This will be a busy and fun week for me as I travel to California for the #OCSMS.  Honestly, I can't wait!  Taking part in the Summit, learning from peers and meeting friends face-to-face for the first time is going to be a great experience!  This type of an event, combined with meeting these friends is what fuels me; I love meeting and networking with people that share similar passions that I do.

I finally have the opportunity to meet @RochelleVeturis, @HaleyVeturis and @ChelseyVeturis in person, along with several other Twitter and Facebook friends!  Saying I am excited is a huge understatement!

Over the next week, I plan to publish posts about my trip and this experience, along with an ongoing video series about my California adventure.  I hope you will join me and enjoy the #OCSMS as much a I will! We can all learn from the best in the social media and marketing industry!

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ watch my videos on YouTube and connect with me on LinkedIn. 

You may have seen some Tweets or posts recently that included #OCSMS or references to The Orange County Social Media Summit. If you live in or around Orange County, California, you should sign up and attend!   The Dynamic Duo of Rochelle and Haley Veturis created this event for the social media in Orange County.

I am beyond STOKED and EXCITED to be part of this amazing event! Through the graciousness of Rochelle and the entire team that created #OCSMS, an invitation was extended to me to be part of the Summit.  In addition to meeting the other keynote speakers and panelists, I get to meet several virtual friends in person for the first time. I can't wait!!

Unlike most events, this is a social media event created by the social media community. 

• Created by the social media community, for the social media community in Orange County, enjoy speakers and panelists who started at ground zero, and have found their voice—in different ways—through the “socialmediaphere.”
• No one started off as a huge brand, with a large list of contacts.
• Driven by their passion for people and new media tools, they’ve experienced business success, personal growth, increased web traffic, and scores of other benefits, from simply being present, and being themselves in social media.

Our commitment to you, is to provide a safe and authentic learning environment, where you can come, take notes, ask questions, and connect with people who care. Speakers will lay out their strategies for you, step-by-step. You’ll learn how to think bigger and outside of the box to create breakthrough results.

From blogging, to making videos, to posting tweets and Facebook updates, we’ll cover:

• The top social networks, and benefits and tips about each
• Shortcuts, lots and lots of shortcuts—we’ve worked hard to uncover these secrets, and we’re ready to share them with you
• How to listen to your customers/potential clients, and repurpose their feedback in meaningful ways
• How to create content that will bring you qualified leads
• Easy, ready to use techniques you can employ as you explore, get engaged, and find your personal groove online—whether it’s for business, a favorite cause, or to create your own, solid brand.

Wondering about the keynote speakers?

• They are the real deal; no snake oil salesmen—here.
• Between them, they amass more than 225,040 Twitter followers, 7.6 million friends on Facebook, 627,000 views on YouTube, and more than 10,000 connections on LinkedIn.
• They have each used their power and influence to support worthy causes, that benefit and serve others outside of themselves, including: the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Compassion International, Gavin’s Groupies, Stand Up To Cancer, Cameron Siemers Foundation for Hope, American Red Cross, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Irvine Public Schools Foundation, HomeAid Orange County, Baldwin Park Dogs, and the Amanda Foundation, to name a few.

We look forward to serving you through this fun and informative, full-day event. If you can't attend, you can watch the event via a live stream using the link below. 

Event Hash Tag: #OCSMS

OCSMS Event Registration - http://bit.ly/JUOiLg

OCSMS: Livestreaming link - http://saddleback.com/ocsms

Volunteer Event Producers: @RochelleVeturis and @HaleyVeturis (two-thirds of the O.C. Triumvirate).

Join us in Orange County or via the streaming link!  Connect. Teach. Share.

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

Jump the Shark is a term used to describe the moment when something that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity.  Jon Hein created the phrase after the Happy Days episode where the Fonz literally jumped a shark on water skis.  That episode was labeled as the lowest point of the show.  Also think about Cousin Oliver joining the family on the Brady Bunch and Scrappy Doo joining the Scooby Doo gang.

How does this relate to product placement?  I'm getting there; read on and be patient.

According to Wikipedia, Product placement, or embedded marketing is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, movie videos, television shows or other programs.  It has been around for years, even during the era of silent movies.  In the film Wings (1927), the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, there was a plug for Hershey's chocolate. We have all noticed product placements in our movies and television shows; in other words, it's nothing new.

How has Product Placement Jumped the Shark?  In the upcoming James Bond movie, Skyfall, Bond will not order a martini, shaken, not stirred, but instead order a Heineken Beer.  Oh the humanity!  

Heineken USA is using 007 to boost its flagship beer this year.  The ad campaign will also feature commercials directed by Skyfall's director and staring actor James Craig.

Part of my thought process here is I am a James Bond purest.  I believe the movie franchise was at its pinnacle with the only real James Bond, Sean Connery.  The movies had resurgence with Pierce Brosnan, but to me, all other actors have not been James Bond. I also believe that changing the iconic drink of James Bond is literally changing the character. What's next; a remake of Star Wars with Die Hard batteries powering R2D2?

There is more in play with product placement today. I believe companies, advertising agencies included, are looking for any method to reach their audience.  Movie audiences have changed over the years along with viewing habits.  Most of us are willing to pay a premium for an app that does NOT contain advertisements. We will consume content on OUR schedule and if at all possible skip the advertising.  Major companies believe a captive movie audience is a good method for advertising. How about being more engaging in social media and leave the product placement out of the movie?

To me, we have reached point that product placement has jumped the shark. As consumers, we pay less and less attention to these placements and one reason is because we have become adept at ignoring them, or CHOOSING how we consume content so that we aren't bothered with commercials.  Just one more reason why engaging your audience where they spend their time, in social media, is a good option.

Those are my thoughts, what say you?

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If you search Google for a definition for the word relaxation, here are two options that you will find: 

1.  The act of relaxing or the state of being relaxed.

2.  Refreshment of body or mind; recreation.

Good definitions; here is mine:

We all have different forms of relaxation, but the older I become (insert age joke here), the more I realize the importance of relaxation.

My wife can attest to the fact that when we get away or take time off for vacation, I relax more than I did years ago.  There was a time, when I was in sales, that I was a slave to my cell phone and computer while on vacation.  Not so much anymore.  That doesn't mean I do not keep up with reading or working for my clients if necessary while I'm away; I do, but I take the time to make sure I disconnect and relax.

A friend of mine will not leave his business behind and go away. He literally feels like it won't survive without him.  To me, that is sad on several different levels.  He hasn't built a trust level with anyone that can run his business in his absence and he believes that he is the business. Due to these factors, he rarely takes any time off. 

Our minds, our bodies, our spirits need to disconect. We need to stop thinking and just be at times. For me, as the photo indicates, that includes staring at the water, or listening to the waves.  I've always believed that the sounds of nature are better than any electronic sound manufactured by man.

So, my advice to one and all is to relax.  Whatever that means to you. Read a book, take a walk, get on a cruise ship with no Internet connectivity or just unplug for a day.  You may be amazed at how refereshed you become after relaxing.

How do you prefer to relax?

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We have all seen Infographics around the web.  Some of them funny, some serious and some just plain werid.  If case you didn't know, an Infographic is a visual representations of information, data or knowledge.  

Thanks to the rising visualization company Visual.ly, you can now infographic yourself.  Or at least your Twitter profile! 

Click on this link: http://visual.ly/twitter and enter your Twitter information!  Pretty cool to see your profile and interactions in graphical form.

Here is mine:

<br />Created by: MBA Online

It was quite interesting that I received two packages in the mail on the same day. Why? To me these two packages perfectly highlighted Old Marketing versus New Marketing.

To be fair, the Old Marketing I am referrring to, the Yellow Pages Book, was not techically delivered; it was thrown on the ground, near my mailbox in a plastic bag.  But, I digress.  It arrived the same day as a sample of chocolate from Montazuma chocolate.

This is the Old Marketing

When someone mentions the Yellow Pages to me, I comment that I use the book once per year; when I pick it up out of my yard and dispose of it in the trash can.  Not that it doesn't have it's uses; it can be recycled, used to prop something up, hold up books on my bookcase, and other non-essential tasks.  But, as an effective method to market a business; not so much.  The Yellow Pages can work for some businesses as a marketing tool; but that number is decreasing rapidly, along with the number of users of the book.  The majority of our population own smartphones and computers.  Anything that you can find in the Yellow Pages book can be found, along with a substantial amount of other information on a business, via a Google search. This fact combined with the increasing number of homes that have eliminated home phones makes my argument that The Yellow Pages is Old Marketing. 

This is New Marketing

On the same day, I received a sampling of Montazuma Chocolate from Abes Market. Their dark chocolate sample was sinfully delicous. It was fresh and just the perfect combination of chocolate  and sweet, but not too sweet.  The other sample, the Jungle Fever Milk Chocolate with Fruits and Nuts was beyond words!  Simply the best chocolate I have ever eaten!  And yes, I have eaten a lot of chocolate!

So why was this sample New Marketing?  Their representaitve contacted me on Twitter after we started following each other and after they noticed some Tweets about coffee and chocolate.  I provided my address to them privately and before you know it, I have a free sample in the mail.   This is a perfect example of how social media can build a loyal audience!  NOT the free part, but reaching out to individuals and turning them into brand ambassadors! I am a believer in their products and have become a shopper, and obviously a raving fan. Social media is not about free or about which platform a company is on; it's about buiding a community of brand ambassadors.

Social or New Marketing works. Simple as that. 

This is from their website, AbesMarket.com  Follow @AbesMarket on Twitter and try out their products today! 

Abe's Market is the online marketplace for great natural products. We connect buyers seeking amazing natural products with the people who make them. There's no need to prowl the Internet for a broader natural product selection than can be found at your local natural market. At Abe's Market, you can get all your natural product buying done in one place.

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Super Bowl XLVI is history, and the NY Giants are champions again.  Anyone that knows me, knows I love football, and that I am a die-hard Washington Redskins fan.  Hey, if my team couldn't be in the Super Bowl, I figured I may as well root for someone from our division right?

Just some passing thoughts on this Super Bowl, the commercials, and everything related to the greatest spectacle in sports!

Super Bowl & Football Thoughts

• Eli Manning IS an elite quarterback. His place in football history along with his spot in the Football Hall of Fame is secure.  
• Archie Manning not only showed us what a good quarterback can do; he showed us how to raise good young men and provide them with the opportunity to succeed at what they wanted to do.
• Tom Coughlin is a Hall of Fame Coach.  No discussion necessary.
• The Patriots were out played and out coached.
• Tom Brady and at times the Patriots, looked like they had never been to a Super Bowl; that was stunning to me. Intentional grounding out of your own end zone?  Really? Meanwhile the Giants looked like they were in control the entire game. 

The Commercials

• Client Eastwood is still THE man!  That Chrysler commercial gave me chills. Yes, they took government money in a bailout, but they paid it back.  Great job Clint & Chrysler.
• Dogs are lovable and they sell!  Several commercials featuring dogs that were very well done.
• Pepsi still has it! Or at least their marketing firm does.  The Castle Commercial was classic Pepsi, a great spot.
• Sex sells. GoDaddy.com. Do we expect anything more from them? 
• Ferris. Bueller.  VW & Mathew Broderick; instant classic.
• We never get tired of Betty White.
• I am very tired of promos for The Voice.
• The M&M commercial was funny! Brown is the new color and the red M&M stripping was hilarious!  Thanks Dawn ( @VAinParadise ) for the reminder! 

Madonna & The Halftime Show

• Wondering if Bridgestone is pleased with what they paid for?
• At 53, Madonna can still move and looked great. I know I don't look half that good at 47! 
• Dancing in 8" heels can lead to certain trips; but she did have great recovery.
• Lip syncing: never have liked it and think it's lame.  Had a great discussion on Twitter last night with Sueanne Shirzay ( @SueanneShirzay ) about this.  I respectfully disagree with her; no matter what the size of the venue, you shouldn't have to lip sync if you can still sing :)
• MIA flipping off the nation.  Really; what that necessary?  For this reason alone, I think the show sucked; just not the venue for it.

Social Media & The Super Bowl

• A lot was made prior to the game about social media and the NFL, but to me the most use of social media was the advertisers. Several commercials were leaked via advertisers YouTube channels prior to airing on Super Bowl Sunday. I believe there was an attempt to recereat VW's success last year with the Darth Vader commercial.  
• Social media cannot be forced.  Communities and discussions cannot be forced. None of the spots created that Darth Vader buzz prior to the game.
• I noticed, especially on Twitter, more discussion of the commercials than the game.  Found this very interesting.

Those are my thoughts and ramblings.  How about you? Did you like the game, the show, the commercials?  Or did you not even watch?

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There is no argument that Facebook is a major player in social media, and the impending IPO could be HUGE financially for those willing to invest in stock in the leading social site.

So, why is this good news as it relates to free enterprise. it is a shinning example of how one individual can create something that becomes a platform used worldwide.  Think about it, Mark Zuckerberg decided to start the site on his own. He didn't go to his local or federal government for help.  He made the decision to start the company, albeit for reasons not connected to success (check out the movie The Social Network - http://www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com/  for more on that); but that is not the point.  The point is, one individual created what has become the leading social media site with over 800 million active users!  That is amazing by itself; but now thinking abou the company going public and the money that it will generate for Facebook is staggering.  The point is too that he did this in a free market, free enterprise environment that we have here in the United States.  We should all be thankful that it exists and should support it as much as we can.

This also means that Facebook's perfromance, their profits and losses will be key due to the fact that shareholders will expect results.  It should be interesting to see how that impacts advertising revenue and future changes to Facebook

Good luck to Facebook and it's investors. Will you be buying stock in Facebook?

Want to connect with me?  That is easy, I am always on!  You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.