Innovation is so last year...

Well it's a new year, and I'm all about new beginnings. I'm not a huge believer in New Year's resolutions (my goal to eat healthier never makes it past January), but I do think it's important to focus on new opportunities. This is especially true in the SMM world, because technology is changing by the minute, and you don't want to be late to the party (it's socially and cyber socially unacceptable). So here's my take on the open doors of the new year.

Social Media Opportunities of 2014

• Last year I traveled to France to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and witnessed the introduction of a new category called "Innovation" that honored breakthrough technologies in advertising. Well now it's a new year, which means the Innovation category is, ironically, no longer innovative. But according to this article from Adweek, a new category has been born: Product Design. In addition the festival is modifying the Cyber category to include social media, branded technology, and branded gaming. This signifies that social is becoming more and more important. Brands are now being recognized on a global scale for their social strategies.

• Remember that "sharing is caring." In real life this means that if you like someone, you might share your Barberitos Heavy D nachos with them (*remembers New Year's resolution and decides not to eat an entire plate of nachos alone*). But in social this means that if people don't care about your posts, then they won't share your posts. So use your social platforms wisely. Music festivals, a growing craze among us millennials, are perfect opportunities for this. I've heard from those who have attended that it's hard to articulate just how amazing the experience is. 

  

  "The lights looked like the music sounds. Does that make sense?" "No."
  Follow @JimmyTatro.

  Thus they rely on pictures and hype videos. If brands can somehow insert themselves into the music festival hype, they'll become a part of the experience that is being shared.

• "t-commerce" is the next big thing. H&M is releasing a Super Bowl ad that lets people with Samsung smart TVs use their remote to purchase products from David Beckham's Bodywear line that are featured in the commercial. If H&M combines their social strategy with this campaign (i.e. tweeting at the same time that the commercial airs), they'll be able to hit consumers on multiple platforms. And I mean, who wouldn't want to yank that tank top right off David Beckham? Heyoo!