Facebook Year In Review 2012 - Trends

Facebook recently released "Facebook's Year in Review, a look back at the people, moments and things that created the most buzz in 2012 among the billion people around the world on Facebook". It's an interesting aggregation of all the news and posting that shape the trends in the US and around the world.

Here's a brief glimpse...

Events

1. US Presidential Election
2. Superbowl XLVI
3. Death of Whitney Houston
4. Superstorm Sandy
5. London 2012 Olympics
6. Death of Trayvon Martin
7. Facebook IPO
8. Aurora Shootings
9. Death of Dick Clark
10. Obama's Endorsement of Gay Marriage

Songs

1. We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) - Fun
2. Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye
3. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
4. What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
5. Payphone – Maroon 5
6. Mercy – Kanye West
7. Some Nights - Fun
8. Home – Phillip Phillips
9. Boyfriend – Justin Bieber
10. Take Care (feat. Rihanna) – Drake

Movies

1. The Hunger Games
2. The Avengers
3. Magic Mike
4. The Vow
5. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
6. 21 Jump Street
7. The Dark Knight Rises
8. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
9. Skyfall
10. Prometheus

Check-Ins

1. Times Square, New York
2. Disneyland, California
3. AT&T Park, California
4. Yankee Stadium, New York
5. Rangers Ballpark, Texas
6. Fenway Park, Massachusetts
7. Dodger Stadium, California
8. Universal Studios, Florida
9. Wrigley Field, Illinois
10. Angel Stadium, California

Public Figures

1. Barack Obama
2. Mitt Romney
3. One Direction
4. Tim Tebow
5. Eli Manning and Peyton Manning (tie)
6. Madonna
7. Honey Boo Boo
8. Jeremy Lin
9. Paul Ryan
10. Phillip Phillips

(via Facebook)

The Society of GOOD TASTE

One of the biggest obstacles brands have with social media, specifically Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest is engaging the consumer and getting them to participate in your page beyond clicking the "Like" button or tweet this to recieve "x". The goal for brands is to capture, engage, and reward. Well, here is a good example of a brand doing this well and creating quite a buzz. 

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of mustard, let alone Grey Poupon, but I have always loved the elitist personality behind the brand. Since the 1980's commercials where very posh Brits in Rolls Royces pull up to one another and ask in a very up nose tone, "Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?" the brand has always stayed true to this superior brand equity.

Now fast forward to present day and they continue this elitist attitude with their new Facebook Page, "The Society of Good Taste". You are not guaranteed entry to the society. They actually check your friends list to ensure you are up to Grey Poupon standards. 

Once you proceed with the application, a brilliant film of your personal Facebook life is previewed in front  of the panel. It's actually really impressive that they can accrue all of that data in a few seconds. I was accepted in the 64th percentile, phew! Once accepted, you are also rewarded with badges and gifts. 

This is one of the few very well executed brand pages I have seen on Facebook. They also have a presence on Pinterest which is very impressive. The use of social media is engaging and the reward of participating is very entertaining. Sucess! 

MOO Inc. Turns Your Facebook Timeline Into Your Business Card

Social media is getting physical. In an increasingly digitized world, with many objects now replaced by digital/virtual counterparts, tangible items are taking on a new allure. The digital world is now making its way into the physical with a range of new services allowing people to get a hold on their social media output, turning it into real-world items.

MOO Inc. offers business cards created from Facebook users’ Timeline images and data, using the same fonts and layout; it includes the person’s Facebook URL.

Concerned About Facebook Privacy? Drink Up

"Thank you Kim, for tagging me in your album: What ever happens in Vegas...!"

A new campaign from South American beer brand Cerveza Norte promotes an improbable new product the company developed with Buenos Aires-based agency Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi. Norte’s Photoblocker is a futuristic beer cooler that purports to do just what its title says: defend drinkers against unwanted interference from amateur paparazzi and day-after embarrassment (or worse).

The cumbersome object--it looks to be the size of a wastebasket one might keep atop their office desk--not only serves as a functional temperature-preserving beer cooler, but it also works to preserve nightclub anonymity. Photoblocker detects camera and cell phone flashes in 360 degrees, reflecting back a powerful flash that instantly destroys all attempted photos.

Now what ever happened in Vegas can actually stay there. 

via Fast Company. See full article here

Plant a Tree!

Courtesy of Chevrolet and The Chevrolet Tree Project, plant a virtual tree on Facebook and in return they'll plant a real one for you. More friends, more trees, less CO2. So what are you waiting for? In just a few clicks, you can plant a tree! Check it out here: The Chevrolet Tree Project