“In 2011, we’ll have a serial epic of public postings in which ‘I’ and ‘my’ feature; postings by and about our very selves, even if we’re just reflecting on what we wear or whom we admire. I’ve spotted this trend and called it mycasting, and it could be as revolutionary as the printing press must have seemed to the pulpit.” —Marian Salzman, president of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, in “Public Mycasting System.”
What will next year look like for social media [...]

“That’s how we do it in the black community; we give back to the people who made us who we are. We never forget that.” —Snoop Dogg (American entertainer, rapper, record producer and actor)
A product or service must be compelling in order for people to be inspired to buy or use it –that’s a given. But really, it’s consumers who raise a brand’s profile and create its reputation. And with interactions between people increasing at an incredible pace everyday because of [...]

“We lived in farms, then we lived in cities, and now we’re gonna live on the Internet!” —Sean Parker (Napster founder) played by Justin Timberlake in The Social Network
Facebook has seen an amazing evolution in 2010. First, its growth is impressive, as it passed 500 million users in July. And don’t believe this is just a place for teens and young adults: As of August, only 28 percent were between 12 and 24! Secondly, a lot of new features have popped up, such as [...]

“A sustainable brand is a brand or company that takes care of five sources of capital, not only industrial and financial capital but also natural, human and social capital” –Fernando Rodés Vilà, CEO of Havas, on CNBC (Watch the interview)
Thirty-one percent of Internet users aged 18-34 and 32 percent of those 35 and older are more likely to buy products from brands that are socially responsible. In the past, brands could influence politics only through lobbying, but I would say [...]

“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” —Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Group
More and more people are first looking online about the product they intend to buy, looking either for information and professional and customer reviews, or for the best deal. Breaking news: Consumers have a brain, and they know how to use it! Enlightened and aware, they are asking for more: purpose, engagement, responsibility, respect, etc. The salesman persuading [...]

“I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.” —Walt Disney (1901-1966)
With advertising, people learn what a person, a brand, a service or a product is and has to offer. I don’t think there is any better way to teach, raise awareness and sales than entertaining. Beyond direct marketing, print and online ads, commercials or product placements, one of the best ways to reach your audience and engage it on the [...]

“My whole career strategy has been to build a base so that I could take the roles I want to play. I’d hate to think that a shorter part might not be available because I was worried about my billing.” —Jack Nicholson
I don’t know any person or brand that doesn’t want to grow and to prosper. Every entity has its own vision of how those two concepts can be realized: besides sales and money, there are presence, respect, recognition, free [...]

“Therefore, having obtained the opportunity from these sources, I too began to consider the mobility of the earth.” —Nicolaus Copernicus (Polish astronomer, 1473–1543)
A lot of communication-related conferences and summits have happened the past few weeks around the world. None of them has avoided social media. I can even say that it was the main topic everywhere. Why? Simply because social media is mainstream, and with that comes greater opportunities.
Let’s understand those opportunities with five recent speeches by the most relevant speakers [...]

“What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.” —David Ogilvy (1911–1999)

It’s a fact that brands can’t be manipulative or overpromising anymore, at the risk of losing credibility and spending a huge amount of money to get back on their feet. It’s a good thing, as they now have to challenge and re-create themselves, finding new ways to leverage based on authenticity, trust and listening, to engage people and raise [...]

Because Hillevi Lausten did a fantastic job this summer, she will keep on writing “The Week in Social Media,” while I’ll develop a social media–related topic every week. So let me introduce you to the spinoff of “The Week in Social Media,” called “Social Media Focus.” Have a good read!
“The next wave of communication and brand creation and building is all about location. This is what will make the ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ worlds come together and it will be lots [...]