For many marketers, their first foray into social media was putting up a Facebook fan page or Twitter account – to which they randomly posted random content. Of course, this experiment failed as they attracted only a small and ragtag assortment of fans and followers.

The key to an effective social media plan is to establish the importance of strategic content. It is the act of creating (or uncovering) and distributing this content that will help you achieve your strategic objectives.

Now that the shine is off social media, isn’t it time to put it to work for your organization?

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A few weeks ago, Coca-Cola uploaded an interesting experiment to YouTube entitled “Happiness Machine.” It’s completely contrived, gimmicky and appears to be nothing more than a blatant attempt to create something (ugh… I hate to even say the word) “viral.”

But here’s the twist… it worked.

Through supporting tweets, Facebook posts and rampant word-of-mouth on the web, this video has attracted well over a million views in just a few weeks. But even more than that, it’s gotten people talking about the brand in a positive way.

“That just? made my day”

“If only all coca cola vending machines were like this one. I love coca cola”

“I was actually clapping during this commercial. ? <3”

So why has Coke succeeded where others have failed? Why are people reacting so strongly in favor of the same type of manufactured event that has been met with disdain so many times before?

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Geeks become Gleeks in Yale’s latest recruitment video…

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Whether celebutante Kim Kardashian was actually paid $10,000 to tweet about salads from Carl’s Jr. or if she was just sharing her honest opinion with fans, this incident opens some interesting marketing questions.

Will this become standard practice, enlisting celebrities of all stripes to shill for products and companies? How will the FTC monitor and enforce this practice? And will commercialization ultimately sully the appeal of social media?

Big questions, for intriguing times.

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In the fleeting moments of a turbulent, unpredictable and unflaggingly interesting decade, one need only look at some of the headlines and newsbites of the day to see the shape of marketing things to come.

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Making a connection with any target audience will only hold value if the connection you create is honest.

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