360PR Blog

By Amanda Gonzalez

Celebrities, fashion, speeches, kitschy musical numbers and Betty White (of course!) made up the 62^nd Primetime Emmy Awards last night hosted by Jimmy Fallon.  Aside from the usual elements of the glitzy show, another component was present in a big way this year – social media.

This year there were more options than ever to watch and interact with the awards show.  NBC utilized Facebook, Twitter, Ustream, yfrog, NBC.com, AccessHollywood.com, and Emmys.com to allow fans to catch exclusive content of the show and promote a conversation.

Fans were encouraged to send their best tweet about presenters via a special NBC.com website or using the hashtag #imontheemmys and Jimmy Fallon would read select tweets to introduce the presenters in a new twist to the veteran show.

While this was an innovative way to engage the audience, especially younger viewers, the execution was a little off.  Tweets such as “Tina Fey: I’d hit that” left something to be desired.  Hats off to the Emmy’s though for sparking that conversation on the social media site especially since, as of this post, some of the top trending topics for Twitter still include “Emmy Awards,” “Emmys” and big winner “Modern Family.”

The Emmy Awards didn’t just stop at Twitter, though.  Celebrity super-fans were also encouraged to go to UStream.com beforehand to catch a live stream of the red carpet and also during the show for a live backstage stream of the green room, makeup room, press room and more.

If that wasn’t enough, true celebrity stalkers could get their new computer background from yfrog where the website posted pictures of those A-listers who stopped by the yfrog Photo Booth and Ryan Seacrest streamed pictures & video from the red carpet.  Check them out here.

All of this new interaction may have also contributed to a slight rise in viewership this year as the show drew in 13.5 million viewers compared to last year’s 13.47.

So did you watch the Emmys last night? Did you tweet, watch the live backstage stream or checkout your favorite celebs photos?  Did you like the social media twist this year?  Leave your comments and let us know!

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, FaceBook, Internet, Social Media by Admin - No Comments →

Bloggers felt the embrace of brands who planned out involving and playful interactions for them at BlogHer10. There was every manner of entertainment at the show, from happy mascots and hi-energy dance floors, to coloring stations and full-on hair salons!

At this year’s event in particular, I was struck by how many bloggers were turned into brand “spokespeople” right in front of my very eyes through highly creative and video-worthy stunts and campaigns.

In a nutshell, putting bloggers on camera talking passionately about a particular topic led to a whole lot of third-party endorsements for brands. On the flip side, bloggers didn’t seem to mind their starring role in the brand videos; in fact they seemed to welcome the opportunity to be on camera, bringing to mind the possibility of a future BlogHer Reality TV series?

Please read my short letters to the brands to learn why they were the video stand-outs, extending their brand through video in the most distinctive ways.

Dear Walmart,

You are very bright.

I applaud your focus on selling products that sustain people and the environment, and I admire that you knew it would be the perfect theme for BlogHer. I like how you took a page from the Grammy’s playbook by inviting bloggers who are passionate about the quality of life on our planet to tweet their “bright” ideas for creating a sustainable future, and then feeding their tweets in real time on the giant video screen at your booth for everyone to see.

You were also genius to offer a professional video booth for bloggers to record their ideas and share them on your YouTube page and sustainability site. Having dozens of female bloggers raving about sustainability on your website is an endorsement that means way more than any paid advertising. But you already knew that. It also didn’t hurt that you had super knowledgeable folks staffing your exhibit – they were all brilliant.

Sincerely,

Cindy

Hello Jimmy Dean,

You brought a lot of sunshine to BlogHer.

Apart from the fact that I love sausage breakfast sandwiches, who wouldn’t love meeting the “hot” celebrity from your famous Jimmy Dean commercials? As if that weren’t enough, having the chance to star in a video with the “Sun” was a marketing move that really made me melt.

In the other part of your booth galaxy, I enjoyed talking to the friendly Hillshire Farms Chef who happily took the time to make me a custom, savory sandwich. She also gave me the 411 on the “Fresh Taste Challenge Sandwich Showdown” hosted by Padma Lakshmi that had 16 bloggers competing Top Chef-style to become the champion. The really great twist in my opinion was inviting three elementary school kids to judge the goods and decide the winners (they loved the sandwich ka-bob!). Talk about great content for the Hillshire Farms YouTube site, not to mention that the 16 bloggers have most likely already streamed the video on their own blogs.

All the best,

Cindy

Dearest Yahoo! Shine,

You inspire me.

It’s really good news that you are dedicated to offering online advice and information to women, and you were very clever to extend your “You. Reinvented” brand campaign to BlogHer10. After all, what’s more inspiring than stories of women who are reinventing their lives?

I was spell-bound by your fashion news-room set-up where you invited bloggers to share their “reinvention” stories on camera. I was so enamored with the idea, that I decided that I must reinvent myself in time to participate in your video show at BlogHer11.

Good for you for not only curating the blogger videos on Yahoo!, you also smartly gave embeddable videos to each of the participating bloggers so they could easily share on their blogs too. The idea that one woman’s voice on one lone blog may not change the world–but together, they wield quite a bit of power with other women is very classy.

As ever,

Cindy

P.S. I would be remiss to not offer a shout-out to the Tempur-Pedic folks for being cheeky and dressing up in pajamas, and also for jumping on the video content bandwagon with their “Ask Me” professional photography booth.

That’s a wrap.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Blogger Relations, Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Events and Conferences, Green Marketing, Internet, Marketing to Moms, Social Marketing, Social Media, YouTube by CindyGordon - 2 Comments →

What girl doesn’t love to flaunt her latest outfit from a shopping spree? How about creating an online video dedicated to reviewing and showing off her new wardrobe and posting it to YouTube for all to see? Welcome to the world of Haul videos, which have taken the web by storm.

What’s the big deal? These videos are the ultimate form of word-of-mouth, with trend-setters sharing their thoughts about specific products and dishing on the latest sales & discounts at stores. It’s no surprise that major retailers such as JCPenney and Forever 21 want a piece of the action.

Some retailers have even sponsored videos by sending gift cards to Haulers, for example. Urban Outfitters took it a step further with a UO HAUL: SHOP & TELL contest for the chance to win gift cards to the store.

There are even blogs dedicated solely to finding the best Haul videos, such as HaulVideos.net.

This Haul video, which was sponsored by Forever 21, has received over 1.2 million views alone!

Do you think Haul videos have more of an influence over young women than fashion magazines and television?

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Internet, Retail, Social Marketing, Social Media by Admin - 1 Comment →

I am positively giddy with excitement about the implications of the command social media performance this week by the super-suave Isaiah Mustafa and the Old Spice digital and creative team. They produced 160 personalized videos in 48 hours as the viral online extension of their award-winning manmercials. As a result, Old Spice’s Twitter account acquired tens of thousands of new followers and The Old Spice YouTube channels have been viewed over 58 million times. Without a doubt, the Old Spice social media invasion was not only brave, but has seriously raised the bar on what it now means to create buzz and human-time engagement on the web.

What came off as an easy and breezy, dare I say organic execution on social media was undoubtedly a vast and deliberate production, orchestrated by dozens of Wieden + Kennedy writers, art directors, producers, editors and social media strategists, not to mention the camera and lighting crew, teleprompter worker person, etc. I can imagine the studio in Portland might have resembled Cape Canaveral when NASA readies to launch a shuttle into space.

The team averaged around 7 minutes to make each video, and released several videos per hour, responding in what felt like real-time to fans, stars and internet celebrities from Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, blogs and more. Check out the top 10 hottest videos here. Beyond the sheer creative talent at Weiden + Kennedy, there also had to be a sizeable creative and digital budget to support the production of so many well-lit commercials, not including Mustafa’s compensation (he is so handsome and clever he should ask for a raise anyway).

In an interview, the head of Digital for Weiden + Kennedy said that the digital push began with the notion of the character responding to people about the TV commercials. He said, “We knew there was a massive love for this guy and what people wanted was to be in the shower with him. So that’s where we started from.” The agency decided to really center the push around YouTube and Twitter. YouTube hosted the videos, while Twitter provided the bulk of the distribution.

The team made savvy moves. They activated influencers by pre-producing videos for people such as Perez Hilton, 4chan, and AdFreak, posting them on their blogs and @replying to them on Twitter. They also activated communities such as DIGG and Reddit. For example, they knew that Digg Founder Kevin Rose was sick so they made a get-well video for him and posted it on Digg with the title “Get Well, Kevin Rose! The video became the top content on Digg with over 5,000 Diggs. They even created a call for comments on Reddit and posted a time-stamped picture of Isaiah saying Hi to Reddit. And they bought a Twitter ad campaign to feature the push as a trending topic.

All of these tactics combined helped the Old Spice brand activate large communities and drum up buzz before they had even rolled out 10 videos. The social media team then scoured the Web for comments related to the campaign and fed the ones that were either funny or from interesting sources to the creatives, who determined which would make good fodder for the videos. It was clearly all a big commercial, but kudos to the creatives for being tongue-in-cheek and for talking about the use of Old Spice in a way that felt light hearted and fun. Mustafa’s baritone voice and convoluted wordplay made for such entertaining delivery. He even made us laugh and cry with this video to his daughter who posed a question to him on Twitter.

I don’t know if this campaign will help sell more Old Spice, but I do know that I no longer think of Old Spice as a Fuddy-Duddy brand. Smells like success to me!

Thank you, Old Spice and Wieden + Kennedy, for spicing up the viral marketing landscape.

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Internet, PR Industry, Social Marketing, Social Media, advertising by CindyGordon - 2 Comments →

Founded in 2003, Skype offers a solution to astronomical phone bills resulting from long-distance calls.  It’s also pretty fun to use.  If you have a webcam, simply download the software, find other friends who Skype, and you’re video chatting in no time.  And did I mention it’s free?!

In addition to video calls (you can make free audio calls, too), you can also use Skype for sending files and instant messaging, making it a great tool for both personal and professional use.  Most recently, at this week’s CEA Lineshows, Skype unveiled Skypekit, allowing internet-connected devices and apps to use audio and video calls.  In other words, it won’t be long before you’re connecting with Skype on your BlackBerry, in your car, even on your watch.

In terms of its popularity, the numbers are pretty staggering.  Skype reports that at peak times, up to 23 million people are using the service.  It’s also responsible for 12% of international calling minutes. 

Even Oprah Skypes!

The verdict: RT.  In my opinion, Skype is one of the coolest services available on the net.

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, Social Networking by SkyeMcIntyre - 3 Comments →

The little black dress has always been a classic addition to any woman’s wardrobe, but could you wear one for a whole year? Sheena Matheiken did.

Sheena set out on a one-year journey, the “Uniform Project,” last May to exercise sustainable fashion and raise money for children in India. Every day she reinvented her outfit with recycled and donated accessories, which were photo-documented and posted on the Uniform Project blog daily.

Through a very savvy use of social media, Sheena and the Uniform Project were able to raise $94,958 and send 263 children to school. Take a look at the video below featuring all 365 outfits!

Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

What are some other examples of people using social media to raise money for charity?

Filed under: Cause-Related, Charity, Digital PR, FaceBook, Internet, Social Media, Social Networking by Admin - 2 Comments →

What’s the best method of finding information about Google?  Google, of course!  I’ve been hearing the buzz surrounding Google TV for a couple of weeks, and finally allowed myself time to research the innovation powerhouse’s latest big announcement.

According to The Official Google Blog, “Google TV is a new experience for television that combines the TV that you already know with the freedom and power of the Internet.”  Basically, Google TV will marry the internet and television, which makes sense, seeing as how a large percentage of people get their programming on Hulu and watch videos on-demand via Netflix.com.

So when will Google TV be available to us common folk?  According to their blog, sometime this fall, it will be built into some new TVs, or you’ll be able to purchase a box to hook up to your current television.

I found the announcement particularly interesting and timely, as I attended the 2010 Sandbox Summit earlier this month, and ‘TV Or Not: That’s Not The Question’ panelist Nick Gnat expressed his desire for the integration of TV and the web.  Ask and you shall receive, Nick.

The verdict?  RT.  In my opinion, making TV and the interweb one makes perfect sense.

Filed under: Internet by SkyeMcIntyre - 1 Comment →

Before the sounds of music permeated Austin’s air this year during the annual South By Southwest festival, SXSW Interactive attracted tech junkies from around the world.  One of the many companies represented was Digg.com, a news aggregate site where users submit stories that can be voted up the site by other users by ‘dig’ing them.  Do you dig it?

After the speakers silenced and the dust settled, Digg.com CEO Jay Adelson sat down with NPR this past Sunday to discuss the site’s goal – “the social curation of the world’s content and the conversation around it” – and crowd sourcing, a practice Digg recently implemented with their Dialogg site. In Adelson’s own words, crowd sourcing is:  ”you’ll see them all over the Internet, these little buttons next to articles. You know, you’ll see them on Web sites like The New York Times or, you know, NPR or elsewhere. And if you click that button, you’re basically sending a signal to Digg that you care about that topic. It doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with the content. It’s just a signal.  And we collect it all using crowd wisdom and we put some magic behind that and some algorithms and math and then we bubble up to the surface the stuff that’s interesting.”

The question for PR professionals, then, is this: do we ‘dig’ client news?  Full disclosure is necessary with any form of social media, but the issue lies in that Digg does not currently allow you to leave your name/organization on each individual dig. Then again, maybe us PR pros shouldn’t blur the line and should stay away from the site altogether.  What’s your opinion?

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, PR Industry by SkyeMcIntyre - 1 Comment →

What is Whrrl?  It’s similar to foursquare in that it’s a mobile locator-based app for smart phones which allows the user to ‘check-in’ at various locations and share their whereabouts with friends via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The difference is that with Whrrl, you can upload photos to show where you are and what you’re doing.  If friends are with you, their photo and text uploads can be combined with yours to create what Whrrl refers to as a ‘story.’  I recently came across this post by Ciaran Blumenfeld, the founder of momfluential.com, especially insightful, as I totally agree with her statement about scrapbooking.  I’ve never had the patience for it either, but I love looking back at photographs and events, and Whrrl might just be the perfect solution for a sentimental social media addict like myself.

From a PR perspective, we at 360 have found Whrrl to be a useful tool in monitoring and tracking activity at client events, in particular.

The issue, as with most social networking sites, is how much is too much?  Should you tweet, use foursquare and Whrrl while out on the town for a night with your friends?  Or just enjoy the company and live for the moment?

The verdict: RT.  Whrrl is a service to watch.

Do you whrrl?  Let us know!

Filed under: Internet, Mobile Industry, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

In a new series of posts, we’re going to give you our take on the latest technologies, websites, Apps, social networks, etc. that the world is buzzing about.  In other words, should you re-tweet or delete?

 First Up: Chat Roulette.  Chat Roulette is just what its name implies – you log on and either via an AIM-style text exchange, a webcam, or both, converse with other site users around the world.  If you aren’t digging the conversation, just one click and another randomly generated person (note: it’s not necessarily a person, but I’ll explain that later) appears on your screen.

Though Chat Roulette is in its infancy, news of the site is spreading faster than you can hit ‘Next.’  This post from Fast Company describes CR as “YouTube, with even more exhibitionism because everything is live and nothing is being recorded.”  The author of the article, Cliff Kuang, goes on to say “self-published entertainment has officially moved into territory I can barely comprehend.  Parents: One more reason to lock up your daughters.”  I have to agree.  In fact, I’m purposely not linking to the site because I don’t want to encourage you to be subjected to what’s lurking on CR. 

If your curiosity takes over, however, here’s a sampling of what you may encounter:  lots of X-rated activity, scary men in gas masks and people with snorkels sticking their head in fish tanks.  You might even come across Nicole Richie. 

The verdict: due to complete lack of privacy, the site’s one-click access to underage kids, and personal experience, I say delete.

Have you braved the wild wild west that is Chat Roulette?  If so, we’d love to hear about it!

Filed under: Internet, Uncategorized by SkyeMcIntyre - 4 Comments →

I wonder if there is a Foursquare Anonymous. I’m seriously addicted.  Don’t laugh. Once you try it, you will be too. It’s what I thought Twitter was supposed to be – letting people know where you are and what you’re doing, but there’s so much more value-add than that with Foursquare. It’s not just the “I’m here” but also the “and now what” that makes it soooo powerful and cool. This weekend I was in Stowe, Vermont with my son and his friend. Needed a place to go to dinner, so I checked into Foursquare and found that the Whip Grill was just two blocks away. I was also able to get a great tip on what to order – guacamole made fresh at our table! What’s also neat is how businesses are making the most of Foursquare. When I showed the server at the Whip Grill that I found his restaurant using Foursquare, he handed me a free drink. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m also addicted to the competitive aspect of Foursquare. I’m still a Newbie, but well on my way to unlocking the Adventurer badge. Not to brag, but I”m number one on the leaderboard today.

Foursquare is so practical and easy to use too. Even if you don’t have an iphone or blackberry, you can still use the service by sending SMS messages to 50500. Another neat feature is that you can gain points without letting your friends know where you are (in case it’s a scandalous venue). They know you’ve checked in but you’re “off the grid.” And “shout outs” are fun – you do stuff at a venue and then shout out that you’ve done them.

Love to blog more, but I’ve got things to do and new places to see… thanks to Foursquare.

Are you addicted too?

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, Social Media, Uncategorized by CindyGordon - 10 Comments →

Simply stated, social media has changed the way we communicate during disasters. This is now abundantly clear with all of the online activity surrounding the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Over the past couple weeks, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support for the Haitian people. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy donations have exceeded $470 million!

Mobile giving raises the bar

A large portion of donations are coming from The Red Cross’ mobile phone texting campaign. With partners Mobile Accord and the mGive Foundation, Red Cross quickly enacted a mobile texting campaign shortly after the earthquake hit. And with the help of the NFL playoff game spots and other widespread promotions, mobile phone users have donated over $25 million thus far just by texting “90999!” According to this NY Times story, over $500,000 per hour was donated to the Red Cross during recent NFL games. And according to Pew and Twitter-tracking service Sysomos, 189,024 tweets included “90999″ between January 12^th and 14^th. 2.3 million included the word “Haiti” or “Red Cross” in this same time frame. Truly unbelievable!

Relying on social media and citizen journalists

Not only has social media been used to gather donations, but people on the ground in Haiti have used Facebook and Twitter to send updates/photos, while concerned onlookers tune in to the constant stream of updates. In addition, news outlets have relied on social media and “citizen journalists” in their reporting. For example, CNN started a “Haiti Boots On Ground” Twitter list, compiling updates from the CNN reporters on the ground.  CNN’s iReport has also played a key role in their coverage of the disaster.

And companies have rallied to develop mobile apps and websites dedicated to the cause, such as a Creole-to-English translator app .  An organization called “The Extraordinaries” which allows people to complete micro-tasks for organizations or causes, using a mobile phone or web browser in a few minutes, have set up a support page at http://www.beextra.org/haiti to leverage the “power of the crowd” to help locate and identify missing persons.

Our best wishes to the Haitian people and to all of the families affected by the earthquake. Stay strong.

Filed under: Cause-Related, Internet, Media and Press, Mobile Industry, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - 6 Comments →

The wait is over!  The first weekly digital news round-up of the New Year is finally here.  I know you’ve been waiting with bated breath to find out what’s going on in the world of social media, so here it is.  To ease you into a year that’s sure to be a digital whirlwind, below are stories to frame your social media savvy for 2010.

Mashable “How Social Media Has Changed Us” -  It’s amazing how many technological innovations have been made in the past decade – Skype, text messaging and the widespread use of blogs, to name a few.  This piece presents some less-obvious ways in which social media has changed our lives and the lives of future generations. There’s no doubt technology has made our lives different, but the article’s author asks the question, “for better or worse?” 

AdAge “The Official Social Media and Mobile Glossary of 2010″ – I like to think of myself as being on the up and up when it comes to social media.  After all, combing through news stories, writing this weekly post and working at a PR agency as part of a dedicated digital team pretty much forces me to be in the know (willingly, of course!)  However, after studying the terms in this article, I feel ignorant.  Quad stalkers?  Deciprocity?  Mobilenecking?  I was fully aware that the actions described by these words existed, but who the heck made up these names to define our digital behavior?

Mashable “Facebook Founder on Privacy: Public is the New ‘Social Norm’” – It honestly scares me that I know friends of friends of friends last names, addresses and places of employment.  That knowledge is as comfortable to Mark Zuckerberg as a home cooked meal.  At a recent awards ceremony, the mastermind behind Facebook made it clear that lack of privacy is the wave of the future.  In my personal opinion, Facebook’s solely to blame for making our public lives private.  As with anything, if you don’t want the ride, don’t get on the bus.

Filed under: Internet, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

Part two of two in our year-end social media recap touches on the more serious side of our evolving online landscape. We hope you enjoy! Let’s get started…

5.  Newspapers Move to Online-Only, Embrace Social Media Back in September, 360PR’s own John LeRoy wrote about the end of the Ann Arbor News’ print publication, and throughout 2009, many newspapers followed suit, moving to publishing their content strictly online and incorporating social media functionality.  Along with the recession came widespread newsroom cuts, and while many papers folded altogether, others can only be found now by visiting the web. Whether you embrace the change or miss the sound of a daily paper landing on your doorstep, the move to online-only is here.

4.  Rise of Mobile Apps If you’re an iPhone lover or a Blackberry devotee, you can’t deny the ease and convenience the downloadable applications that are essential to these smart phones bring.  With the click of a key or the touch of an icon, you can find the nearest gas station, read restaurant recommendations, check out times for movie showings, and much, MUCH more.  Running late for the airport?  There’s an app. that allows you to check the status of your flight. 

3.  Live Stream Presidential Inauguration Not only did 2009 see a new, African-American president in the White House, America saw his inauguration unfold in real-time online.  Courtesy of CNN, those unable to obtain a ticket to the inauguration were able to watch every second from the comfort of their own home.  January 20, 2009 was an extremely historic day in more ways than one.

2.  Moms Online  Nielsen recognized the power of moms’ online presence and released “The Power Mom 50,” 50 of the most influential moms on the ‘net (though Nielsen’s list left off some biggies), and the FTC implemented new rules guiding interactions between brands and bloggers (largely driven by the increase of sponsored content on mom blogs).  Meanwhile, Oprah recognized the importance of moms online when she Skype’d in mom bloggers from across the country in an April episode ‘The Secret Lives of Moms.’ 

1.  Brands and Social Media If you’re a Facebook or Twitter user, you’re likely connected with a few brands online. Jet Blue (@JetBlue,) Comcast (@comcastcares) and Whole Foods (@wholefoods) were among the most followed on Twitter this year.  Top brands on Facebook included Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Disney. But with more brands competing for valuable online space, it will be tricky breaking through the clutter. Starting with a solid fan base will help, but providing the online community with “insider” knowledge and unique insights is what will really make a brand stand out in 2010.

Happy New Year!

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Internet, Marketing to Moms, Media and Press, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

Well, 2009 is nearly over and 360PR certainly was not going to miss out on the “year end list” fun!  We decided to compile our Top 10 Favorite Social Media Moments of 2009. Sure, the topic may be slightly played out, but does that make it any less important?  2009 concluded a decade of digital innovations: the iPod, BlackBerry, consumer GPS system, etc. And in our eyes, it most definitely went out with a bang!

So here they are, numbers 10 – 6 in our countdown, part one of a two-part social media extravaganza. Whether you think our choices are spot on or off-base, we’d love to hear your comments!

10. Burger King Whopper Sacrifice This year, Burger King challenged its fans to the ultimate test-delete 10 friends on Facebook, get a free Whopper-and created a slew of online buzz in its wake. Alerts popped up on mini-feeds everywhere (i.e. “Skye McIntyre sacrificed Lindsay Durr for a free Whopper”) and friends’ lists suffered significant depletions. But BK’s plan worked! Whether quirky, offensive, or just hilarious, the Whopper Sacrifice taught us all a valuable lesson-you can put a price on friendship, and that price is 1 Whopper.

9. Miley Cyrus Deletes Twitter On a more serious note, teen queen Miley Cyrus made headline news this year when she deleted her Twitter account. Outlets like The New York Times covered the “news” and, to respond to the public outrage inspired by her de-tweeting, Cyrus created this brilliant YouTube video. Wait-why is this #9, again?

8. “JK Wedding Dance” on YouTube This was probably the feel-good YouTube video of the decade. Something about this video struck a chord with online video watchers nationwide. In a year where everyone from Jon and Kate to Tiger and Elin headed for their attorneys, Jill and Kevin Heinz reminded us that love is out there, waiting, and it’s on YouTube. Several Today Show appearances and a hilarious Office spoof later, J&K are still going strong. They even used their tremendous popularity for a good cause; the pair helped raise over $26,000 for the Sheila Wellstone Institute, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence.  People questioned the authenticity of the video and wondered if a marketing team was behind it; marketers wished they could take credit.

7. Swine Flu Infects Social Media Swine Flu was one of the most serious topics of the year with an estimated 50 million cases in the US according to the CDC. However, the disease really went viral when concerned citizens began discussing it across Facebook and Twitter. According to Mashable, swine flu was the #3 topic trend on Facebook and the #2 and #6 trends on Twitter in 2009. For those who think Facebook and Twitter are only platforms for trivial discussions, think again.

6. Celebs on Twitter Want to be alerted every time Diddy sips Cristal? Well now you can-thanks to Twitter! Everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Oprah Winfrey to Shaq started microblogging this year, some more successfully than others (we’re looking at you, Shaq). Missed out on the celeb tweeting action? Check out CelebrityTweet.com to get all the latest updates in one place.

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, Media and Press, Social Media by Admin - 2 Comments →