Is television viewing making a comeback, even though it’s been here for years? Well, viewership could witness a massive upward spring in the following years, thanks to social media mixings. Senator John Kerry said it best during a senate commerce hearing on the future of online videos this past April. He stated, “The lines [between TV, cable and the Internet] are blurred. It is unclear where a lot of jurisdiction begins and where it ends.” If this interconnected mesh of interactive conversation, promotion and engagement is fueled by traditional TV viewing, then the emergence of the “second screen” should run off of its emissions.

As Quora tells us, the “second screen” is essentially when you use a second screen—like a laptop, tablet or smartphone—in conjunction with the TV viewing experience (i.e., the “first” screen). Second screen usage can provide associated content or start social media conversations that enhance the TV programming experience.

Yes, we have all seen this thus far. How often have we observed those insightful tweets as they dance with opinionated rhythm across our TV screens during “The Voice”? We may have even been somewhat encouraged to comment on a passionate Facebook posting that referenced a controversial policy while tuned in to the Chris Matthews show “Hardball” on MSNBC. Either way, we were engaged, weren’t we? So, that’s the point.

Within the past year, the conundrum of how best to tame the inattentive beast that is the ADD- and ADHD-ridden world of TV viewership has been turned on its ear—well, slightly. Super Bowl XLVI leveraged YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the like to drum up chatter and create buzz prior to kickoff. The NBA and the Oscars dialed up this approach a bit with the creation of social TV apps and hubs. As you scarfed down that salsa dip and chugged those beers during the NBA All Star Weekend, did you notice the momentous role that Twitter played in crowning the Sprite-sponsored Slam Dunk Competition champion? The decision was ultimately left up to America, and was made possible by tweets with a hashtag and the player’s last name. The 84^th Annual Academy Awards joined in on the interaction with its mobile viewing app, which was created for the “Oscar viewing experience.” This platform gave users the chance to vote for their movie picks and gain access to backstage interviews while incorporating Twitter and Facebook. The Olympics ripped a page from that same book in hopes that it would make the bestseller list with the “Olympic Athletes’ Hub.” This online experience was created to connect current and former Olympians with fans.

While each of these approaches has its appeal, I am curious to see the debut of the Oxygen Channel’s new social TV app, which is slated to launch on May 18. The reason for my probing mind is due to the fact that once something has already been done, refining its efficiency becomes a challenge and a reward—if proven successful. This platform will be used in conjunction with Oxygen’s The Glee Project, which will offer sneak peeks, live chats, face-to-face meetings with contenders and more. However, the points you accrue each week determine the incentive you will be able to unlock/experience. This forces viewers to engage continuously in order to participate.

So the word around cyberspace tells us that this platform will only become more integrated as advertisers refine ways to merge these digital and social forces together. As I was taught long ago, fiber optics, my friend, don’t lie. One thing is for sure: the rise of the second screen has officially emerged from its spore, and now awaits germination.

How do you think future social media policies will affect/restrict the way these social TV apps are currently used?

-Michelle Nash

The future movers and shakers, hangers-on, experimenters and star pupils of a company are being monitored by potential supervisors prior to interviews. The internal sourcing framework of how companies evaluate someone’s candidacy has shifted to the inspection of their web presence. Knowing that, what will your personal branding reveal about you?

This personal advertisement is not only critical to the job seeker, but also to the organization, when inferring whether a candidate would be a good fit. So we are now coming to the realization that we are our own brands in that our messaging, our platform and what we say publicly can help to illustrate our perspicacity or relative business acumen. The ironic juxtaposition of needing consistent diplomacy, visibility and credibility for both TV and for our very own personal ads can offer us successful branding techniques for either realm.

Linked-In provides an open source for previous colleagues to recommend an individual based on their work ethic, strengths and/or weaknesses, and it also helps to solidify credibility of a person’s skillset. Similarly, that cluster of Facebook photo albums helps to collate an in-depth analysis of an individual’s behavioral patterns outside of the office. If a recruiter’s intent is to unfold your “true” identity without solely trusting your summarized or bulleted experiences, can’t it help to cut back on turnover costs if unproductive attributes are brought to light before the interviewing process even begins?

So is it time to drag that Microsoft Word-based resume into our desktop’s recycling bin just yet? Well, it depends on the velocity of this conversion process. As resume generators continue to pop up on every job site, it has become fairly easy to create one. The problem is that this form of messaging does not set you apart from your competition, just as a cookie cutter approach to a magazine ad never proves as effective. A recent study conducted by Office Team revealed that more than one-third of companies feel that resumes will be replaced by online presence. The study has led many to believe that in as short as 10 years’ time, resumes will be an archaic method of the selection process.

The good news is your social activities can further support a recruiter’s judgment of your skills. These recent research findings tell us to invest in our online presence. Simply put: we all need to ensure that each of our social sites are aligned with one another, display consistent messaging, and that they do not contradict our brand or compromise our integrity.

Speaking of which, does your personal branding convey an accurate representation of who you are?

-Michelle Nash

With so many social media sites popping up these days, it’s no wonder that Pinterest has become a major hit. Appealing to the visually articulate, Pinterest is an image sharing and bookmarking site used as a virtual bulletin board. The site is noted for being the first to surpass the 10-million-users mark, which was achieved in January.

This is how it works. Users have three options: to pin, repin or create a board. See something you like, hit the “Pin it” button. See something that your friend likes (that you like too), “Repin” it, and—voila—the image or video appears on your board. Or hey, if you’re just that sprung on an idea or product, create a board to show your support. How hard is that? Now you can see why the newly formed site has gained such a following.

Brands like Lands’ End, Whole Foods and West Elm have all given it a shot. Lands’ End Canvas even went so far as to create a contest centered around Pinterest called “Pin It to Win It.” The company issued a press release stating: “The ‘Pin It to Win It’ contest encourages users to browse landsendcanvas.com and create virtual pinboards featuring an assortment of products for a chance to win Lands’ End Canvas gift cards.”

If that weren’t enough, a recent article posted on Mashable notes just how addictive Pinterest has become to so many of its users. From September 2011 to February 2012, the monthly unique visits to the Pinterest site grew over 866 percent. That’s quite a jump! The proof is in the article, which goes on to state that Pinterest users spend an average of 98 minutes on the site per month, leaving only two sites with more per-month minutes: Tumblr and Facebook.

What can account for such appeal? Could it be the site’s easy functionality, the creative expression it provokes, or the way it taps into the heightened excitement to amass content for others to see?

What do you think? Could this be the new wave of social networking? Let’s keep the conversation going. What sites are you using? Could this be the relief we were waiting for from the typical social networking site?

-Kimberly Hutton

There’s no denying that the advent of mobile applications and advertisements has led to instant purchasing power for brands and products. That statement may seem to be seasoned with premature notions, but the mobile user has experienced a paradigm shift within this easily accessible space. And marketers are working hard to incorporate a more incentivized approach to affect their target’s purchasing decisions and behaviors. As companies look to position their marketing messages within new apps, pumping premium content into this immediate and personalized medium could result in increased profitability, particularly for African American- and Hispanic-targeted campaigns.

Purchasing power among African Americans is expected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2015 (according to a recent Nielsen report), and marketers may want to turn to this brand-loyal demographic through mobile inducements. With this segment over-indexing in the mobile phone arena, brands should continue to weave in promotional discounts through mobile applications to increase market and wallet share.

Recent demographic data also shows Hispanic preference for mobile advertisements directly correlating with their mobile shopping patterns. According to a recent 2011 Experian Simmons study, Hispanics are twice as likely to be considered “Mobirati.”  This segment encompasses the mobile generation who have grown up as cell phone users and have become heavily dependent upon this device. The younger generations of Hispanic mobile users fall into this category, so marketers are looking to this mobile content consumption base to integrate attractive mobile programs.

As a result of the desire to reach this 20-million-strong consumer base, startup company In-Market launched the world’s first mobile shopper network. In trying to devise ways that brands can drive consumers to stores and down the aisles, this technological hub is leveraging the “hyper targeting” approach in order to drive revenue. Reputable brand giants like Nestle, Kraft and Procter & Gamble have invested in this distinctly undefined journey as well.

Participating brands will enhance the overall mobile user experience by offering timely messages, recipes, instant coupons and redeemable points (that are not brand-specific). In-Market has developed the “Check Point” application for such brands, which will ultimately provide a resourceful outcome to “conversion campaigns.” This type of campaign’s overall objective is to continue to reward the consumer after their purchasing decision.

For example, if I purchase an iPad or a treadmill from my local Walmart store and scan the item once I arrive home, a customized, product-related interaction will display on my phone, coupled with some form of discount or “point” accrual. These redeemable points can also be earned by simply checking in at this particular store as well. Now companies or products are not the only ones making a profit from my purchased item.

This mobile reward-based system could fare relatively well with African Americans, who spend double the amount of time on their cell phone in comparison to the general market. By simply checking in at a particular store and scanning a product, the consumer is gaining relevant content and a reiteration of their value to the brand, which could lead to sustained brand loyalty.

We are merely scratching the surface of what this mobile experience will eventually evolve into, and how it will help to define brands and drive revenue. However, are we doing all that we can as brand ambassadors to lead the way in effectively speaking to our target in this mobile space?

-Michelle Nash

So the presidential election is approaching, and the hopefuls have already begun firing away with an overabundance of television ads aimed at swaying the general public in a particular direction. As nationwide state-level caucuses and primaries ensue, this five-month battle will continue to roar as we head towards the Democratic and Republican conventions. So yes, big ad spending will only get bigger, especially with the rise of independent groups exercising their splurging prowess. As a result, political analysts left and right are expecting this year’s political TV ad spending to total $3 billion. Now ask yourself: will this oversaturation of ads be beneficial or will it come with substantial downsides?

I get it. The January primary is heating up, so the claws—or should I say the checks—are coming out, and presidential hopefuls are ready to pay a hefty price to knock out their competition. According to Kantar’s Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG), as early as January 9^th, residents of South Carolina had already seen more than 5,500 presidential ads, some of which were negative ads directed towards other Republican candidates or President Obama. This leaves me to ponder: what audience are they trying to target for these campaigns? And are they succeeding?

Spending too early can result in wasted ad space, considering certain viewers are not even aware or expecting ads to run right now. I would be more inclined to pay close attention to the views, opinions and policies coming from ads as the election draws near. And campaigns that crank out too many ads at a time leave me confounded beyond belief as I mesh through all the different stances being thrown my way. This is why politicians, their campaign strategists and their super PACs should really consider who their messages are intended for—especially the negative ads.

Negative ads can also have an adverse effect on the campaign running them, being that there are independent, undecided or moderate voters looking to make a more informed decision. These individuals typically look for facts, policies and a true stance—not for partisanship.

To ensure their ads are effective in reaching the masses, let’s take a look at some options the candidates can consider when aiming their ads at us.

Point 1: To avoid missed opportunities and to prevent your ad from getting caught in the shuffle, stick to a specific theme/approach (positive I would hope) and repurpose it with additional language that gauges shifts in public opinion on what’s important to us.

Point 2: If you are going to draw a sharp contrast between yourself and another candidate, point out the facts only, and leave the rumor mill tactic for the playground. Eliminate the use of edited clips that are taken out of context or offensive remarks that insult people’s religion, ethnicity and/or social class.

Point 3: To stand out with authenticity, candidates and their super PACs should infiltrate the markets with their big spending by offering solutions to local issues that are plaguing residents in that specific community, city and/or state. This attaches a more personal and relevant appeal to your ad and the overall campaign.

As the race to the Republican and Democratic conventions continues, we will see commendable speeches, notable slogans, inspiring actions and surely a bombardment of ads. Just keep your eye on the ones that you feel totally miss the mark in terms of beefing up support. One bad ad can lean that needle in the non-favorable direction, causing a candidate’s polling numbers to diminish.

How do you think ad spending will affect the primaries and the outcome of the presidential election?

-Michelle Nash

Just as naysayers began to fret over Twitter’s lack of online refurbishment, concerns regarding the laissez-faire attitude of the social medium were recently laid to rest. The social engine of curt responses has decided to ring in the new year with a new interface for companies looking to personalize their accounts. Thus, Twitter has come off the bench and taken hold of its position in the starting lineup, ready to score against their rival teams in white and blue (Facebook and LinkedIn).

In 2011, Facebook and LinkedIn incrementally steeped their new online components and features in a preponderance of news releases and forums, leaving Twitter lagging behind with its original functionality. Now that the social tides are changing, Twitter has finally set sail to deliver brand pages to its users, with selected companies serving as the litmus test. To kick things off, Twitter reached out to 21 partner brands in an effort to provide them with a more distinctive presence.

Being that every Twitter page completely mirrored the next, Twitter developers wanted to create a more interactive and idiosyncratic experience for the user. The page has been redesigned to incorporate header images (for company logos or product placements), embedded tweets, videos and photos. The rich media capabilities of the enhanced profile page offer business accounts stationary promotional tweets at the top of the page, and a “New Connect” section that tracks those who have followed, retweeted or mentioned the brand.

The convenience of embedded tweets and videos can help to minimize the hassle of redirection, but will the additions truly increase visitor/viewer engagement? Keep in mind: this social dais can be used steadily without the need to visit a user’s page. After becoming a follower, you receive continuous updates from that user within your live feed, eliminating the need to visit their profile page, right? So will this new function improve Twitter’s position as a contender in the social media ring, or will it sputter away into the realm of digital oblivion in the face of its communal challengers?

I suppose time will tell whether or not this revamp has legs of longevity—whether it keeps users interested in revisiting profile pages more frequently, if at all. However, now that Twitter has beefed up its audience to over 50 million users, I’m sure their advertising revenue will help maintain their financial traction. Either way, with that many ears listening, there’s no reason their paid marketing platform will not prove fertile ground throughout the years to come.

Do you think the usability of the site will keep engagement high?

-Michelle Nash

As talk around the water cooler breeds interest in possible messaging “pop-ups” during network programming, this platform could soon imitate online digital nuances.

Initially, we all watched the dynamic change from the acceptable “snipe” usage on television, which typically showcases the network’s logo or animated tagline at the bottom of the screen. This tactic then transcended into the idea of having our TV screens bombarded with “bugs,” “pop-ups,” logos—or whatever you decide to decipher it as.

This creative but slightly distracting feature has now caused advertisers to glare in the potentially bright direction of utilizing this feature for product placement. Clearly we are navigating away from the days when displaying a loaf of Wonder Bread on a kitchen counter during a TV episode actually cut the mustard. More effective approaches are being sought after.

Microsoft’s Bing capitalized on the opportunity to have their ad placed on FOX during certain episodes of a highly viewed television show. Now ask yourself: could this be the new TV “pop up” that will drive product sales or keep viewers engaged and encouraged not to rely on the DVR playback tool? Will this speak only to the tech-savvy generation of information-crazed web surfers? Who will be more accustomed to this type of penetrative advertising? It’s highly plausible that this could be the future—this fusion of digital and TV, as long as it doesn’t become an overused, cluttered tactic that fizzles during this creative collision course.

Now if this “bug” offers some kind of limited-time promotional incentive for viewers that only lasts throughout the two-hour duration of my favorite singing competition, The X Factor, then I am all for it. Maybe if it inspires an immediate call-to-action attached to the message, I’ll possibly think twice about using that DVR record option that I know too well. Either way, the line is becoming pretty blurry as the light flickers on the way traditional television and digital advertising platforms have been used in the past.

-Michelle Nash

An avid hunter’s survival disposition sneaks into play when aiming at a target. With the loaded ammunition in tow, ready to be volleyed through the crisp clear view, you aim. Shoot. Did you hit your target?

Missing targets is not a successful hunter’s favorite part of the journey, but when charting a new course, you have to refine your proficiency. As technology continues to revolutionize the way marketers successfully engage their targets, it will aid in diminishing missed opportunities.

A modernized approach has manifested itself in the minds of interested tech-investors, who have jumped at the option of serving up target-specific ads in real time. Yes, display advertising practices have been given a major facelift, with 14 units injected between the eyebrow and the forehead to ensure that a 25-year-old woman never looks at an Old Spice ad again while shopping.

Imagine you’re at your favorite department store or Dick’s Sporting Goods, and as you come into close proximity of a display signage platform, you see an ad populate on the screen that speaks to your needs, interests or desires. As you turn to walk away, another digital advertisement clasps onto the fabric of your curiosity again. Does suspicion embed itself in your instincts as you begin to ponder if you’re being hunted by some mysterious force? Well, you would be justified in feeling that way.

This enigmatic venture is artificial intelligence spawned by a New York City startup, Immersive, which is dead set on making advertisements function more like webpages. This software uses anonymous facial detection to calculate the prospect of success per impression in order to display an ideal ad… in real time. This sophisticated machine-based optimization also incorporates strategies and criteria integrated by the marketer in hopes of catching bait. Privacy is not invaded in any respect, as the divulging of personal information is not warranted or suggested. Instead the process uses APIs such as Foursquare, weather data and time of day to determine age, gender and attention span, even in large crowds.

If I were a retailer or marketer, I would be inquisitive when evaluating the effectiveness of the campaign ads served up to those targets by this software. Hopefully this advanced technology records the length of time eyes are spent gazing so as to rival other emerging targeted software practices that are based on general demographics and a facial imprint.

In this ever-evolving, survival-of-the-fittest creative marketplace, you have to be prepared to aim and shoot with a decreased probability of missing any targets. That’s what separates the good hunters from the bad.

Technology is emerging daily and forcing advertisers to try new things, what are your thoughts on such a sophisticated machine? Do you think consumer will bite the bait?

-Michelle Nash 

The idea of being faced with “too many options” can cause an overwhelming stir of disappointment or indecisiveness for the consumer. How do we as brand ambassadors reduce the risk of shoving too much information onto the hard drives of the consumer within the digital space? How does the consumer then filter through the droves of information that dominates their everyday life in this vastly growing digital age? With a plethora of social networking, social bookmarking and blog sites, pop-ups, banner ads, products and celebrities requesting that we “like” or “follow” them in some form, it’s going to become increasingly challenging for companies and brands to avoid making consumers feel barraged by all of these messaging tools.

Within the landscape of digital innovation, NewsCred, a New York-based startup, thinks they’ve finally got it right when it comes to redefining the method traditional newswires have used to find the right audience. This “third-time” re-launch of the digital space now uses licensing fees from a roster of 700+ highly credible media brands in exchange for distributing content to the appropriate audience. Syndicating content in this manner could create an incremental stream of revenue for content creators as well. Bigwigs like Forbes, Bloomberg and even Billboard are just a few of the sources that recently bought into this new monetized opportunity.

Despite the perception that newswires are synonymous with public relations and journalistic strategies, this type of content-driven tactic doesn’t necessarily have to live in that realm. I think advertisers could get pretty creative in generating exposure and revenue within the advertising space through this platform as well. Marketers could position themselves as content providers for this digital medium by pushing videos (whether commercial spots, viral campaigns or a web series for a product or brand) out onto this newswire for any interested user to pick up and distribute in turn to their interested viewer.

Another possibility could be to utilize advertorials when advertising a certain product, campaign or brand. This type of advertisement is typically presented in the form of a third party’s point of view and highlights the features of a product or brand, all woven together in an article format. Pushing advertorials out onto the wire can create exposure and generate revenue. In measuring the audience’s reach and its overall efficiency, NewsCred offers pretty in-depth analytics that go beyond webpage hits. They also examine who’s viewing the content and what type of device it’s being viewed on.

What separates this wire from others, aside from algorithms, is the bonus of having human curators. Yes, they have a full house of editors who help in deciphering which content will be relevant to a particular user before distribution based on the user’s customized profile.

The sky’s the limit in this digital universe, filled with millions of shiny and somewhat blaring messages that we sometimes have to tirelessly sift through. What if this type of forward-thinking technology sieves through the wilderness for you by placing your messages directly in the hands of an interested consumer?

-Michelle Nash

Everyday strokes of decorative action, like painting a wall or hanging pictures, may be no-brainers for some, but are these same décor connoisseurs applying such practices to their online walls for, let’s say… Facebook?

If your answer is no, then you are among the masses of both small and large businesses that have fallen victim to not fully integrating the presence of their social wall with a true lattice of progressive elements. Sure, we are all feeling our way through this social web of perpetual adjustments as we add and divide our wall posts and try to determine this medium’s ROI. But in the meantime, let’s try to dazzle our presence up a bit with a little shine and convenience so as to fuel our campaign’s efficiency.

Constant Contact has heard our amateurish cries in the effort to appeal to our targets and extend our reach through the infamous Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In applications. Because it is not restricted to Facebook, the new social media component that they’re launching in 2012 does not live in a vacuum. The reformed email marketing giant has implemented a content management system that allows users to choose from several templates, organized by campaign, which will publish a link to a campaign across all social networks simultaneously. Mind you, this is done with a simple push of a button—coined the “simple share” feature. You may be wondering what makes this social endeavor so avant-garde. Well, its simplicity does.

What separates Constant Contact from their competitors is their program’s user-friendly “drag and drop” editor, which allows businesses to create a product showcase and offer downloadable content, printable coupons, videos and more—and filter it all through social websites. Furthermore, when a visitor surfs onto your page, they will not be subjected to the somewhat drab, banal and monotonous wall display. Instead, your customizable “reveal” page will appear initially and tie in all of your preferred elements on a more attractive backdrop.

So next time you work on featuring your inner HGTV-styled design ideas on your walls, make sure your canvas isn’t limited to just the brick and mortar. Provide a sense of opulence with your social media flair to catch that much-needed attention for your campaign.

– Michelle Nash