Now, far be it from me to disagree with the Chief Executive Officer of Google, but as a youth of today, I feel compelled to at least state my opinion on the matter. The question of how the children of the social media generation will deal with the skeletons in their online closets has been coming up since the very beginnings of social media. Often mentioned in this discussion are the pictures that many youths post of themselves at parties with alcoholic beverages. One article that I read (though I can’t recall where) argued that these types of irresponsible online posts will one day become so common that their existence will become irrelevant, and while I don’t entirely agree, the point is an interesting one. A more striking argument is that the youth of today are becoming increasingly savvy to the potential hazards connected to the things they post.

Today’s youth are actually censoring and, in turn, branding themselves at younger ages than ever before. Studies have shown that children are actively maintaining their profiles in such a way so as to paint themselves in a positive light. I’ve even seen parties where cameras weren’t allowed at all for this very reason, and I believe this kind of behavior is becoming the rule as opposed to the exception. The answer to how people deal with the embarrassing things they post online is becoming more and more that they don’t post them in the first place.

While it’s true that some may find themselves troubled by their online past, I doubt very seriously that we will see a surge in changed identities anytime soon. If social media changes anything, it won’t be people’s names; it’ll be the maturity with which young people present themselves online. While the world of social media may seem like a strange unexplored territory, these types of issues are nothing new. I’m sure that people asked many of these same questions when the personal camera was first invented, and I think we’ve turned out just fine.

1. The Real People of Valencia – Before the campaign was conceived, team members got to know Valencia through its residents. After all, they are the experts. It was amazing (and instructive) to hear the enthusiasm they have for their community. Just casually chatting with them, we captured unsolicited responses about the great schools, safe neighborhoods and outstanding local amenities – they sounded like professional spokespeople! And almost every person that spoke with us described it as “awesome.” We couldn’t have asked for better inspiration.
2. Valencia Online – Part of the campaign was creating a strong online presence for Valencia. To do this we looked at the existing activity – and wow, was there a lot. We discovered that there were plenty of blogs, Facebook pages with healthy interaction, reviews of local venues and more. We leveraged that participation to create an online community center in the form of an all-new website, blog, Facebook fan page and Twitter profile. Within weeks, there were thousands of followers, great conversations and loads of comments about the new campaign. It was thrilling to see the fan base populate so quickly, and to see the passion come out in real time.
   
3. The Response – Social media sites made it easy to measure immediate reactions to the campaign. It was so fun to do Twitter searches right after we launched and read all of the “I think I just saw a bus that said ‘Awesometown’” types of updates. It was kind of funny how quickly the name stuck and people started referring to Valencia as “Awesometown.” We were thinking that we should create an “Awesometown” location in Foursquare; before we had the chance to, a resident had already done so. The fact that the concept ended up getting embraced by residents let us know that people were seeing and thinking about the campaign.
4. The Creative – In the initial concepting of the reintroduction campaign, the client let us know that they wanted something that would make a splash in their advertising. By working with a client that was game for something unique and creative, our team really got the chance to shine and explore ideas that might have been too “out there” for other projects. Everything from the copy to the photography to the ad design is different than anything else we’ve created here at Gunn/Jerkens; it’s much more cheeky and fun. And because the designs were so eye-catching, we were able to share lots of Twitpics with the team of people snapping shots of billboards and other ads with their phones.
   
5. The Contest – This was a blast. We asked for submissions that demonstrated what makes Valencia “awesome,” and the entries were great. We received hilarious music videos, cute poems, short stories, beautiful photography – the works! It was terrific to see so many people getting so excited to be involved in this whole project, and it was a lot of fun watch it all come together.

So what’s next? You’ll just have to wait and see!

According to a new article from eMarketer.com, marketers are trying to get more personal with their e-blast subject lines, a shift that reflects the increasing savvy (or jadedness) of their message recipients. Drawing from data culled by Experian’s 2010 Digital Marketer report, the article points out that between November 2008 and November 2009, more than one in five e-blast subject lines included the terms “you” or “your,” directly appealing to recipients that expect increasingly personalized interaction with their brands in the Social Media Age.

Can you recognize the logo that didn’t become an indelible part of our culture?

Maybe it’s just because I’m currently trying to beat one rusting bucket of a 1974 F100 into shape, but I was drawn to this story about Henry Ford II hiring 20th century American design legend Paul Rand (IBM, ABC, UPS) to revamp the Ford logo in 1966.

The modernist design that Rand came up with is interesting to behold, but one has to wonder how it would have gone over with the car-buying public. It doesn’t exactly scream “Built Ford Tough,” does it?

In a corporate feel-good moment, Domino’s resolves to make their food better, but will this newfound openness pay off, or are they overplaying their hand? The campaign, which began several weeks back, already has its critics. Among them is Adweek’s Barbara Lippert, who praises the video’s “weird, earnest honesty,” but also labels the spot “cringe inducing” for its graphic depictions of the just-as-gross-looking-as-before new recipes, as well as the hammy team-building that occurs among the chefs as they set about righting decades of culinary wrongs.

Ultimately, Lippert and others ask if the campaign – which includes the requisite landing page and Twitter presence – will really work. Do Domino’s core customers really care about the taste of the pizza or are they more concerned with the chain’s real unique selling propositions: the low price, ready availability and fast delivery?

Perhaps 2010 will tell. In the meantime, I believe it’s your move, Monsieur Hut.

Pretty cool, right? I mean, a wide-eyed gator hoisting a nondescript (but surely valuable) shipment over one scaly/burly arm? And did you notice his tattoo? Because he has a tattoo. Let’s face it, you’re not likely to find a sweeter corporate emblem…not on a semi truck, anyway.

Naturally, my first thought was, “there has to be a t-shirt of this somewhere.” A quick Google search (internet skillz!) was fruitless–not even an unauthorized Cafepress knockoff to be had. What I did find was a cool story on John Young’s blog about his own quest for an elusive MOL gator tee.

John went a little more all-out than I did, going so far as to get in touch with MOL’s manager of corporate communications, who was delighted to offer up hi-res art files for John’s personal use. It’s a nice reminder that not every company is as fiercely overprotective of its IP as, for instance, a certain mouse-eared company that I don’t have to name (but it’s Disney).

And if anybody sees an old MOL teamster’s shirt on eBay, please drop me a comment here.

It should be pretty neat. We’re wondering what the next phase of interactive inserts will include. Food samples in Bon Appétit? On second thought, maybe that’s not such a good idea. The poor mail carriers already have enough dog issues. Carrying a magazine around that smells like steak and gravy probably wouldn’t help.

A British telecom firm, the TalkTalk Company, has enlisted 20 former pickpockets for an unusual promotional campaign. Wandering the streets, the “put-pockets,” as they are coyly named slyly put money into the pockets of unsuspecting citizens along with a business card for the firm. The company will be giving away more than $150,000 during the campaign.