By Paul Saville, Ignite

The way brands market themselves has changed. Gone are the days of relying on traditional advertising, where a brand would attempt to influence an individual to buy a certain product or service solely using the creativity of a catchy slogan and beautiful images delivered by TV, print and OOH.

By Claire Hutchings, iD Experiential

This Christmas has seen a whole host of brands trying something a bit different to interact with their consumers, in the hope of building longer term relationships with them. Much has already been discussed about this years (eagerly awaited) John Lewis festive offering. This was of course amplified by the success of their 2011 Xmas campaign which won a whole host of awards.

By Leah Anathan, Emailvision 

If you’re working in digital marketing and you didn’t see two of the most recent reports from Joshua Green, a senior national correspondent for Bloomberg Businessweek, then it’s time for you to take a coffee break and go read them. Don’t worry; it will only take a few minutes out of your typically chaotic day. In his investigation, Mr Green discovered a digital petri dish with some powerful evidence that every online marketer should see. It’s the science behind winning campaigns. This campaign just happened to be the 2012 US election for President.

By Cream Editorial

Twitter has compiled a top-10 list of the best promoted product campaigns by brands on the platform this year, based on a combination of data including total engagements, reach and impressions.

The Top 10 UK Twitter Campaigns list is here:

By Cream Editorial

Looking at the top 20 viral ads (yes, the 2012 Unruly Global Viral Video Ads Chart is out), I can clearly say compelling content wins over brand legacy/popularity. Hands down. the annual ranking of the year’s most shared video ads reveals that in 2012, a viral video titled ‘Invisible Children’ by a little known non-profit organisation reigns at the top spot, beating the likes of Google, P&G, Coke, Nike and Red Bull.

By Madison Byrne, iD Experiential

Facebook has become a phenomenon since its launch in 2005, followed closely by the explosion of Twitter to the social scene in 2007. The majority of us now seem to be captivated by the need to share our every movement with the rest of the world (in a 140 characters or less). After all - you are not really single or married unless your Facebook status says so. In a nutshell word of mouth and networking have never been so fundamental to our everyday lives.

Red Bull has been awarded the number one spot as the best global brand in social video strategy in Goviral’s new report: ‘The Global Social Video Equity Top 100’. The report measures brands on their effectiveness in branded content within the social media space.

The Red Bull Stratos campaign won huge media coverage and became a viral phenomenon with its video of the highest ever skydive by daredevil Felix Baumgartner who broke the speed of sound with the stunt. Clearly, Baumgartner had the world’s eyes on him, and with it, helped Red Bull pull off one of the biggest global marketing stunts ever.

The top ten social video brands, according to Goviral’s report are: 

Click on each brand name to see the case study and creative on Cream. To unlock up to four other case studies on Cream, register for a free trial.

By Stephanie Shkolnik (Digitaria, part of SoDA)

Decades ago, television was a delicate, communally appreciated experience predominantly used to broadcast mass market entertainment and important messages about current events.

Fast forward. It’s 2012 and social media has influenced the way people communicate and even consume television content.

According to EMarketer, 1.43 billion people will use social media in 2012, while 38.4% of the world's population will purchase smartphones. Discussion will spring up outside of the plot, diving into character traits, on-screen chemistry and feelings, shared in real time by the masses as if millions are people are in the same living room.

And that’s just the beginning of social television. Broadcasting can be extended on mobile devices, tablets and computers, as networks look to meet the ever-evolving SoLoMo consumer (social, local and mobile) at every touch point.

Networks are in the game

Networks that understand the value of real-time interaction are using the social graph to gauge effectiveness of their marketing dollars and understand audience behavior and interests. Shows such as American Idol have integrated pre-defined hashtags on television sets in the form of light watermarks, serving as call-to-actions for viewers to become a part of the discussion.

TV personalities are leveraging social to generate compelling user generated content. Jimmy Fallon features a ‘Late Night Hashtags’ segment related to current events to garner viewer participation – bringing ordinary people the opportunity to be mentioned on television. Fallon’s summer hashtag #WorstFamilyTrip resonated so well it trended worldwide in just 10 minutes.

Advertisers have also leveraged commercials to drive viewers to their social presence for awareness and promotional activities - often to publish user-generated content or participate in social experiences. According to Nielsen’s State of the Media in Sports (2011), brand recall was 33% higher for Super Bowl ads with a social media tag directing viewers to social channels.

TV specific social networks are on the rise

GetGlue allows people to check-in to television shows, movies, books and music to see what friends are watching and doing. Participants are rewarded in the form of both virtual and physical stickers, a gamificiation element that is integrated across screens, providing users with recommendations based on their interests to create the most relevant compelling experiences.

Leading up to the U.S. Game of Thrones premiere, 90,000 people checked into GetGlue, while 50,000 checked in during the actual premiere. As check-ins cross-populated to Twitter, social TV analytics provider BlueFins reported 60,000 comments were generated during the premier alone - signifying a direct correlation between viewership and social media engagement.

It doesn't stop at the TV screen

To maintain high levels of engagement when primetime television seasons conclude, networks are developing new ways to retain fan relationships through extensions of television. Gamificaiton is driving fan loyalty by rewarding social media interaction, as brands like CBS launch Fan Award programs online. Social enables viewer voting for their favorite categories such as "Best Use of Corpse,” where fans can simply participate through Facebook or Twitter hashtags to simplify the entry process.

Social television buzz is trackable

Alexander Daas, a luxury eyewear brand, went to market in Q4 of 2011, launching in conjunction with the American Music Awards. TV personality Jenny McCarthy wore the brand's eyeglasses on stage and within minutes sparked hundreds of conversations about her eyewear. By monitoring these discussions, the Alexander Daas team answered consumer and media questions leading to the introduction of the brand through social, generating nationwide awareness, sales and stronger partner relationships all tracked through traffic, sentiment and discussions.

Specialised services such as Social Guide provide comprehensive analysis of social television activity to extract insights and make them actionable - creating truly data driven opportunities based on fan interests.

Social television is increasingly becoming the norm.