i UK &
Peter Wood, Social Media Director of 360i UK

The FAB Awards, now in its fifteenth year, recognize the critical contribution that outstanding creative work makes to building brands, and has identified and rewarded brands and agency teams from over 60 countries.

Congratulations to all winners of the FAB Awards!

Cover photo via Pinterest

“The Great American Bacon Barter,” a 360i-led campaign on behalf of Oscar Mayer, was named Campaign of the Year. The objective of the effort was to raise awareness for Oscar Mayer’s (then) newly launched Butcher Thick Cut Bacon and prove that they had the thickest, most bad-ass bacon on the market. The social media-powered journey where digital techniques harnessed real-world bacon passion made Oscar Mayer the most talked about bacon brand in America. You can read more about the campaign and watch the case study video here.

The Bees Awards have also named us Agency of the Year. We’re thrilled to be recipients of this award and to be accredited by the Bees with, “helping to define the best practices of the social media marketing industry.” We attribute this recognition to our culture of curiosity that permeates across all departments of our agency.

The “Oreo Blackout Tweet” received finalist honors in the Best Use of Micro-Blogging Platform category.

An international jury featuring senior creative executives from leading companies around the world, came together to determine the winners of the Bees’ first international social media marketing awards. The program received more than 250 social media marketing campaigns from six continents and 23 countries.

Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners!

Cover photo via Doktor Spinn

What do rich pins look like?

Once enabled, Pinterest will use image meta tags on a brand’s website to automatically populate additional information around movie, recipe and product pins.

For movies, rich pin information includes ratings, cast member information and reviews—as can be seen on the Lights, Camera, Action! board.

For recipes, rich pin information includes ingredients, cooking times, serving instructions and dietary detail (e.g. vegetarian or gluten-free). Head over to the Delicious Eats board to see it in action.

Finally, rich pins are giving consumers more information around products in general. Pricing, availability and where to buy the product will now be available as is displayed on the Products We Love board.

What does this mean for brands?

Pinterest’s mission is to help people discover new content that is of interest to them – and rich pins will add a valuable layer to this experience. Now, when users are exploring boards and pins from users with similar interests, and stumble over a product, recipe or movie they like, related information for that pin will be readily available and easily viewable.

Instead of having to click to another property to find out if that blouse is in stock, if that recipe is gluten-free or if that movie is appropriate for children, Pinterest can now tell you within the pin itself. And with this information easily accessible, consumers are better equipped to make a decision to buy, make or experience your “product” without ever leaving the platform.

How can I implement rich pins?

Implementing rich pins is a fairly simple process, but marketers will need to be proactive when it comes to ascribing the appropriate tags to their website images. This will likely involve teams outside of those managing the Pinterest community, so close coordination between SEO and social groups is essential.

1. Determine which type of rich pin (movie, recipe or product) you want to apply to your website images.
2. Add the appropriate meta tags to you website (Pinterest will pull in these tags to propagate the information).
3. Validate rich pins and apply to get them on Pinterest.

*****

As content creators and purveyors of inspiration, brands have an important role to play on Pinterest. Following a string of updates for businesses, including the “pin it” button and web analytics, rich pins continue to make brands more effective at sharing pinnable content. As the platform continues to grow, we expect to see more brand opportunities arise, but with one clear user goal firmly at the center of it all, that is: increasing the possibility of unexpected discovery.

Cover photo via Pinterest