However, what the game lacked in drama and entertainment, the world of social media made up for in real-time commentary, coaching suggestions and humor. When it became clear that Alabama was no longer “Tiger Bait” and that LSU could not move the ball on offense with quarterback Jordan Jefferson, a telling trend seemed to shed light on what LSU coach Les Miles’ next move should have been. Jarrett Lee, LSU’s backup quarterback who was yet to see the field, was a trending national topic on Twitter by the mid-point of the third quarter.

At this point in the game, LSU had less than 70 yards of offense and had yet to cross midfield. Although he was a key cog in the Tigers’ success this season, Jefferson has hardly been known as a gunslinger and was clearly struggling. With viewer frustration rising with every field goal attempt, fans graced the web with a variety of witty and hard-hitting tweets to address LSU’s offensive ineptitude.

Tweets included blunt critiques during the game and even poked fun at LSU fans’ insistence on misspelling the word “Go” as “Geaux” with stabs like “Jordan Jefferson Bleauxs.”

Even Marcus Vick (@MVFive), brother of NFL Quarterback Michael Vick, got in on the action saying, “If they don’t put Jarrett Lee n the game Les Miles tripping….. Give ur boys a chance to WIN!!!!”

Despite the social media explosion, fan insights neither moved Miles to make a change at quarterback, nor inspired the Tigers to battle back with a field goal of their own. Even so, Alabama was playing so well on defense that the addition of Jarrett Lee to the mix might not have made a difference. Just ask ESPN sports personality and UNC-Chapel Hill grad Bomani Jones (@Bomani_Jones), who tweeted “Going to Jarrett Lee here would be like switching from a brick roof to stone as an asteroid is about to fall on you.”

If this latest championship game is any indication, real-time sports tweets are becoming an increasingly visible part of the game. Although the social media buzz surrounding the game in New Orleans was big, it was not anything close to a record for a trend experiencing particularly rapid growth. If anything, this was just a preview of what’s to come during a particularly well-known pro football game coming up in February: The Super Bowl.

Let’s start from the beginning. RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, was developed in the ‘90s to enable websites and blogs to push content to subscribers, a much-needed shift from the process of manually checking bookmarked websites for updates. With its applications in the blogosphere as well as in web development, RSS feeds have become known for abilities including bringing in new web site visitors, improving search engine rankings and generating brand interest.

Despite their practical applications, many experts claim that RSS feeds are becoming obsolete under the dominance of social sharing giants like Twitter and Facebook. Why would you subscribe to the RSS feed of a website or blog when you can follow it on Twitter and get all the same updates? While Twitter and Facebook do serve as useful tools for providing instant updates on news and world events (ex: news, and parodies, of the October 2011 earthquake in Virginia spread like wildfire on Twitter), RSS feeds still fill a unique need. According to an April 2011 poll, 62.3 percent of respondents subscribe to 10 or more RSS feeds and more than half read those feeds (via aggregators like Google Reader) every day. While Twitter and Facebook serve as great sources to receive breaking news, RSS feeds deliver updates that can easily get lost in the constant clutter of a news feed.

The rise of tablets and smartphones has amplified the role of RSS feeds over the past year. Popular apps such as Flipboard for the iPad put a new face on RSS feeds, presenting an unlimited number of feeds in the form of a digital magazine. Flud is another up-and-coming social reader app that allows you to flip through different feeds to see the headlines of different sites. These clever uses of RSS feeds package content in a more aesthetically pleasing way, a far cry from a simple list of articles.

To recap, RSS feeds have numerous practical applications of value to marketers and consumers alike, and are being revitalized by ever-developing apps. Does that sound like a declining technology to you?

1. Spotify comes to the United States: The UK-based app Spotify opened its digital music streaming services to American users in July. Originally available via invitation, the site has three different subscription models and allows users access to a library of more than 15 million songs. Hitting 2.5 million subscribers in December, mere months after opening in the US, Spotify was a big hit in 2011.
2. Facebook gets a makeover: Every time Facebook tweaks one of its features, Zuckerburg is faced with controversy and several million angry users. That didn’t stop the social media giant from launching the new Facebook “Timeline” layout, available to developers in September and fully launched in late Fall. The completely renovated Facebook profile now serves as “the story of your life,” making it one of the most noteworthy social media advances for 2011.
3. Twitter Scandals: From Anthony Weiner’s lewd photo tweet to Newt Gingrich’s fake followers, 2011 was a year of political Twitter scandals. Though “Weinergate” eventually blew over and Gingrich was vindicated by Twitter analysis, here’s hoping that politicians become more adept on the Twitter scene in 2012.
4. Planking goes viral: Planking isn’t a new trend for 2011, but the meme went viral this year as celebrities (and non-celebs too) posted photos and videos of awkward planking photos everywhere from Twitter to YouTube.
5. The first Twitter Presidential Debate: Republicans took advantage of Twitter this summer in the inaugural presidential Twitter debate. With only 140 characters to tackle often controversial policy issues, this new medium for debate was a huge shift from the prime-time television debates that dominate election season. The results? According to an analysis of Twitter posts, Herman Cain received the most Retweets while @teambachmann received the most @mentions.
6. Google + the new Facebook?: In late June, Google launched Google+, its answer to Facebook. While Google + isn’t short of users (62 million members and counting), many Google + profiles have been created and left inactive as users struggle to find its relevance among its already established competitors, Facebook and Twitter. But one thing is certain, Google + has definitely kept the Facebook beast on its toes as Zuckerburg introduced increased privacy settings and the social grouping feature to combat two of the site’s most innovative attributes.
7. The Angry Birds phenomenon: The most popular app of 2011, Angry Birds has become a sensation taking over tablets and smartphones across the world. The wildly addictive game has become a global brand with t-shirts, stuffed animals and other merchandise flying off of store shelves faster than you can launch an angry bird at an evil pig with a slingshot. Angry Birds was the top paid app in Apple’s app store, but Words with Friends came in a close second in a recent poll.

1. DIY Charging Station

Steal:  Free

Strapped for cash this holiday season?  Instead of buying a holiday gadget as a gift, you can make one!  Follow this tutorial to convert pre-made boxes into a giftable padded charging station.

2.  Belkin Conserve Socket Energy-Saving Outlet

Steal:  $10

This earth-friendly gift is perfect for your “green” friends, concerned with conversing energy consumption.  The socket has an easy on-off switch and a programmable timer so you can run your coffee maker, TV, or curling iron for a specified amount of time.

3.  Joby GorillaPod Micro

Steal:  $20

The Joby GorillaPod Micro is for the photographer on the go.  Small and portable, the tripod helps you steady your digital camera at the perfect angle, no matter what the environment.  It screws into a point-and-shoot camera’s tripod mount and props the camera on a flat surface for shake-free shooting.

4.  J5 Create Wormhole KM Switch

Spend:  $30

Featured on the “Inc. 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Editor’s Picks”, this gadget allows you to share files and interact between two devices, including computers, tablets and smartphones.  The USB cable even allows you to control the two devices with the same keyboard and mouse.

5.  Marmot Connect Gloves

Spend:  $30

Have tech-obsessed friends who hate the cold?  Marmot Connect gloves protects your hands from the cold while interacting with touch screen devices.  The gloves are designed specifically to work with smartphones and tablets without taking them off.

6.  Roku Internet TV Players

Splurge:  $50

According to Time Techland’s “Tech Buyers’ Guide 2011”, Roku’s Internet streaming-video players are among the best boxes you can hook up to your HDTV.  They are easy to set up and provide a wide selection of content, from Netflix, to Hulu, Amazon and HBO GO.

7.  Griffin Beacon Universal Remote

Splurge:  $70

Home entertainment systems have evolved immensely over the past few years, while TV remotes have remained annoying pieces of plastic.  Griffin’s Beacon, the remote of the 21^st century, lets you use your smartphone as a net-connected touch screen universal remote, making it easier to find the programs you want to watch.

8.  Fitbit Ultra

Splurge:  $100

There are a variety of tech gadgets available for a fitness fanatic, but the Fitbit Ultra provides the most useful features.  Not only can the device track hours slept, meals eaten, activities completed and calories burned throughout the day, it can also wirelessly transmit that data to a computer, making it much more convenient to use.  After clipping the flash drive-sized device to your waistband or sleeve, you can log into the Fitbit website to see a breakdown of your activity.

1. Target: How can you not love the crazed woman in this year’s series of Black Friday commercials for Target? Whether she’s training in stilettos on an elliptical or running through Target aisles with a chute on her back, the star of this series is impossible to not laugh at!
2. Kohl’s: The addictive tune of Rebecca Black’s loved (and hated) Friday song takes on a new meaning in Kohl’s “Black Friday” commercial.
3. Best Buy: Best Buy challenges Santa to a “game on” in their new Black Friday commercial, advertising tons of electronic specials for under $100.
4. Macy’s: For the first time ever it is definitely not teenage girls screaming for Justin Bieber in Macy’s Black Friday commercials!

Happy Shopping!

In our example, we have a photograph of a man in a captain’s uniform. The picture is taken on an overcast day on land, which doesn’t lend much in the way of meaning. By adding a blue sky, a view of the ocean and a small glimpse of boat railings, the image is given a new life. Not only are colors more vibrant, but context is provided that didn’t previously exist.

Whether it’s something as complex as changing a background, or something as simple as color enhancement and detail cleanup, using Photoshop to enhance your images can add both new meaning and professionalism to your campaign.

Before

After

With 81 percent of B2B companies maintaining company-related profiles on social networks (source: Business.com’s 2009 Business Social Media Benchmarking Study), it’s clear that social media is no longer uncharted territory for B2B marketers. So why is it that so many make the leap into new media without the strategy to back it up?

It’s critical to have a larger strategy to guide social media tactics or you may quickly find that you never see a return on the time you invest (unless you just need an excuse to learn how to tweet).

For a company with a miniscule marketing budget and not enough staff to carry out a full-fledged new media campaign, developing a strategy before creating your Twitter or Facebook may seem daunting. John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing developed a social media hierarchy for businesses to follow as they deploy social media tactics. Here are some of the highlights:

• Blogs: Blogging should be the foundation of your social media strategy. Keep up with relevant blogs, stay in-the-know about hot issues and develop content that inspires real engagement.
• Social Search: A social search provides a more personal experience for consumers than traditional advertising. Make use of social search engines such as Yelp to increase and manage your reputation online.
• Facebook: Once you have the content and digital reputation nailed down, take advantage of the potential business prospects on Facebook. Create a dialogue with the surrounding community and keep them coming back to your page with fresh content and ideas. After all, nothing is more disappointing to consumers than a dead Facebook page.
• Twitter: The ultimate tool in the social media marketing mix, Twitter allows for quick tracking and engagement. However, Twitter is at the top of the hierarchy because without the groundwork laid by blogging, social search techniques and Facebook, you may quickly run out of new and appealing tweets.

If social media strategic plans are thoughtfully developed, B2B companies have the potential to build the kind of lasting relationships they want with their clients, jump-starting word-of-mouth and increasing brand loyalty. If you jump on the social media bandwagon without a sound strategy to back it up, you’ll end up with a Twitter account but nothing to tweet, or a Facebook page that no one “likes.” Nobody likes that.

From giant codes on floor length banners to miniature codes in the corner of booth graphics, exhibitors at PACK EXPO incorporated QR codes into their graphics and marketing materials in innovative ways. Several lucky scanners left Las Vegas with new iPads compliments of QR technology and thousands left with resources such as videos, brochures and company websites directly on their smart phones. In the age of the user-generated experience, what could be better than using QR codes to engage with prospective clients even after they’ve left your trade show booth?

Though QR codes dominated the show floor at PACK EXPO 2011, QR technology is still relatively new in the business-to-business industry. Codes at the show were accompanied by explicit directions for attendees such as “Scan me with your smart phone for more information” or “Scan the QR code to win.” With the endless opportunities and creative ways to incorporate QR codes into a trade show exhibit, we can’t wait to see what role QR codes play in MODEX 2012!

Intelligrated incorporated QR codes into their booth graphics, allowing users to instantly download a brochure supplementing the information presented at the booth.

QR codes that entered users into contests for great prizes were popular at PACK EXPO (after all, you do come to Vegas to win!).

This larger-than-life QR code was hard to miss, even on the busy PACK EXPO show floor.

At first glance you may have missed DuPont's use of a QR code, as it blends in perfectly with their square-patterned signage.

As anyone who reads or watches the news is aware, the Seattle student and her former Italian boyfriend were just acquitted in the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, in 2007. Their arrest launched an OJ-Simpson-style trial by public opinion, unprecedented in Italy, and fueled primarily by media manipulation and leverage.

The case was irresistible to the media. A young, attractive and affluent American girl studies abroad. She discovers the bar and drug scene there, gets a cute boyfriend. Her roommate is suddenly and violently killed in what appeared to be an erotic game turned violent. Whatever the facts were, and we may never really know, the intersection of the good girl/bad girl story, sex, and murder sells papers, translates into ratings, and breeds online buzz. No one but the defendants and the victim’s family had any stake in the outcome, but from Florentine cafes to Starbucks in Seattle, everyone seemed to have an opinion, and it was usually about Amanda Knox’s character.

From the beginning, both sides knew that the nature of this story demanded strategic public and media relations. Unlike most high-profile cases that draw this level of attention, the players were not celebrities, politicians, or executives. However, they had to fight with high-caliber weapons in order to leverage coverage and opinion in their favor. Early in the case, the prosecution and police leaked information to the media to paint a titillating and very unfavorable picture of Knox and her personal behavior. This would help them build a public case against a very charismatic foreign woman who could slip through the cracks and walk free. On the other side, the Knox family, fighting a foreign justice system and media, used their resources to retain a well-known Seattle PR agency, Gogerty-Marriott. The tactics worked. In fact, the Italian media became so polarized that that reporters covering the case were dubbed the “innocentisti” or “colpevolisti” based on whether they believed Knox was innocent or guilty.

After they brought the PR agency on board, the Knox family and their prominent supporters became highly visible on morning talk shows and news programs, regaling the media with tales of the gentle, innocent Amanda they know, a frightened girl fighting a hostile legal system. Websites like Friends of Amanda and Amanda Knox Defense were also created and publicized to support Knox. Just before the verdict was issued, Knox’s father told reporters that the jury should ignore the media and focus on the facts, but also argued prosecutors had used the media to their advantage early in the trial. Meanwhile, the victim’s brother said the family had not wanted to speak publicly, but felt compelled to do so because of Knox’s “PR machine.” The Kercher’s lawyer also proclaimed, “They have done a huge public relations campaign to free her that has created a fog around the trial.”

The four year trial process and PR war between the Italian prosecution and the “friends of Amanda,” culminated on Monday in a courtroom scene where lawyers accused Knox of being a “she-devil” served by a $1  million dollar publicity campaign, jurors openly wept, and protestors hissed outside among throngs of international reporters. Bolstered by a capable defense team and perhaps an even stronger army of publicists, Knox walked free. The verdict will be challenged and the coming week will bring even more media analysis. How well did this PR strategy work in a legal battle? Watch the news, the tabloids, entertainment news, exclusive interviews, and read Amanda’s multimillion-dollar memoir to find out.

When calculating the ROI of marketing expenditures, most marketers are tempted to abandon qualitative success measures in favor of quantifiable lead generation.

To track overall marketing effectiveness, you need to measure trending movements in both softer and harder metrics, from brand awareness and market positioning to business leads and sales volume increases.

However, tracking marketing metrics requires tracking, accountability and support at the highest level between marketing and sales personnel.

Before starting a credible measurement program, you should determine the following baseline indicators:

1. What are the historical purchasing patterns of the company’s existing customer base?
2. Which customers drive the greatest revenue, and why?
3. What messaging/programming have customers responded to most?
4. What programs drive the greatest revenue?
5. Which products or services generate the greatest revenues for the company?
6. What is the general level of awareness of the brand, and its perceived value in the marketplace?
7. What is the total value of the market, and its current and forecasted drivers?
8. Who are the major competitors, what is their market share, and how do you position your products against theirs?

These questions and answers are typically part of a formal marketing plan, but keep in mind that they may need to be modified as the marketing landscape changes.