I have to admit, I’m much more interested in the commercials and half-time show this Sunday.

Although Madonna’s half-time show is not expected to be as risqué as Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s, Madonna is certain to provoke and provide lots of opportunity for talk. TMZ and others have leaked that “Vogue” will most likely be one of the five songs during her performance.

But what have me excited about the Big Game are the much anticipated commercials. From Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno for Acura to Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller, to the CareerBuilder.com chimps, the spots are bound to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. For a sneak peek at some teasers, check out AdWeek’s preview.

By the way, the Giants are playing the Patriots.

Health care providers are joining the social media wave as part of integrated marketing outreach to engage and build relationships with current and prospective patients. Some of social media’s benefits to health care marketers include building trust from consumers, helping simplify an intimidating service, answering consumers’ questions about their health conditions and learning what consumers are thinking and saying.

Health care can be complicated. Therefore, when consumers want to determine which provider to go to or find potential solutions for an ailment, they often turn to the Internet and social media. The extensive health information online makes it even more important for providers to be a part of the conversation on social media. Patients can use social media to learn how providers approach cases and get a feeling for their personality.

Not only is social media a valuable relationship-building tool, it helps health care providers learn what questions patients have and what their concerns and needs are.  Providers can reply directly to questions and can send customized messages to individuals using social media.

If you’d like to see how some of St. Louis’ health care experts are using social media, check out these sites:

• www.facebook.com/#!/MercySTL
• www.twitter.com/#!/bjc_healthcare
• www.youtube.com/user/SSMHealthCareStLouis

Do you seek out health information online? Which social media outlets are you most likely to use when seeking out health information?

Source: Hackworth, B.A. & Kunz, M.B. (2011). Academy of Health Care Management Journal.

Andy Likes, Director of Media Relations, accepted the award for TVG. The program encourages companies to take steps toward more sustainable business practices.

Some of the ways TVG improved our sustainable business practices in 2011 included:
• Our Green Team held employee educational sessions that discussed tips for being greener around the office and at home,
• TVG provided recycled materials to a local church to help in their fundraising efforts, and
• TVG used and recommended soy ink and recycled stock for marketing materials.

Photographer: Kris Buetlmann

Google+ survives

Social media experts thought Google+ was doomed to fail over the last few weeks but it has since seen a speedy turn around. Recent reports show Google+ participation increased after it ended the invite-only trial period. Within days of opening the social media platform to the public, active accounts increased by 30 percent. It is now the third largest social media networking site. Do you have a Google+ account?

New Features to Google+
The Circles feature on Google+ can now be easily shared by users. A ‘share’ button allows two existing circles to overlap, combine and copy contacts. Another feature is more geared towards businesses and marketing. You can now track the traffic on Google+ in real time. This offers business owners a chance to see when their ads are getting the most views on the site.

Google turns 13

Google celebrated its 13th birthday this week with a birthday cake homepage like they do each year. In 1998, Google began with a $100,000 investor check and has blossomed into the most widely used search engine on the planet. To give you a frame of reference, here are some things that were happening 13 years ago: dial-up was the only way to connect to the internet, AOL Instant Messenger had the highest volume of accounts and Microsoft Windows 98 had just hit the shelves.

The recent buzz reminds us how dependent we are on Google, and how it has become a staple in our daily lives. While the effects of Google+ remain to be seen in the long-term, what do you think we can expect from the upcoming Google+ platform for businesses?

Google+ is Adding to Webinars
Companies are taking full advantage of the multi-functionality of Google+. The Hangout function of Google+ can be linked to Twitter to promote new products or with journalists to get press coverage. Google+ also serves as a great medium for webinars. How do you anticipate this new social media push from Google will be optimized in public relations?

Straight A’s for Microsoft
Microsoft achieves high scores on their customer responses via Twitter. The social media team for Microsoft stays tuned in across all social media channels, such as Twitter and Facebook, to quickly respond to customers’ needs. A recent study by eMarketer found that consumers buy from the brands they feel most connected to through Twitter. So, if you want to increase customers who buy from you and their satisfaction with your product, consider having a Twitter page.

What do you think are the best tactics to foster customer satisfaction with your brand using social media?

Does the Ice Cream Man Come to You, or Do You Go to the Ice Cream Man?
Your favorite gourmet eateries are tempting you more than usual with mobile marketing. Ben and Jerry’s for example, are making mouths water with their mobile ice-cream truck. They alert customers of the exact location of the truck via twitter. Food trucks featuring customers’ favorite culinary treats have become increasingly popular in the last few years via mobile marketing. During these hot summer days, instead of waiting for the ice cream truck to come to you, find out exactly where the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream truck is and you can go to it. I’m personally craving the Mint Chocolate Chip, how about you?

Cool Down Using Social Media
If you cannot quite make it to the ice cream truck, perhaps a cooling center is your best bet. Cooling centers are generally set up within your local municipality. They offer water and air conditioning used to combat the health effects of a heat wave. Many of these centers send updates via Twitter, like @NYCAging and @SocialServe.

In the Hot Seat
Rupert Murdoch is in the hot seat. The phone hacking scandal has derailed his News Corporation. He insists that he was not aware of these activities and is therefore not responsible. During a session of questions from members of the British Parliament, a man attempted to throw a shaving cream pie in his face, but Mr. Murdoch was at least partially saved by his wife, who threw a right hook at the guy. Videos of the incident have gotten millions of views, and been the source of discussions on Twitter with the hashtag, #shameonyouNewsCorp. What are your thoughts?

1. BMW Viral Advertising
Auto maker BMW is no rookie to viral advertising hype, and the company has done it again with their most recent video, featuring a BMW spinning circles on the world’s highest helipad. The video’s creators say they wanted to make something people would question – is it real or just computer generated imagery? Creating something out of the ordinary may give BMW YouTube hits, but it should also help achieve an objective, whether it’s heightened awareness or increased sales. What are some other examples of viral hits you’ve seen that drive business?

2. Pope Takes on Twitter
Pope Benedictus XVI sent his first tweet this week. In an announcement of the Vatican’s new News.va site, the Pope signed his name at the end of a tweet sent from his iPad. Whether the Pope did the actually tweeting is up in the air, but this is an example of how social media has become influential across all age groups and populations worldwide, including the Roman Catholic Church. How has social media penetrated into other seemingly unlikely social circles?

3. Google’s Answer to Facebook
Google, Inc. is conducting a slow rollout of Google+, the search engine’s second foray into social networking. Being called their answer to Facebook, Google is trying to create a product with similar features, such as the Stream (News Feed) and Circles (Groups). The challenge will be to differentiate Google+ and create an experience that will keep users around. Do you have Google+ yet? Let us know your thoughts!

4. The True Vancouver
Following riots that took place after the Vancouver Canucks lost in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals, the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) launched a PR campaign centered around the website ThisIsOurVancouver.com. The campaign is an attempt to counter any negative ideas that Vancouver might not be “an inspiring, welcoming place to visit.” Since Monday, the site has received more than 14,000 visits and more than 2,000 Facebook “likes.” In a country typically known for its politeness, the CTC seems well on its way to repairing the damage the riots left on Vancouver’s image. What other tactics can they use to regain a positive impression?

If you’ll recall from my blog series back in February, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently enacted guidelines for bloggers’ disclosure of gifts and other forms of compensation.

Last week a Daily Online Examiner article revealed that Ann Taylor Loft received a warning letter last week from the FTC after they provided bloggers with gifts at a January preview of the retailer’s summer line. The warning highlights the importance that bloggers disclose all material connections to companies they write about.

Other companies may not be so lucky to get away with a warning. According to the article, Ann Taylor took a few steps that prevented it from being reprimanded more severely. They posted a sign at the preview requesting that bloggers disclose the gifts if they posted comments about the preview, although the sign may not have been easily seen by all bloggers. Luckily for Ann Taylor, many of the bloggers did disclose the gifts and Ann Taylor put in place a written blogger disclosure policy shortly after the preview.

The fact that the FTC sent the warning letter to Ann Taylor indicates that they are actively investigating companies who may not be taking their guidelines seriously. It is very likely this is the first of many warnings and reprimands the FTC will make as their investigations move forward.

Is your company doing its best to comply with the guidelines? If not, it may be time that you consider implementing a social media policy and training your employees on what your expectations are for marketing via social media. As we learned from this example, simply having a corporate social media disclosure policy in place helped Ann Taylor avoid major fines and repercussions.

The FTC’s guidelines have made it increasingly important for companies to be more careful about the bloggers they partner with, check the blogger’s background and insist on disclosure. If a blogger you’re considering partnering with has not thoroughly disclosed relationships in the past, you may need to think twice about partnering with them.

Your organization may also consider utilizing more public relations initiatives that simply present stories you think the blogger will find interesting and relevant in hopes that the blogger will write about them. If bloggers write about your company, product or service without compensation or free products, the post does not require as extensive of a disclosure.

Online conversations are effective at generating word of mouth, so it can only be expected that companies will continue to build blogger relationships. However, your company must be careful to create a culture of compliance and work with bloggers who recognize the need to follow the FTC’s Guides.

First, cases from Kmart and Wal-Mart illustrate how companies and bloggers have chosen to or not to disclose material connections and payments for endorsements in the past.

Kmart generated significant positive word of mouth from its 2008 holiday season blogger campaign. Six bloggers received $500 gift cards to post entries about their experiences at Kmart, positive or negative. Each post was identified as a sponsored post. Each blogger was able to give away an additional gift card to one of their readers. For readers to enter the contest to win a $500 gift card from the bloggers, the reader had to promote the contest and Kmart to their Twitter followers or post a blog comment with the item they wanted most from Kmart. This was done more than 3,000 times on blogs, yielding 600,000 network connections. It was also tweeted more than 3,000 times on Twitter which generated considerable discussion.

In contrast, Wal-Mart created a stir with its sponsorship, through Working Families for Wal-Mart, of a blog where disclosure was not apparent. In 2006, a couple made a cross-country trip across the U.S. in an RV, parking at Wal-Marts for free. The couple started a blog called “Wal-Marting Across America”, which frequently posted stories of Wal-Mart employees they met along the way. All of the featured Wal-Mart employees only had positive things to say about the controversial corporation. Wal-Mart denied hiring the couple, but it turned out that Working Families, which received funding from Wal-Mart, decided to sponsor the couple’s entire trip when it learned about their plan. Working Families paid for the couple’s flight to Las Vegas to pick up the RV, extended the trip’s duration, provided an RV emblazoned with the Working Families logo, paid for the gas, set up the blog and paid the woman to write blog entries. While there is a Working Families banner on the blog, nowhere does it disclose that Wal-Mart sponsored the trip.

The differences in disclosure between these examples (and many others) illustrate why the FTC may have decided to create regulations around endorsements and testimonials.

The Vandiver Group is working with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) to help the industry understand and apply these new guidelines. Donna Vandiver serves on the Membership Ethics Advisory Panel and you can learn more about the guides at the WOMMA web site.

Check in next week to discuss the impact the regulations may have on your business.