The time has arrived where  brands have jumped on the bandwagon  to engage the consumer. In the case of some of the BIG brands, they are now ready to engage their customers in realtime via video. As per comscore media in January 2009, Canada had an online reach of  88%, United Kingdom had an online reach of 81%, Germany had an online reach of 82%, France had an online reach of 82% and the United States had an online reach of 76%. These are definitely numbers worth paying attention to!!!!!!!
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These days, for most companies this question is their biggest fear. Marketers grapple with the assumption that as soon as we enter the world of social media, we are opening ourselves up to the brand bashing bad-vocates.
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Many months back I wrote about the Korean BBQ street vendor: a guy who had an idea for tacos—that featured Korean BBQ. He parked outside of the clubs late at night for weeks with no action. He  then went to the famed Robinson Blvd. where the famous Ivey restaurant resides and the paparazzi shoot the lunching celebrities……still no action. Next up was Twitter and Facebook…and before he knew it, the line ups were around the block.
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Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your ongoing support and for all the comments and connections that we are making with our readers. Linkedin groups and connections have been really great and we are so happy to hear from everyone regarding our posts. Keep it coming!

We would love to connect with you on Facebook and have added a fan box for BCAD Group on this blog. We want to build a community where we can have an ongoing dialog about the many ideas we write about on this blog and the issues we haven’t yet touched: your thoughts or whatever may be on your mind!

We want to know—Who Do You Think You Are Talking To?

Best Nicole

I have been watching Whole Foods for a while now and have used their example in the world of social media to many clients. As a fan of the Whole Foods grocery store (even when those delicate personal conversations have touched a nerve), it is a  place where you can get organic foods—both prepared and fresh—with a sense of community attached in the shopping experience. And as a business model, Whole Foods lends itself to social media quite beautifully.
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This is such a great story from the Associated Press. It definitely demonstrates the power of being resourceful, creative and tenacious no matter what the circumstances. I love the fact that we all have a story and using social media as an outlet to let that story be heard can lead to the most magnificent things. Bravo to Brianna Karp who, when she wound up in a situation where she had lost a good paying job and eventually found herself homeless, used the time during her job search to blog about being homeless. http://girlsguidetohomelessness.com
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I sign up for many ezines, blogs, rss feeds and newsletters. After a time, you find that some of them no longer provide you the info you need or want. Maybe you don’t have the time to read the mountains of information you thought you could and sometimes you decide you just want to opt out.
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I came across this small article today in Canada’s National Post newspaper and thought it would be fun to post. I spend much of the time on this blog sharing all the great information I read everyday about our favorite topic—new media. So to change it up, I thought I would do something different.
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Hi everyone. I apologize for the lack of posts. I have had a series of technical challenges that has made it difficult for me to post for the last two weeks. I hope to get everything rectified in the next few days and get back on track.
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In my last several posts I have provided case studies and all sorts of information about why your company needs to engage in social media. I would be remiss if I didn’t show some results. I wrote about the Ford Fiesta campaign where they gave 100 people Ford Fiesta cars for 6 months and asked them to blog, tweet, participate on Facebook and Youtube about their experiences. Ford—at the onset of the fall of the American Auto industry—dove right in and took the lead in terms of their use of social media. They are living proof (virtually speaking) that by integrating social media tools into your marketing strategy, you not only can successfully build a brand but also extend your reach. Letting the customer own the relationship and share that with others, leverages the credibility of a product or service in a way that the company itself just cannot do.
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