Last week my friend Danny Brown posted on the ROI of social media. Now instead of dollars and cents, he looked at how we all give back to our communities. After dwelling on it for a week or so, here’s how I plan on reinvesting into all of you.

I appreciate you coming to this site whether its your first or 50th visit. Let me know how I can repay you in 2011.

Puma has been doing some pretty cool things lately. And while this one is not Savage Garden cool, it is a very revolutionary idea in not only packaging but also in corporate sustainability.

By removing the boxes, Puma may save some coin, however when adding the bag concept, the company reduces their waste and also can showcase the impact the impact it makes on their carbon “paw” print. The bags also serve as a bonus for the customers and can be used to carry shoes or other items after the shoes are taken out.

Bravo Puma.

Now when I saw this commercial yesterday online, it didn’t really come across as all that appealing. However when vegging out in front of the tube, I could see the real beauty behind the commercial.

Like most e-retailers 1-800 Contacts relies on the Web to sell their products.  There are many products that can get away with the lack of personality of the Internet. Buying glasses and contacts is a personal transaction. You need these things to see so there has to be a level of trust to make the transaction.

This over-dramatization of the guy being special, the commercial brings a personality to the brand. It says hey, we care about you and hey – you’re special. It’s so cheesy that you can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy.

For a brand this is a good connotation, because at the end of the day, the vendor is being trusted with your sight. I don’t wear contacts and don’t plan on wearing them, but my wife orders from them so I generally have a good opinion of the company.

While the commercial gives me that good feeling, I also wonder if it tries too hard. It kind of seems like they are trying too hard. Does this over-compensation for being special hide something about the online contact vendor? Or is it just my cynical nature kicking in?

I love this video from Jimmy Kimmel and Tom Arnold. Beware of the killer Peeps, who would have thought they could kill you in more ways than one?

I decided to do this video after reading this Mashable article where CNN dubbed Facebook as a major competitor. Instead of worrying about beating Facebook, CNN should look to partner with the social giant to crush their traditional competitors.  What do you think?

In the 90′s Nike ran a campaign where Charles Barkley noted that he wasn’t a role model. Given their slot as Tiger’s biggest endorser, do you think  they would do a similar commercial as Tiger heads back to dominate the PGA Tour? I would love to see it and it would go viral but not sure if they’d risk it.  This whole idea came out of Christina Khoury’s blog post today, but i think that it could work. How about you?

Pros

• Opens up the new look of Tiger. Golfer not a role model
• May appeal to golf’s male audience
• Can help launch new brand based on performance
• Viral sensation

Cons

• Are you serious?
• Opens up Tiger’s credibility as a person to look up to
• Could hurt existing image/brand

Given the title of this book, there will be big kid words used. If you are offended by the, please check back tomorrow or browse some of my other posts that may suit you better.

This is my video book review of Assholeology: The Science Behind Getting Your Way – and Getting Away with it (Amazon Aff. Link) from Chris Illuminati, Dennis LaValle and Stephen B. Green. The book is an interesting self-help guide to becoming an AH. It is a quick read that provides laughs and some great tips to getting what you want in your life – only caveat is that you may be called an AH. I would check it out if you need a good laugh.

After years of thinking the Internet was made of Skittles and Unicorn poop, my world has been shattered. Gabe & Max break it down in a viral video that makes you wonder what you ever did before seeing it (click here if you can’t view it). You will thank me for wasting the five minutes of your time. I still wonder if they were serious or if the gum popping was a cruel joke.

Steve Garfield’s Get Seen (click here if you can’t view the video) is a great book to pick up for novices and experts alike in the realm of video. On top of being a helpful how-to on all things Web video related, the book also walks you through setting up blogs to host the video.

The tips within the book helped get this video picked up by both CNN and the BBC. If only the BBC would send me the link, bloody wankers. So if I can do it, so can you.

Hell, my cat Mookie is even a fan. You can pick up your copy for less by visiting this link (ad) – Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business (The New Rules of Social Media)

If you are an author or flack for a publishing company or author and would like your book reviewed, feel free to contact me.

I have never been a real fan of Jimmy Fallon. Granted his Nomah SNL skits were hysterical, but as a comic, he really wasn’t relevant.

That seems to have all changed with his new spot on the late night circuit. However he has found a way to make himself relevant. Last week, I heard all about the incident where Fallon invited Steve Garfield on the show after a debate on what a video blog was. This shows relevance, however his recent video featured on Mashable today hits that while also poking fun at Billy ray Cyrus. It’s especially comical given Cyrus’ insistence on staying in the spotlight from his daughter’s fame. Enjoy.

Is there ever an original thought anymore? It’s tough to find in the world of music with all of the samples and it doesn’t

Image Comedy Central

seem like there’s a flick that hits the theaters that wasn’t made 30-some-odd years ago or was on the smaller screen on Saturday mornings (here and here). Even the world of literature which screams originality, tends to borrow from stories past. As does our government, one would only need to look at Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to hear the words of Change 1.0.

I found myself wondering the same thing about the business marketing industry as my boss and I pondered ideas for a contest after reading the story about Netflix awarding a cold million to the winners of their three-year old contest to improve their movie prediction tool. The contest seemed original to us for all of an hour or so when Mashable posted this nugget about PayPal.  It was kind of disheartening throwing contest ideas off one another only to say Didn’t so-and-so do that contest, heck even the contest that we are currently running, has been done before.

It almost felt like we were stuck in that episode of South Park where the shows creators mocked their own originality in an episode called Simpsons Did It.  Every creative thought was met with a sarcastic Simpsons did it, in an homage of sorts for the classic Fox series.

With the overall lack of original ideas out there, I wonder if it is the idea that matters or if it is in the delivery.  I am a firm believer in the proof being in the pudding, so the success hinges on how well the campaign is executed that ultimately will determine a company’s success. Afterall with human life being thousands of years old, there is a good chance that whatever you are thinking, it has been done before. If not, by a person, I am sure that the Simpsons did it first.

What is social media? What can it do for me? How can I become an active participant?

All three are probably questions that you should know the answer to if you are looking to enter the Social Sphere, either as an individual to comment and network or as a company looking to engage with your customer base. Granted, the answers come with time, but you should have an idea in place as you take the leap into this realm.

I for one first went into the space as a skeptic, not knowing whether or not it was a fad, trend or a mix of both destined to go the way of MySpace (yes it still exists).  After dipping my toes in, I am glad to say that I was wrong and have since become an an advocate, active user and company monitor for brand, reputation and trademark purposes. All that I can say about it is what a difference a year makes.

While I have been very video-happy lately, I can’t help but passing this one along from my good friend Bob Cargill (& here) that dives into my initial three unanswered questions along with some others that you should consider. Give it a look and enjoy.

Have you answered the questions? Why are you in the social sphere?

As many PR pros know, providing a value back to your company or client is the extreme goal. While on the traditional PR front, its easy to track back results to hits, awards or press release views to an extent, tracking success of social media has been more of a head scratcher.

Sure Radian6 can tell you the sentiment and conversation count and free web apps like TweetStats can tell you how many Tweets you do both personally and professionally with breakdown by day and other statistics. The problem is that number don’t work for PR folks. We all excel in writing and also communications so how do we grade success? It’s a question that many of us struggle with, however, I think we can make  a case for stories and positive unsolicited interactions that pop-up every now and then.

Earlier today, I came across a video from a customer that I interacted with on Twitter, that’s a perfect example of making an impact in the space.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUcCsf9PUMs]

I saw this today in a Tweet from @Magichat today and thought that this could be one of the greatest inventions of all time. That is until you have a few pops and cans start smashing against the wall.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oUWCLBKK3E]

A while ago, I posted about about the Fillet ‘O Fish commercial from McDonalds that I loathe. I saw this commercial and had two things pop into my head:

1. Will this catch on as well as the annoying McD’s song
2. How hurting for cash is Sir Mix A Lot?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5X4TSbGreA]