So…i’ve been trying to catch up with Mad Men. I just finished season 1 and starting on season 2 this weekend. I am WAY behind but everyone has been telling me that as the owner of an advertising agency it is a MUST see. Even my staff will sometimes refer to me as Don Draper depending on my mood. Is that a good thing? I’m not totally sure. Anyway… my partner Charlie forwarded me an email of some classic HORRIBLE ads from back in the Mad Men days (50’s – 60’s). They are SO bad I just have to post them. We have a bunch of them but please just scroll through and check them out. I am sure you will be shocked at where our culture was just over 50 years ago. ENJOY!

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As online marketing terms and phrases go, “synergy” is probably one of the most overused. In fact, those of us in the industry hear it so much that sometimes tends to lose its meaning.

Despite that fact, however, it really is the best word to describe what usually happens when social network marketing starts to work. It’s never easy to pinpoint any one tactic or moment; rather, you suddenly find that clusters of new clients and colleagues start coming at you from all angles. What seems to be a useless exercise just a few weeks or months ago suddenly starts yielding monstrous results. You reach a “tipping point” where all of your efforts start to pay off.

How long it takes to reach this point depends largely on you, your business, and what kind of time and effort you put into social network marketing. The easiest way to speed things up, though, is by using all of your tools in concert. In other words, never rely only on Facebook to generate leads, or Twitter to get your message out – instead, be sure that each profile is linked to the others, with a consistent message coming through every blog post, social update, or video you put out into the virtual world.

Additionally, don’t just limit your efforts to what’s online, or even considered “social media.” There’s no reason your print ads can’t mention your Facebook fan page; likewise, Twitter can be a great avenue for broadcasting the sale you’ll be having at your physical retail location in a couple of weeks. Naturally, as we’ve mentioned all along, you’ll want to keep these outright promotions relatively rare when working on social networking sites, but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon them altogether.

Just as you would want the sales and marketing divisions of your company working closely together, so too should your social networking profiles be building on top of each other in your other online and off-line promotional efforts. Take a step back once in a while and check whether all the parts of your marketing advertising are moving in the same direction; synergy might get talked about too much, but that’s only because it’s so beautiful when it happens.

By Les Kollegian

I know it’s not totally new but I still have to say how incredible it is to be on the internet while flying across the country. I have been working with the internet as a designer, creative director and developer since 1996 and never did I think I would see this day and frankly it wasn’t a day too soon. Sure, I admit I don’t have the forward thinking prowess of Tim Berners-Lee (and if you don’t know who he is, look him up!), but my guess is he probably didn’t see this level of connectivity coming either. I will say however that his vision of a Semantic Web (the concept of machines linking to machines creating transactions and links between people and computers) is certainly moving toward fruition with new Mobile Internet Devices (MID’s) and technology moving so fast that even us industry folk can barely keep up with it.

Okay…so why am I bringing this up (other than I just feel like posting something on our Web site while on a plane)? On the way up, while my electronics were inconveniently turned off, I decided to read an article by Jonathan Minder in the Rady Business Journal called “What is Web 3.0?”. He did a great job of breaking down Web 3.0 and what it means to marketing, cloud computing, mobile, privacy, search, operations impact and more. As well, he mentioned how different people argue alternate visions of what Web 3.0 really is. I figured I might as well throw in my 2 cents, so here goes…

The “new” Web is about open and personalized communication. As I type this blog on my iPad with apps that I just used like flight tracker (very cool) to find my gate, arrival and departure info that is updated in real time. I also checked my email, updated appointments on Google calendar, and check out site metrics for our clients and my company using an app called Analytics HD (also very cool), It is reiterated that this content is dynamic and personally delivered to me. Yes…in this case via a mobile Internet device. Now, this is where I agree very much with Mr. Minder in that many businesses are not placing enough importance and priority on mobile usability and content delivery. Believe it or not, we are still educating our smaller business clients on the importance of a blog and SEO. Businesses and marketers need to deliver relevant content, personalized information and communicate to consumers through minimized and quick interactions.

Here are some quick thoughts for our current and prospective clients on what they should be thinking about as they develop or enhance their online presence.

1. Start making your Websites content mobile accessible: If you are currently using Flash, consider adding javascript/JQuery alternatives to ensure your site can be viewed on any mobile Internet devices. There is simple code that can be installed on any site to recognize the type of browser or device a site is currently being viewed, and then deliver the appropriate content.

2. Make your Website mobile friendly: Believe it or not, applying mobile usability design to your Website will not only help consumers on mobile devices access information and complete transactions quickly, but it will also make your Website more usable as well. Keep in mind that Web 3.0 is about many things but mainly it is about open, simple, and personalized transactions and communication. Keep it simple and eliminate clicks so users can solve tasks quickly and get on with their daily business.

3. Deliver great content: Website owners are always surprised when they aren’t increasing their member retention and repeat visits. Don’t be surprised…just deliver content that will keep people coming back. The 1995 mentality of if you build it they will come is long gone. Content is king and not only for site “stickiness” but also for SEO. Next to link building, it’s the only way to really jump up in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

4. Think mobile marketing: 1 to 1 marketing has hit a new level of perfection with the advent of MIDs and the ease of these products use and entry into the market. We can now target individuals in new ways we have not thought imaginable. If you’re not ready to develop specific mobile apps (See my article titled iPhones, Droids, iPads, and Apps:) then at least consider working with mobile social media marketing tools like Foursquare and GoWalla to market your business direct to consumers. Trust me, social media is still in its infancy and will only become more viral and effective in the coming years.

The bottom line with Web 3.0 and its impact on marketing and creating revenue for your business is that we (businesses) now have the opportunity to directly connect with consumers to create successful interactions online. The internet and internet access has come a long way (as shown by this high flying blog) and businesses need to keep up with technology to make the most of their marketing dollars.

In a television commercial spot titled Sony “2-D,” Peyton Manning and Justin Timberlake make another appearance to tout Sony’s prowess in the consumer electronics market. This time, instead of standing before a faux-press conference, the pair are led into Sony’s 3-D television department. Donning Sony’s 3-D glasses, the duo are given a brief run-down on the newest happenings at Sony HQ.

The commercial spot showcases Sony’s development of 3-D technology across a wide range of platforms; movies, Playstation 3 graphics and sports games are all impressively displayed. However, after the “spokesduo” makes their observations, the beautiful Sony HQ tour guide finishes with, “After this, nothing else looks as good.” Manning and Timberlake remove their glasses before the tour guide has a chance to stop them, and at that instant, everything (including Peyton and Justin) in the Sony 3-D HQ turns into 2 dimensional cut-outs that collapse onto the floor only to become 3-D again after returning the glasses to their useful position.

In an industry where success is granted to those who are pushing the creative and technological envelope, Sony’s concept behind the roll out and introduction of their new multi-dimensional integration falls, for lack of a better word, quite flat. Aside from under-utilizing two of the most talented men in their respective fields, Sony has managed to make the most entertaining male guest to grace Saturday Night Live in years (don’t believe me? Look HERE) boring. Then, there’s Peyton, the only football player who can speak let alone act well on screen, who has been forgotten entirely for his hilarious casual banter from the Mastercard TV spots and from previous Sony spots to have been cast silent. For this powerful “spokesduo” to be effective, the writers at 180 LA will have let their stars speak as they have done before; comically and successfully.

Where do you see 3-D entertainment heading in the future and how do you advertise most effectively among such a competitive market?