Digital Connections – 360i Blog, Digital Marketing Agency

Last night we had the pleasure of co-hosting the “Using Community to Empower & Excite” panel for Social Media Week with the #CMMeetup team. We heard from a range of community managers speak about their experiences inspiring conversations and engagement across communities of varying sizes and types.

Panelists included:

• Jessica Lawrence, Managing Director of NY Tech Meetup
• Veronica Chan, Director of Content at gojee
• Laura Chin, Social Media Manager at Etsy
• Gabe Alonso, Community Manager at 360i
• Moderator: Matt Wurst, Director of Digital Communities at 360i

The discussion centered on how collaboration fits into community management, how social currently plays into the community, how community managers can excite their communities and how content can be created to inspire further engagement. What became very apparent throughout the panel is that each community is truly different, and there are no universal ‘rules’ of engagement that hold true for every single community.

Here’s our recap of the top takeaways:

1. Community managers do more than simply delete posts and block users. Of course, moderation is an important aspect of community management, but there is a much higher responsibility. It is the CMs job to make the community comfortable, create excitement and facilitate connections between people.

2. Community management often requires the manager to become a method actor. Often a community manager has to step into the shoes of their audience. CMs have to imagine they are who they are trying to reach to create the best content and connect with users in a way that’s honest and genuine.

3. There is value exchange and collaboration within a community. Recognizing, praising and sharing the creativity of your community encourages them to work with you. If a CM is creating value for the user and consumer, and recognizing their efforts within the community, the consumer is often happy to share and help to grow the fan base.

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Today marks day one of Social Media Week, a global conference taking place simultaneously in 12 cities worldwide. We’re excited to participate once again this year through five events taking place in New York over the course of the week. Our first event, held at the Hearst Tower, centered on the much-buzzed about topic of social TV, and more specifically, how emerging media is changing the live viewing experience.

David Berkowitz, VP of Emerging Media at 360i, moderated a lineup of panelists from leading networks, platforms and second-screen applications. Participants included:

• Johnsie Garrett, SVP of Sales and Business Development, ClipSync
• Kimber Myers, Director of Brand Partnership, Get Glue
• Jesse Redniss, SVP of Digital, USA Network
• Ellen Stone, SVP of Marketing, BRAVO Media

Each panelist presented some ways their respective brands and technologies are creating connected experiences for TV viewers. From BRAVO’s “Social Edition” to USA Network’s Chatter app and Hashtag Killer interactive social game, networks are increasingly creating new experiences to meet viewers evolving consumption habits. By the same token, multi-screen platforms and providers like Get Glue (now with 2MM users) and ClipSync are facilitating and enriching these interactions between brands and viewers. Below we list seven key learnings from the session.

1. Social TV isn’t an isolated trend. According to a recent Yahoo! study, 86 percent of mobile Internet users use their devices while watching television. Given the rise of mobile adoption and social media activities, it’s becoming harder and harder for TV brands to ignore the growing opportunities to make their programming more social.

2. We haven’t reached the tipping point yet. As USA Network’s Jesse Redniss pointed out, Super Bowl XLVI was the largest social TV event in history; yet, many of the TV spots did not incorporate social calls to action. There remains opportunity for deeper integration between networks and viewers.

3. Social can have a role in storytelling. Both BRAVO and USA Network have launched transmedia efforts that bring social directly into the programming itself. For Top Chef Texas, BRAVO added an entire online show called “Last Chance Kitchen” for eliminated cast members. In similar fashion, USA Network’s Hashtag Killer app brought viewers directly into the storyline of Psych and empowered them to connect with their favorite characters.

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Bryan Wiener, CEO of 360i, addressed students at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications on Feb. 8. The talk centered on how today’s rapidly evolving landscape requires marketers to “navigate where there are no roads” and seize opportunity out of chaos. Earlier this week the Newhouse School and 360i announced a partnership to create a digital advertising program at the University.

In his talk, Wiener told students that this is the best time ever to be entering the advertising industry. “The pace of change is accelerating,” he said. “With change comes chaos and with chaos comes opportunity.”

Wiener underscored three keys to success for aspiring marketers:

1. Understand your environment – where it is and where it’s headed. The landscape has changed dramatically, so much so that concepts familiar just 20 years ago seem light years away today, he argued. Technological innovation has changed consumer behavior and upended the entire marketplace. Today, consumers have near-perfect access to product and price information – and they can seek advice from their confidants at will via social networks. All this requires marketers to be forward-thinking and consumer-obsessed – and to understand not only where the market is, but also where it’s headed.

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In the wake of the New York Giants’ Super Bowl XLVI victory, 360i Social Publicist Megan Conley describes her experience as a participant in Giants Social Media Night on Feb. 3.

Immediately after reading that the New York Giants were hosting a Google+ hangout for Giants Social Media Night, I entered my plea to participate. The opportunity to chat one-on-one with a Giants player live from Indianapolis (site of Super Bowl XLVI) was absolutely not something I was going to miss out on.

I’d used the Google+ Hangout feature before, and wasn’t ashamed to let the Giants know in the desperate comment (shown below) that I left on their Giant’s Google+ page.

As you’d expect, I was pretty excited when I found out I was chosen to participate in the Google+ chat on Feb. 3 with Giants fullback Henry Hynoski.

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Yesterday, Twitter launched an interface redesign with enhanced Brand Pages. The update provides a more dynamic environment in which brands can form meaningful connections with their audience and emphasize unique brand identity within the platform.

Enhanced Brand Pages are now available to brands that are spending the required $25,000 a month on Twitter media. Brands who meet the spend threshold can enjoy a streamlined interface focused on follower acquisition, engagement and two-way communication. The update provides a more visual sorting of brand tweets, creating a cleaner, more efficient line of brand-to-fan communication. The redesign also brings improved analytics to the platform, allowing for more accurate and powerful media buys while providing greater user insights.

With this redesign comes great potential for brands to enhance their presence on the platform and engage followers in conversation. Brands can get creative with the new rich media capabilities and paid media opportunities. Marketers should consider revised content strategies that aligned with the more user focused design. In this report (available to read and download below), we provide an overview of Brand Pages, take a deeper look at their implications and provide recommended next steps for marketers.

Twitter’s Enhanced Brand Pages

Social Media Week 2012 is fast approaching and will present social media inspired events in 12 different cities from Feb.13-17. We’re thrilled to be participating once again, and have crafted a stellar line up of events for social media professionals and enthusiasts. Join us!

*The Mobile-Social Living Room: How Emerging Media is Reviving the Live Television Experience

We kick off #SMW12 with a panel discussion entitled, “The Mobile-Social Living Room: How Emerging Media is Reviving the Live Television Experience.” This session will uncover how networks are using social to breathe new life into the live television experience, capitalizing on shifting media consumption habits and creating a model of the future when it comes to TV content creation and promotion. Moderated by David Berkowitz, VP of Emerging Media at 360i, the panel includes speakers from USA Network, BRAVO, Get Glue and Shazam.

Location: Art & Culture Content Hub at Hearst Magazines
Date: Monday, February 13 at 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
This event is sold out. Click to learn more.

*How Oreo is Using Social to Celebrate 100 Years of Brand Love

Next, we’re celebrate the World’s Favorite and Most ‘Liked’ Cookie leading up to Oreo’s 100^th Birthday in spring 2012. Beth Reilly, Digital & Social Marketing Lead at Kraft Foods and Sarah Hofstetter, President of 360i, will lead our session on “How Oreo is Using Social to Celebrate 100 Years of Brand Love.” We will outline how the iconic brand is connecting with people via social, building and spreading brand love within a loyal community of fans and followers in online spaces. This event is currently sold out, but the session will be viewable via Livestream (details to come).

Location: 360i HQ
Date: Tuesday, February 14 at 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
This event is sold out. Click to learn more.

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We are honored to announce that 360i has been named in Ad Age’s Agency A-List Issue as No. 1 on its roster of “10 Standout Shops”. The annual A-List issue highlights the top agencies in Ad Land, with this particular distinction citing our near-perfect client retention, track record for innovation, responsible growth and  thought leadership program that provides regular insights across nearly every facet of digital.

Watch the video below to learn more about our agency philosophy:

This honor follows recent accolades which including spots on both Ad Age and Crain’s “Best Places to Work” lists and a nod from Fast Company as one of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies.” In 2010, we landed the number six position on Ad Age’s Agency A-List, making 360i the only digital agency to be honored in the A-List issue two years in row.

Congratulations to our entire team – clients, employees and partners – for their contributions to our recent distinctions. We look forward to continuing to move the needle for our clients’ businesses through breakthrough digital programs and fostering a unique culture that values collaboration and innovation every step of the way.