Connecting Facebook and your brands website - The secret to creating a dynamic link between your content and constituents

Currently available on more than 50,000 websites+, devices and applications, including CNN, CBS.com, Digg, Yelp, YouTube, Xbox, and Nintendo DSI - Facebook is today the epicenter of our social activity via APIs (or whatever "Connect" is called this week).  With just a bit of code, Facebook Connect enables seamless integration between Web sites, pages, communities, and networks and the Facebook identity system.

For example, if you’re commenting on a blog, you can now login with your Facebook details and not only will your comment and link to your Facebook profile appear on the blog, the activity of commenting is also linked back into your activity feed for your friends and colleagues to see. Digg, another example that was shared on stage, also supports FB Connect, making it possible for Diggers to log on using their centralized Facebook ID and for each story they digg, the activity is documented back on their profile.

FB Connect API's transform the social network into a portable profile that travels with you across the Web, placing you and your brand at the center of the experience.  The ongoing integration of support for social services in the Facebook NewsFeed is aggregating and expediting personal lifestreams and quickly becoming representative of our true online activity, painting a vivid picture of who we are and what we represent online and in the real world.

Static websites should therefore socialize and focus on creating a dynamic link between content and people.  As great example is Levi's (above).  As businesses and communities can now directly connect corporate brands with personal brands, and more notably, the people behind them, it stems to reason you should capitalize on this.  The good news is that social networks build and leverage expertise and reputation.  They also carry thought leadership, preferences, causes, and relationships from community to community - - effectively changing your shotgun into a sniper rifle. 

Facebook Connect is a powerful catalyst for investing in and increasing Social Capital, and optimizing SEO (as Facebook “public” pages are heavily indexed in online search engines and can be among the top results when your name is searched).  

Here are just a few of the features of Facebook Connect:

Trusted Authentication

Users will be able to connect their Facebook account with any partner website using a trusted authentication method. Whether at login, or anywhere else a developer would like to add social context, the user will be able to authenticate and connect their account in a trusted environment. The user will have total control of the permissions granted.

Real Identity


Facebook users represent themselves with their real names and real identities. With Facebook Connect, users can bring their real identity information with them wherever they go on the Web, including: basic profile information, profile picture, name, friends, photos, events, groups, and more.

Friends Access

Users count on Facebook to stay connected to their friends and family. With Facebook Connect, users can take their friends with them wherever they go on the Web. Developers will be able to add rich social context to their websites. Developers will even be able to dynamically show which of their Facebook friends already have accounts on their sites.

Dynamic Privacy

As a user moves around the open Web, their privacy settings will follow, ensuring that users' information and privacy rules are always up-to-date. For example, if a user changes their profile picture, or removes a friend connection, this will be automatically updated in the external website.

Explore how brands integrate Facebook to drive growth and engagement through social and personalized features.

YOUR Homepage

Shopping is better with friends. By using the Activity Feed or Recommendations plugins on the homepage, users can see what their friends are liking and sharing on your site. Instead of only navigating to old favorites or promoted items, users are compelled to check out what their friends are interacting with, too. This creates long term engagement between the user and your site, and the social context encourages them to interact with the content.

YOUR Products

When you add a Like button to products in your store or merchandising platform, you give users the ability to express themselves and create long-term connections with things they like. Specify an image for the product so that when a user adds a comment, the feed story becomes more attractive and effective at driving users back to your site. Once a user establishes this connection, you can publish to their stream whenever you have news or updates about that product. For example, if a user likes a particular style of shirt, you can send them updates when the shirt goes on sale, or when you offer the shirt in extra colors.

YOUR Local / Categories

Users want a personalized shopping experience. By adding the ability to like specific categories like "Toronto restaurants," "Beauty products," or "Petite styles," users can express what they care about. Once a user establishes a connection with these topics, publish relevant content pertaining to the category. Share new styles or secret tips and menu items at restaurants. Allow users to interact with the category in a way that is personal and fun to keep them coming back to your site.

Need some help adding Connect to your online platform.  Give us a shout.  We're happy to help.

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PACIFICO BEER’S “WEBTREK” ONLINE SCAVENGER HUNT

Pacifico Beer has launched an interesting online scavenger hunt called the Pacifico Webtrek.   The website experience is touted as “sort of a job application to see if you can handle all the stuff the Pacifico lifestyle throws at you”.   If you can prove you can, they might just hire you for their next adventure.

The travels starts with print, digital and OOH that contain searchable tags and QR codes pointing people to Pacifico's Facebook page.  There, they learn about the Webtrek and can view the short film (below), Grey Whale Sessions, which will offer the first clues of a journey retracing the path of the surfers and musicians in the film. Players will travel across a series of websites, each of which will offer a clue. 

The appearance of the Pacifico bottle cap lets you know you're on the right track. Follow the trek to its conclusion for a chance to take part in Pacifico's next trip to Mexico.

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Social Media Case Studies [Aug-GB_V6.0]

Adidas recently launched a social media campaign featuring several international sports stars to promote MiCoach, a new personal coaching application - PRWeek

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC is launching an email marketing campaign that includes a Facebook "like" button to get people talking about their new feature documentary called "Restrepo." More at DMNews

STARBUCKS shares how social media helped drive more than one million people into stores for their “Free Pastry Day” Promotion - PRLog

TARGET used Twitter to promote their fall fashion show in New York with a series of videos and ads streamed live on the event's Facebook page - brandchannel

The AMERICAN RED CROSS recently hosted an Emergency Social Data Summit to discuss the use of social media in emergency situations.  More at - American Red Cross

FORBES launched a new blogging platform that allows marketers to contribute content to both their print publication and their website - BtoB

OFFICEMAX has added a Back to School tab on their Facebook page that includes a "Can You Make the Grade?" quiz.  Check out their promotion at Facebook

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Social Media Case Studies [Aug2-GB_V5.0]

What do Zagat, Bravo, and The History Channel have in common?  They’re among the top brands on Foursquare.  What are they doing that’s so unique? – More at ReadWriteWeb

A&W is giving away free floats to people who "like" them on Facebook in celebration of National Root Beer Float Day. – More at Facebook

No kidding. Delta's Ticket Window app allows customers to book flights directly through Facebook. – More at ClickZ

JetBlue finally responded to news about their flight attendant who dramatically quit his job last week by poking fun of themselves in a blog post entitled "Sometimes the weird news is about us." – More at CNN

How PlayStation, GM, and Marriott leverage their corporate blogs – More at OPEN Forum

Gillette's "Razor Guys" campaign features two college students traveling around the U.S. making pitches for the new razor -- blogging and tweeting merrily along the way – More at brandchannel

Proctor & Gamble is calling on influential bloggers and online communities to help inspire people to get involved with their Children's Safe Drinking Water program. PROMO

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Integrating Experiential and Social Marketing Part 2 – Target’s Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular Promotion

Experiential Marketing is all about orchestrating memorable events for customers, and that memory itself (the sensory brand "experience") becomes the product.  As it relates to social/participatory media, many savvy brands are finding novel, compelling ways of integrating social media with live brand experiences. An excellent example is Target’s Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular Promotion.

The Challenge?  How to promote Target’s fall fashion line of clothing in a way where people will take notice?  How to create buzz around the event and share it with people around the world?   All while leveraging PR 2.0 and emerging technologies?

Target teamed up with Mother N.Y. and the resulting event is tonight in New York City at the Standard Hotel.  The event will debut a massive indoor/outdoor spectacular to promote the store's fall line of clothing.  Starting at 9 pm, 155 rooms on the south side of the Standard will become the stage for a massive choreographed light and dance show. 66 dancers will perform in the windows against 156 LED lights, while models strut along an outdoor catwalk on the street below—all clad in autumn threads from Target outfitters like Mossimo, Merona, Converse and Liz Lange

An original soundtrack by Squeak E. Clean, a.k.a. Sam Spiegel, performed by a 30-piece orchestra and 10-person chorus, will accompany the twenty-minute performance. It gets better.  Viewers who can see the show but are not close enough to hear the music clearly will be able to call into a special number (866-500-5046) for the audio.

For those not in New York, Target will be broadcasting the event on its Facebook page starting at 8:30pm EST. There, viewers can also get a taste of things to come with some quirky clue videos (like this, this or this) teasing tonight's show.


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Goodbuzz® is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates participatory media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences.  This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Integrating Experiential and Social Marketing – The magic of Coca-Cola’s “Village” Experience

The term Experience Economy was first described in a book published in 1999 by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore.  The author’s argue that businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product - the "experience".

Many big brands involved with Experiential Marketing have been wondering how best to integrate social media with live brand experiences?   Moreover, how to engage and integrate all participants as a part of the live event in a meaningful and relevant way?  Coca-Cola enlisted Isreali experiential agency Promarket to do just that.  The innovative Coca Cola Village experiential event synced everyone who participated.  Live in real-time. 

The Coca-Cola Village experience was run in 2010 through Facebook.  Perfect for their target’s technographic profile, a Facebook app allowed teenagers to easily register and participate.  The simple goal was to collect ten Coca-Cola caps, gather eight friends (who did the same) and gain exclusive entry to the Coca-Cola Village.  At the Coca-Cola Village, users were given a unique (RFID Microchip enabled) wristband that held their Facebook login / password - so all they needed to do was swipe when starting each new activity (now integrated with Facebook). Every time a user swiped, his or her Facebook status was instantly updated with what users were specifically doing at the event, keeping friends up to date in real time.   It get’s better.  The wristband also allowed for auto-tagging of all the photos taken at the Coca-Cola Village.

The results? The experience could accommodate 650 teenagers a day and the three-day Coca-Cola Village experience generated over 100,000 posts.   

Watch the Video Case Study

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Goodbuzz® is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates participatory media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences.  This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

Social Media Case Studies [Aug-GB_V4.0]

VISA's making shopping more social with a plug-in called Rightcliq that lets people receive shopping advice from friends via Facebook and email. - Visa

TOYOTA is encouraging people to share their personal stories about their vehicles on Facebook with their "Auto-Biography" campaign. - ClickZ

ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS has opened up Rogers Community Forums, a place to find help with technical issues, ask and respond to questions, and discuss the company's products and services with others. - RedBoard

In a new partnership with FOURSQUARE, PIZZA HUT announced that it will be rewarding devoted customers who have earned the title of "Mayor." They’ll receive a free order of breadsticks with their pizza. - Fast Company

DELL's Tag Team app on Facebook is taking social shopping to a new level by letting people find products through user-generated tag clouds and make purchase decisions based on customer reviews. - Context Optional

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, ZAPPOS, and BEST BUY are among several brands mentioned in Valeria Maltoni's blog post about top customer service accounts on Twitter. - Conversation Agent

By listening and engaging in real conversation about a taboo subject, KIMBERLY-CLARK'S social media campaign for Kotex created a safe place for women and girls to go for support. - FASTForward Blog

Dave Schoonover, KIA's national manager of CRM and digital marketing, discusses the strategy behind their "Who's Next" YouTube contest. - MediaPost

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Goodbuzz Inc. is a Toronto-based Digital Agency that creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. This is accomplished by focusing on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz or join us on Facebook. Any / all product names mentioned in this document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.

A concert in the palm of your hand - Blink-182’s Tour kicks off in a bag of Doritos

That’s the gimmick behind a new online promotion from Doritos that centers on an “augmented reality” performance by the California band “Blink-182” which broke up in 2005. A special symbol printed on limited-edition packages of Doritos Late Night chips, will serve as a virtual “ticket” to the show. To unlock the online video, fans visit the Doritos Late Night website, flash the Augmented Reality (AR) marker at their webcams and watch as a stage literally appears to pop out of the package of snacks.


By blending 3-D, video, webcams and interactive AR elements, the 3-D image of Blink-182’s taped performance can also be manipulated by moving and shaking the bag. Like holding a hologram in your hand - this participatory experience lets viewers zoom in and interact with the performance. After the song finishes, fans even get a chance to bring the band back for an encore. The more noise you make, the faster they’ll come back out. Genius. To further integrate and amplify, after the virtual two-song show, viewers can also enter a contest to win tickets to a real world Blink-182 concert.


As a part of the integrated promotion, Blink-182 also seeded the content; tweeting about a “mystery video” that showed a little of the green-screen shoot for the Doritos promotion.


The Evolution of Celebrity Endorsement
Companies have a long history of enlisting famous faces to push products, but as brands fight for attention in an increasingly saturated media market, advertising campaigns often turn to the Internet and the latest emerging technologies in an attempt to generate interest.

Rapper Big Boi of hip-hop duo Outkast also performs a song using the same Augmented Reality (AR) technology as part of the Doritos campaign. Recent improvements to 3-D video and Adobe Flash make this kind of interactive web content possible today. Moreover, the songs will be viewable by anybody with a broadband connection, a webcam, a reasonably new computer and one of the AR markers.


Check out the Video of how Doritos did it? (Well Proto and Mekanism for the puppet masters at Goodby).


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Goodbuzz creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. We focus on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting. From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes. Visit Goodbuzz Inc.

Social Truth and Authenticity? When a product or brand's promise seems too good to be true

In the age of Photoshop, subtle imperfections seem to be lessened.  Our skin is fresh and blemish-free, our jawbones chiseled, cheekbones defined, and teeth shining bright. Even that last ten pounds around the waist evaporates with the swipe of a mouse!

Whether the mop that promises to make floors look ‘new’ with just one pass, or any number of products that claim and reinforce ‘perfection’ messaging - it’s the scenarios Martin Lindstrom identifies where, there’s “not even a hint of a single red spot, a stubborn stain, or a bedraggled mother”.  This is really the story of the past fifty years of advertising.  An industry developing messages that implied, portrayed, and promoted ‘perfect’ brands in ‘perfect’ environments.   Let’s face it - nobody likes canned laughter.

Did you ever wonder how consumers interpret these messages?  The simple answer is pooly.  Consumers are a lot savvier than most advertisers give them credit for.  According to test subjects monitored using fMRI, messages portraying perfection were not seen as trustworthy.  This is because consumers don’t ‘mirror’ themselves against such images, nor are they inspirational motivators.   

All attempts at portraying some otherworldly perfection seem to actually generate feelings of enormous distaste (and in some cases even horror) in the minds of consumers.  People related best to are those who we perceived shared our weaknesses - those who mirror, or at least seem capable of mirroring, the mistakes we tend to make. 

From the Simple Life to the Hills to YouTube, reality programming dominates our modern landscape.  Fueled by our desire for authenticity, Life has become the ultimate reality show.  More and more advertisers are beginning to recognize that consumers enjoy watching, and empathizing with, people just like them.  Why?  Simply because ads and commercials created by everyday people tend not to feature models, but rather normal looking people who resemble us.  It allows us to connect and identify with them more easily.  Moreover, average looking people seem more inviting, as if welcoming us to the brand. Real people suggest any authentic back-story.  

The one thing we know today?  If a brand’s claims seem too good to be true - they probably are.  What do you think?
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Goodbuzz creates social media campaigns that entice consumers to play, create, and share brand experiences. We focus on developing "branded utility" - moving away from interruptive 'push' models towards more meaningful ways of connecting.  From simple metrics to actionable insights that enable data-driven marketing decisions - Goodbuzz links social media efforts to business outcomes.  Visit Goodbuzz Inc.