NBC’s “The New Normal” (Photo Credit- NBC)

On Monday, MMC’s Ronna Waldman and I joined 2,000 of my closest friends, including Mathew Perry (someone please find Chandler another hit show), Christina Aguilera (The Voice has become somewhat of a savior for NBC and will now anchor two nights), Ellen Barkin, Adam Levine and Anne Heche at Radio City Music Hall as NBC became the first network to officially announce its primetime fall line-up. The network, in dismal 4th place in ratings (behind ABC, CBS, and Fox), brought out its stars as it tries to stage a comeback in primetime. With an estimated $9 billion in advertising dollars up for grabs in network TV, do you blame them?

But wait, we are in PR; why do we care about the Upfronts – and what are they, anyway? The Upfronts occur each May, when the major networks (and cable affiliates) unveil their new shows in grand fashion for the upcoming TV season. This is when they sell 80-90 percent of their ad time inventory to advertisers “up front” – several months before the television season begins. This is also the time when advertisers leverage their total ad spend to negotiate branded integrations during the next TV season.

This is why we care.

When MMC develops Big Ideas for clients, we don’t just think about how to generate earned media or motivate consumers to visit a Facebook page; we think about communications holistically. That means we consider how to, among other things, generate authentic branded content that resonates with both media and consumers; as well as work on identifying the right voice (spokesperson) to communicate messages. Having our hand on the pulse of the next season’s lineup puts us at an advantage when we create branded integrations – an area our clients now rely heavily on us for as we make it feel “earned” versus “paid.”

And since new hit shows create big stars, this is the perfect place to be on the lookout for new brand spokespeople. Several years ago, after attending and reviewing the new shows, I put the following unknown names on a watch list – you’ve probably heard of them now: Melissa McCarthy, Sofia Vergara, Zooey Deschanel.

Here is our take on some of the shows we feel might make it or are teetering on the fence:

NBC

• Go On — Matthew Perry returns to NBC and teams up with the creators of Friends to create this dark comedy about a sportscaster who attends group therapy sessions to help him move on from a loss. He subsequently finds them to be a surprising support system. On the fence on this one; although NBC is airing it right after breakout hit The Voice in hopes of gaining traction – let’s see.
• New Normal — Created by Glee alumn Ryan Murphy, this is a tale of a young gay couple played by Andrew Rannells (Girls) and Justin Bartha (The Hangover), and the woman who is the surrogate mother to their expanding family (Georgia King, Skins). The single-camera comedy will also feature Ellen Barkin and NeNe Leaks as characters in recurring roles. This show has promise, although it is initially slated to air right after Go On – and if that show does not gain traction, this show could lose viewers.
• Guys with Kids –  Exec produced by Jimmy Fallon, it’s a show that stars Anthony Anderson (Law & Order), Jesse Bradford (The West Wing) and Zach Cregger (Friends With Benefits) as three 30-something guys who appreciate the adventures of parenting although they haven’t grown up themselves. Rounding out the ensemble are Jamie-Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos), Sara Rue (Guidelines of Engagement) and Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Demonstrate). Fallon is the golden child of NBC, so even if the show does not initially do well, NBC will move it around until it does as they have ordered a full season.
• Do No Harm – a mid-season show that Stars Steven Pasquale — who recently appeared on NBC’s freshman comedy Up All Night as Luke, Ava’s boss Yvonne’s right hand man — as a brain surgeon who struggles to control his dangerous alter-ego. Phylicia Rashad, of Cosby Show fame, is set to co-star in the drama. Interesting concept, has potential.

FOX

• The Following – being touted as the next 24, Kevin Bacon stars in this mid-season show where he plays a former FBI agent, who is now tracking a vast network of serial killers. The drama is from Kevin Williamson (Vampire Diaries, Dawson’s Creek).  Yes, a good one.
• The Mindy Project — written and starring Mindy Kaling (The Office). Of note, NBC, the network where Kaling cut her comedic chops, took a pass on the project – so let’s see. Fox is giving it a good shot though, slating it in following breakout hit New Girl. Has potential.

CBS

• Partners — Michael Urie and David Krumholtz play friends and business partners — one gay, one straight — whose relationship becomes comically complicated when Krumholtz’s character proposes to his girlfriend. Created by Max Mutchnik from Will & Grace so gives them a good shot; plus in a good timeslot.
• Vegas – Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis star in this period piece set in the 1960s and centered around the true story of Ralph Lamb, a rodeo cowboy turned longtime sheriff of Las Vegas. Great cast, should do well if it can attract the right audience.
• The Job – unscripted reality series from Mark Burnett and Michael Davies. Enough said – Burnett is gold.

ABC

• 666 Park Ave — Based on the book series by Gabriella Pierce, at 666 Park Avenue. When Jane Van Veen (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable), an idealistic young couple from the Midwest, are offered the opportunity to manage the historic building, they not only fall prey to the machinations of Doran and his mysterious wife, Olivia (Vanessa Williams), but unwittingly begin to experience the shadowy, supernatural forces. This is airing on Sunday and people have become used to seeing Williams here in Desperate Housewives, so people may tune in.
• Nashville– a family soap that follows two musicians — the star (Connie Britton) and the star-in-training (Hayden Panettiere) — through the country music scene. Also starring Eric Close, Powers Booth and Jonathan Jackson. Country is hot, could do well if the right audience tunes in.
• How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) — Polly (Sarah Chalke) is a single mom who’s been divorced for almost a year. The transition wasn’t easy for her, especially in this economy. So, like a lot of young people living in this new reality, she and her daughter, Natalie (Rachel Eggleston), have moved back home with her eccentric parents, Elaine (Elizabeth Perkins) and Max (Brad Garrett). Right cast, could do well.

CW

• The Carrie Diaries — starring AnnaSophia Robb as the incomparable and iconic Carrie Bradshaw growing up in the 1980s, will follow in Gossip Girls stylish heels at 9:00-10:00 p.m. This show will likely do very well given continued interest in Sex and the City and the show’s timeslot.

So which shows do you think will do well this year.  Check out each Network’s web site:

• http://www.nbc.com/shows/
• http://www.fox.com/
• http://www.cbs.com/shows/new_season_central/
• http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/new-shows
• http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-cw-2012-2013-primetime-schedule-23056/

Photo Credit: Foodies Unite

Moscato is quickly becoming the newest wine craze, especially with women and Millennials.  Last year, it grew by an astounding 78%, according to a recent Nielsen survey.  The New York Post recently proclaimed that “Moscato is the new Cristal.” The wine has been woven into the lyrics of hip-hop tastemakers like Drake, Kanye West, and Lil’ Kim. Real Housewife of Atlanta NeNe Leakes is developing a “Miss Moscato” line.

Asked to weigh in on the wines for my Millennial brother’s wedding, I knew Moscato’s pleasant floral aroma and slightly sweet taste would satisfy the guests, whether they were regular or occasional wine drinkers. Moscato is very easy to drink – especially if you like soda – and it’s not “sour” or “tart” to new wine drinkers.

As a wine lover and marketer, I’m very excited that new people are appreciating wine—the more the merrier! To all the other amazing wines longing for mass success, I say, hurry up! Prepare for the inevitable wane of Moscato mania (remember white Zinfandel?). According to Wine Spectator, “the sudden surge in demand has put a strain on worldwide supply” of Moscato.

So in a Moscato-lusting environment, what can non-Moscato wines do?

First, understand your audience and their habits. Millennials love Moscato, and older Millennials (26-34) specifically are the largest segment drinking wine when dining out, according to the Wine Market Council’s 2011 consumer trend report.  So if you are marketing a wine with a similar slightly sweet taste like Gewürztraminers, Chenin Blanc or off-dry Riesling, consider reaching Moscato-loving Millennials by building loyalty with sommeliers and beverage directors who create restaurant wine lists – especially price-friendly ones – as well as through special restaurant promotions.

Here are some initial questions wine producers should consider if they are targeting the wine-loving Millennial:

1. What provocative call to action (think: Summer of Riesling) will encourage Millennials and the trade to sample?
2. How can you encourage sommeliers and beverage directors to recommend your wine as an alternative to Moscato?
3. Where else can you reach Millennials?
4. Who can speak for your wine in ways that Millennials relate/aspire to and believe in?
5. How can you sustain that interest over time?

I look forward to enjoying a wider variety of wines with my Millennial sister-in-law over the next several years, and, of course, helping wine producers capture their rightful share of this wine-loving target.

Good afternoon, one and all, and welcome to today’s edition of Five for Friday!

Pre-IPO Facebook buzz dominated our feeds this week – guess everyone’s getting excited (or not) about the “Big Day.”

As we head into the weekend, we thought we’d share a handful of headlines that caught our eye – please read on…

A new study conducted by the Harvard Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab suggests that using Social Media platforms to talk about oneself engages portions of the brain that are responsible for love, pleasure and rewards. Curiously enough, these are the same sections of the brain that are active when having sex or enjoying a good meal. The good feeling that is associated with posting about oneself explains why 80% of the average user’s posts consist of self-disclosure. It might also explain the growth and success of Social Media… (Source: TODAY Health).

Facebook has quietly resurrected their App Center, taking a second (or is it third?) crack at introducing an online marketplace in the mold of the iTunes App Store or Google Play. Expected to go launch in the weeks ahead, the App Center would feature a host of free and paid (!) apps designed for the Web, iOS and Android operating systems. For Facebook, the appeal of a centralized marketplace is clear: it give users more ways to stay on the Network for longer periods of time, it serves as an additional source of revenue AND it gives Facebook a new carrot to dangle in front of marketers… (Source: Facebook Developers Blog).

Young adults across the world are starting to feel the burn from maintaining their Social Media profiles, according to a new survey. Over 50% find it all “too time consuming” and concede that their activities on these channels have had a negative impact on their jobs and studies. Nearly half (47%) of the respondents said that managing their Social profiles felt more like a chore while a significant number admitted to logging on while on dates (13%), while in bed with their partners (11%) and even during intimate moments (7%)… (Source: TODAYonline).

In response to increased interest in cloud-based file-sharing, Facebook has introduced a new feature for members of Facebook Groups. First reported by Mashable, the service – which leverages technology and assets purchased from Drop.io in October 2010 – will facilitate the sharing of large files among an estimated 380 million users… (Source: LA Times).

In a bid to pull more users away from Google, Microsoft is rolling out the most significant revamp of its Bing tool since the service debuted in 2009. Leveraging its relationship with Facebook, Microsoft plans to introduce a slew of new features that will personalize the Search experience and make it even more relevant to users. The new format will incorporate three columns: search results on the far left, a snapshot of related services in the center and Facebook connections on the far right. The snapshot column is designed to help users take actions (like “RSVP” or “buy”) while the connections (or “friend”) column will allow users to post questions to their contacts while they’re conducting their searches… (Source: eWeek).

So what would you add to the above? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!

Photo Credit: Gigaom.com

A dominating topic at the first annual Cynopsis Sports Business Summit, where industry leaders gathered to talk about emerging trends in sports marketing, was “TV Everywhere.”  TV Everywhere is the concept of accessibility to premium content (movies, TV sports, etc.) online via a variety of display devices including PC, mobile and TV.  It can either be seen via the first screen (the standard channel fans use to consume news/sports – television) or second screen  (where viewers can optimize their television experience via apps like Into Now, Miso, GetGlue, or Viggle; descriptions below).  There was general agreement that marketers have huge opportunities to leverage the second screen to enhance engagement and brand loyalty.

Today, over 77 million homes in the US have “TV Everywhere” capabilities, which means those households can access second screen at home (i.e., iPad/tablet, mobile). Additionally there is a 50/50 usage rate between mobile and tablets. Marketers have generally found second screen users are highly engaged because they are actively seeking insider information and see the web, with its infinite opportunities, as the avenue to get that information.

Second screen is not without its disadvantages. Marketers have a hard time conceptualizing the return on investment because it’s extremely difficult to authenticate users. For example, consumers have to log in using their cable username and password for second screen apps HBO Go and Watch ESPN. However, most consumers do not know that information. And while “TV Everywhere” is meant to enhance an experience, a lot of wireless devices do not work while they are in a sports stadium. Fans are still continuing to attend games for the live experience, but with second screen and HDTV, they now expect more. So how can brands capitalize on this need to make that experience richer?

MMC has been leveraging the second screen experience at sporting events for a number of clients, providing behind-the-scenes access and insider information about spokespeople via video, exclusive photos and pre-launch teasers for Facebook fans. The key is to provide real-time updates via our client’s social media channels to keep fans engaged. As the idea of “TV Everywhere” continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see where marketers take the second screen concept.

Current trending second screen apps include:

• Into Now – real-time identification of the show you are watching and then connecting viewers to different information to bring them enhanced engagement (i.e., football game statistics)
• Miso – users can check into television shows to get a 360º experience that provides information such as what the cast is wearing, trivia, funny quotes and where they can purchase products
• GetGlue – social sites where users can see what their friends like in terms of books, TV shows and music and get recommendations based on their interests
• Viggle  – a loyalty program for television that gives people real rewards for checking into the television shows they’re watching

Happy Friday Star Wars Day, everyone, and welcome to Five for Friday! Our RSS feeds were glowing hotter than a lightsaber this week – lots of Social Media news to share! Followed are a few of the headlines that caught our eye:

A near majority of consumers – 93%, in fact – believe that companies fail to exceed their customer service expectations. According to American Express’ updated Global Customer Service Barometer, businesses would do well to over-service those who use Social Media to resolve issues: not only are these individuals more vocal when sharing their experiences, but they spend 21% more on Brands who deliver… (Source: American Express).

Before a committee of industry representatives, White House VIPs and members of the U.S. Senate, the Federal Bureau of Investigation put forth a controversial proposal that would require companies like Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo!, and Google to alter their code to ensure it’s “wiretap-friendly.” If approved, services affected would include Social Networking, VoIP, Instant Messaging and Web-based e-mail… (Source: CNET).

The results of a new study show that in-store messaging plays a significant role in driving impulse buys and impacting Brand decisions, particularly among Moms. Data shared by SymphonyIRI suggests that these consumers are more likely to be influenced by in-store kiosks (53%), signs or displays (68%) and in-store circulars (30%). Other high-ranking factors included product packaging, discounts offered through shopper loyalty cards and coupons downloaded from retailer or couponing websites (70%), manufacturer websites (65%) and Social Media channels (49%)… (Source: SymphonyIRI).

With so many companies focusing on eCommerce these days, it’s so important to know that the iPad accounts for nearly two-thirds of all mobile shopping sessions, and an impressive 89% of all mobile shopping revenue. With mobile’s share of total retail climbing to 4.6% in March 2012 (from 1.9% in April 2011), this means that the Apple’s game-changing device now accounts for more than 4% of total retail revenue… (Source: RichRelevance).

On Thursday, Facebook made a new feature available to local businesses: Facebook Offers. A self-serve tool that allows for the free and simple creation of downloadable coupons that can be shared via a Brand’s News Feed, Offers was first announced at the fMC back in February. In the time since, it’s been in private testing with a select group. Now open to all, Facebook is hoping Offers takes off for at least two reasons: (1.) it will prove that the Network has the power to drive fans to physical locations, and (2.) it will encourage Brands to spend more on Facebook advertising… (Source: Facebook).

Have a story to add to above? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!

Photo credit: Rick Rowell/ABC

If you caught GMA this morning, you saw Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg not only give a rare television interview, but announce a new initiative that was designed to save lives.

In honor Donate Life Month, Facebook has enabled their 900+ million users to share their organ donor status. Aimed at generating awareness and urging more people to become organ, eye and tissue donors, the update is slated to appear on our “Timeline” and in the “About” section of our profiles. The new feature is optional, but if you elect to apply it, you will be able to control the degree to which your status is shared.

According to Zuckerberg and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, the initiative was inspired by recent global disasters and the role the Network played in keeping people connected. “We never could have anticipated that what started as a small network would evolve into such a powerful tool for communication and problem solving,” reads their statement. “As this happens, we hope to build tools that help people transform the way we all solve worldwide social problems.”

According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 114,000 people in the US are waiting for a transplant – will you use the new Facebook tool to support the cause?

Happy end-of-week, one and all, and welcome to the latest installment of Five for Friday! We thought we’d switch things up this time around and take a look at Social Media headlines in the world of pharma. Followed are a few caught our eye:

 Data uncovered in a new survey has found that approximately 33% of consumers use Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to interact with health care providers. When it comes to sharing, age is the most significant factor: more than 80% of individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 would be likely to share information via Social platforms, while less than half (45%) of those between the ages of 45 and 64 would be willing to do the same… (Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Health Research Institute).

 A recent blog post reminds marketers that Social Media can work for all companies and brands, even those who conduct business in highly-regulated industries like pharmaceuticals and financial services. Armed with regulatory knowledge and compliance protections, any client can safely engage in and reap the rewards of Social Media, so long as their agencies have a clear understanding of internal and external policies and build controls around their programs… (Source: Ad Age Blogs).

 This week, we came across what we believe to be the first use of Pinterest by a major pharmaceutical company. Built around topics like Business, Sustainability, Innovation and Advertising, Bayer has launched their very own set of pinboards. While engagement with other users appears to be limited, the Company seem to be experimenting with the platform as a means of driving traffic to its other online properties… (Source: Pinterest).

 Built around their “Parkinson’s More Than Motion” program, UCB has turned to Facebook to launch a new US community for patients and their families. Designed to help those affected learn more about the range of symptoms associated with the neurological condition, the campaign will feature what the company says is a unique series of reality videos showing real families living with the disease… (Source: Facebook).

 Posted as an attempt to plead with the FDA to allow her to use a trial drug known as pertuzumab, a highly personal video proved to be a powerful tool for a mother dying of breast cancer. In the clip, bed-ridden subject Darlene Gant holds a letter to her son. Beside her are several others: one written for his 12^th birthday, two more for his high school and college graduations and another for his wedding day. In the clip, Gant explains that she’s writing these letters now, because she doesn’t believe she’ll be around to mark these milestones. Within days of her post, the drug’s manufacturer reached out to her doctors to work out the details of a trial which would fall under the parameters of compassionate use. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Darlene… (Source: YouTube).

 What stories made waves for you this week? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!

I recently had the sensory pleasure of “dining in the dark” at Dans le Noir? with my team of foodies from work. The experience “opened my eyes” to a few interesting insights and questions about how the blind must experience food and nutrition, that one can only understand after dining in complete darkness:

1. Portion control: out the window –  At DLN it takes some effort, and potentially your hands, to figure out how much food is on your plate and how much you’ve actually eaten. Some of us used our sense of touch to “get to know” our food first. I encountered a few off-putting gelatinous items and poked around the plate with my utensils to see that I still had some food left. But I had no idea if I had an actual R.D.-approved serving size of anything. I had to rely on my internal fullness barometer, which is really no different than what we experience when faced with a large portion of food in any restaurant. The difference at DLN is that no one else can see how much you eat!
2. Table manners: out the window— From what I could gather, several people used their hands the entire meal. Using a fork and knife was a challenge—I cut into my eggplant parmesan only to find I had lifted the entire thing onto my fork. I think I heard someone say she simply put her entire face into the dessert. As we recounted the evening, one colleague, said, “I would pay a lot of money for the video of us all – hilarious!”  Indeed, it wasn’t our blind server we had to worry about, rather it was spilling on ourselves or others.
3. Is it healthy? – Aside from the question, “Is it edible?” asked mainly by those who ordered the meat, seafood or “surprise” meals, I found myself wondering how I would determine if something was  healthy if I were blind. Our taste buds and brains work in tandem to let us know what fat tastes like (good), and we can tell when something is too salty, sweet or greasy and such. The key— aha! – is knowing something about the nutrition of foods you are biting into, like the tomato or fig on my appetizer plate.
4. The joy of sharing – Dining in the dark gives new meaning to breaking bread together. Those who had ordered the same meal compared notes aloud as they picked through their dishes to determine what they were eating. Gingerly passing the water pitcher to your neighbor could turn into an intimate moment, so DLN could certainly be considered a strategic place for a date. However, I would be careful about feeding your date. That’s where hands could come in, well, quite handy.
5. I’m not as adventurous as I thought – At the last moment I decided to order the vegetarian option. Perhaps a holdover from my vegetarian 20’s, I simply decided I did not want to fork anything into my mouth and find out after dinner that it was chicken gizzards (yep) or veal (happened) or raw (tuna tartare). I understand at the DLN in London monkey brains were on the menu. No thank you.

As a professional foodie, nutrition is regularly on my brain. I got to thinking that if I were blind I would probably be even more brand loyal than I am now, wanting to be sure of every ingredient and nutrition fact about the foods I consume. Roughly the same number of Americans are legally blind or visually impaired as have nut and peanut allergies or celiac disease, potentially life-threatening conditions that have led to labeling changes. Aside from knowing a food’s ingredients and nutrition facts, the challenges the blind and visually impaired face can range from knowing when a product has expired to instructions for cooking a frozen meal. This poses an interesting marketing challenge and opportunity that I never thought of before dining at Dans le Noir. It’s the little things.

Hope you enjoy the photo of me and my colleagues at the restaurant.

Thanks to our P&G clients being corporate sponsors of her tour, a lucky group of MMC’ers got the chance to see Oprah herself during the taping of Oprah’s Lifeclass at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. The OWN show is focused on being the largest classroom for discussing and applying larger ‘life’ topics. Oprah hosted the show (or class, we should say) centered on non-denominational spirituality, with featured guest and world-renowned spiritual thought-leader Deepak Chopra.  So, for the Oprah fans out there (I mean, who DOESN’T love a good lesson from Oprah herself?) here are the biggest lessons we learned – from both her inspirational words, and how she does what she does best, which is inspiring crowds to act and to follow.

SOCIAL: Social media played a huge part in engaging and rallying the audience. Signs filled the theatre encouraging people to tweet using #Lifeclass, and Oprah herself even pushed the audience to tweet at her with thoughts and questions throughout the show. This was incredibly successful, and #Lifeclass became a twitter trending topic within minutes. Previous Lifeclass students even joined the show via Skype and virtually weighed-in on the live discussions. Oprah also had her personal photographer take a picture of the audience and encouraged everyone to go to the Oprah Winfrey Network Facebook page to tag themselves in the photo. Sometimes we say generating buzz and word of mouth is all about the power of “many,” but when it comes to the power of Oprah, it seems to be just as strong – and when you combine the two, the force behind the social media amplification is unstoppable.

KARMA (and a little irony): When you think Karma, you don’t think Perez Hilton. Although maybe now you should. Oprah’s first guest, Perez Hilton discussed changing the tone of his blog in 2010 to a more positive approach to reflect his new-found spiritual awareness and optimistic outlook on life. The candid chat featured interactive audience questions – both tweeted, and spoken.  Perez certainly served as a real-life example of how Karma can impact every aspect of your life, both negatively and positively. We really took to heart that putting positive energy into the world will make for a more positive life for yourself and others. In our professional lives, we’ve recommitted to focusing on the positive and recognizing others who make a positive impact because it not only will serve us, but our clients and in the end, the world.

BEING PRESENT: Reminiscent of her talk show hosting days, Oprah interviewed a woman who was stuck in her past and living in fear. Her daughters had barely survived a traumatic car accident and this mother was incapable of moving forward. Instead she worried that something else horrible was right around the corner.  Her touching story gave a real world example and highlighted the importance of living in the now.  We’ll always learn from our past experiences, both failures and successes, and those lessons will help inform how we handle the problems we solve on behalf of our clients. However, not letting the fear from a past failure creep into how we handle a current situation is a powerful lesson – and one that we’ll carry with us in our careers.

Oprah-chopra-isms: While the conversation lasted hours, there were a few catchy lines that really left us thinking and ever since, reflecting. We felt these were most worthy of sharing given how thought-provoking we found them to be, not only when it comes how we each live our personal lives, but how we were inspired to take a fresh approach to our work on behalf of our clients and brands:

-          Be present now, don’t get stuck in the past

-          I will use memories, but will not allow memories to use me

-          Truly contemplate the answers to: Who am I? What do I want? When you talk about “who am I?” it shouldn’t involve what you do, or what role you play. It’s not your ego profile. What is the REAL answer to that question? Answering that is the first step to spirituality.

-          The ultimate goal is to be happy. And to be happy, make someone else happy.

-          Personal transformation is the future transformation of the world.

-          Separate the story from the facts.

-          You can believe the diagnosis, but you don’t have to believe the prognosis.

-          We are all spiritual beings, having a human experience.

We talk about taking the 30,000 foot view when strategizing and program planning, but taking this much higher view to our lives and the work we do really made a lasting impact on our team and we know it will translate into our work. It’s clear that Oprah has kept her strong fan base and they’re game to take on this next step in their, and Oprah’s, journey – the energy and the excitement in the room was unlike anything else we’ve experienced.  There are many more lessons that Oprah covered throughout the show, so to watch the full episode, please visit: http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/Full-Episode-Oprahs-Lifeclass-with-Deepak-Chopra-Video

Courtney Smith also contributed to this post.

Happy Friday, all, and welcome to this week’s edition of Five for Friday! Please read on for a handful of headlines that had our feeds buzzing:

Banking on the London 2012 Olympic Games to help build their Brand’s Social reach, companies the world over are in the throes of launching campaigns focused on winning fans and followers, and generating shared media. This week, Procter & Gamble (#client) unveiled its emotionally-charged “Thank You Mom” program, an effort aimed at showing appreciation to the selfless women who’ve not only raised great athletes, but raised great kids… (Source: Various).

With the passing of Dick Clark, the world of pop culture lost an old friend. Within moments of his death, phrases like “DickClark,” “AmericanBandstand” and “NewYearsEve” quickly became trending topics on Twitter, where an estimated 99% of the “Social” conversation continues… (Source: Various).

Published on Wednesday, Time’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World has triggered a lively debate. While the presence of Mashable founder Pete Cashmore, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and investor/entrepreneur Marc Andreesen speaks volumes about the power and influence of Social Media, the absence of others – like Mark Zuckerberg, for example – is somewhat surprising… (Source: Time).

What’s a week without Facebook news? Assuming the SEC approves its preparedness, May 17^th may be the day Facebook hits the NASDAQ. Valued at roughly $100 billion, the Network – a favorite among some 850 million users – is expected to trade shares under the ticker symbol “FB”… (Source: Various).

While we’re on the topic, if you’re a former Facebooker who’s moved on to Pinterest, you might be lured back by a new app that lets you display items from your News Feed, Timeline, Friends list and multimedia in a familiar panel-format. Dubbed PinView, this new tool promises to deliver a Pinterest-like experience to Facebook users and has already set its sights on enhancements like the ability to save favorite posts that can be sorted based on popularity… (Source: Mashable).

What stories rose to the top of your feeds this week? Hit those comments and let’s break it down!