Buddy Media

4 Ways to Deal with a Client Overload

Buddy Media — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:58:32 +0000

As the economy starts to rebound, creative agencies and technology vendors are welcoming scores of new clients. At Buddy Media, we are adding new clients at a rapid pace while carefully growing our team. We have worked hard to build a culture that works efficiently — on time and within budget — and delivers unique social campaigns that not only excite our clients, but also engage our clients’ consumers.

I See a New Moon Rising

Greg Roth — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:11:04 +0000

You’d have to be living in a hole in the ground to have missed the massive amounts of publicity surrounding the Twilight series. Last November’s release of the first Twilight movie catapulted the film’s stars into the pop culture stratosphere and positioned the franchise as a sustainable property that will generate buzz for years to come. Despite all you hear, the Twilight saga was not an overnight success. In fact, fans have rabidly anticipating the film versions of their favorite books for years. And that’s the real story, because fans have been the true drivers of this phenomenon.

Facebook has been at the forefront of the driving targeted fan engagement since the Platform first opened its doors to third party developers. The evolution of the Fan Page has created a new avenue for marketers to reach consumers who have expressed a positive interest in their brands and properties. As a result, the studio behind the Twilight movies, Summit Entertainment, sought a conduit through which they could reach fans with exclusive content before the release of Twilight’s sequel, New Moon. Sounds easy enough – just leverage the existing community of millions of fans on the Twilight Facebook page.

But it’s not that simple. Summit Entertainment wanted to reward the fans who made Twilight a household name. And they wanted to do it fast, in order to build the buzz leading up to the film’s pre-Thanksgiving release.

Enter Buddy Media and the Buddy Media Platform. Our team worked tirelessly for 7 straight days, keeping vampire hours in order to develop and launch a New Moon tab on a hyper-expedited timeline. The result is a page that highlights the film’s trailer and spurs fans to spread the word about New Moon by taking polls, sending virtual gifts, and sharing tweets. The end result – hundreds of thousands of interactions with the page in just under two weeks – thanks to a cross-platform strategy that involves posting updates to Twitter and the Twilight Facebook Wall.

We’re beyond proud of our work on the New Moon page. Check it out – it’ll dazzle you!

Go to the Public Profile on Facebook

People and Accounts of Note

Buddy Media — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:29:25 +0000

Buddy Media, New York, promoted an employee and hired another. Jeff Ragovin, vice president for sales and development, becomes chief revenue officer. And David Honig joins as vice president for platform sales; he had most recently been at Media6Degrees, which he co-founded.

Happy Halloween from Buddy Media

Buddy Media — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:36:41 +0000

We had a blast and hope you do too.

Facebook’s Developer Changes May Benefit Brands

Buddy Media — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:58:38 +0000

Facebook on Wednesday laid out a “roadmap” for developers, outlining upcoming changes aimed at making it easier for users to find and use applications and help app creators build their business on the social network. Among the key updates in store, Facebook will enable developers to ask for users’ primary email address within applications to facilitate direct contact.

Facebook Bestows Developers with Roadmap

Buddy Media — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:15:27 +0000

Every time you turn around, it seems Facebook has had a makeover — most recently it was the addition of the live feed versus the news feed on the homepage, which took most everyone — users and developers — by surprise. Now the company is set to add a slew of new features and enhancements — but fortunately they’ve handed developers a roadmap to navigate the upcoming construction. Zuckerberg admitted that letting outside developers in on future plans was something new for the company.

Cynopsis: Digital

Buddy Media — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:20:31 +0000

Buddy Media has promoted Jeff Ragovin to Chief Revenue Officer and hired David Honig as VP/Platform Sales. Jeff will oversee all sales for the company (both to brands and to agencies) while David will steer customer acquisition efforts on the agency front. Buddy Media launched a new platform for agencies last week, enabling them to build, manage and track their clients’ social campaigns.

Execs & Accounts: EVB, Razorfish, Buddy Media

Buddy Media — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:12:16 +0000

Buddy Media has promoted Jeff Ragovin to chief revenue officer and hired David Honig as VP of platform sales. Ragovin was previously Buddy Media’s VP of sales and development, and Honig was a founder of Media6Degrees.

Buddy Media Expands Executive Team to Meet Strong Demand for its Social Media Products

Buddy Media — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:30:08 +0000

CRO Appointment and VP Platform Sales Addition Position Buddy Media for Accelerated Growth

NEW YORK, October 29 2009 — Buddy Media, the leading social media company for the world’s largest brands and most innovative agencies, today announced that it has appointed Jeff Ragovin as Chief Revenue Officer and hired David Honig as Vice President of Platform Sales. Both moves address the explosive demand for Buddy Media’s social media solutions for brands and agencies in the wake of its recently launched Buddy Media Platform. This platform gives advertising and PR agencies scalable tools to easily build, manage and track their clients’ social media campaigns.

Jeff Ragovin was formerly Buddy Media’s Vice President of Sales and Development, a role he held for the last two years. As CRO, Jeff will oversee all revenue generation efforts and help optimize and balance the company’s customer relationships across the brand and agency verticals. Prior to Buddy Media, Jeff held business development and sales roles at online advertising and digital marketing firms Acronym Media, Digital Connexxions and Digital Impact. Prior to that, he managed marketing programs for e-tailer VarsityBooks.com.

“Jeff has long been a tremendous asset to the company, helping us grow from a new media startup into the leading provider of social marketing solutions for some of the world’s largest brands and agencies,” said Michael Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media. “We’re confident that Jeff’s leadership, track record of sales execution and understanding of the brand and agency landscape will help fuel continued growth for Buddy Media.”

David Honig joins Buddy Media from Media6Degrees, a social technology and online advertising company he co-founded. As Vice President of Platform Sales, David will be responsible for managing all sales and customer acquisition efforts for Buddy Media’s platform product for agencies. Prior to Media6Degrees, David held senior management roles at online media and advertising companies Did-it Search Marketing, Admarketplace.net, MaxOnline and DoubleClick.

“Given the tremendous demand we’re already seeing for the Buddy Media Platform for agencies, we needed to bring on someone with experience and relationships in the interactive and online advertising space,” said Lazerow. “David’s ad and social media expertise will help us meet and grow demand for our agency products.”

Buddy Media’s growing executive team is further supported by a blue-chip advisory team of seasoned digital, ad and social marketing executives and entrepreneurs, including:

Gary Vaynerchuk, co-Founder of brand consulting company VaynerMedia and Chairman of social wine site Cork’d;
Greg Stuart, a recognized thought leader in digital media and advertising and former CEO and President of the Interactive Advertising Bureau;
Sandy Climan, President of Entertainment Media Ventures, Inc. and CEO of digital 3D entertainment company 3ality Digital, LLC;
Pam Jordan, Director of Online Marketing & Ecommerce at Furniture Brands International and former Manager of Digital Marketing at Anheuser Busch.

About Buddy Media

In today’s social media world, every brand needs a Buddy. The Buddy Media Platform gives brands and agencies total control over their social marketing campaigns, allowing them to launch, maintain and measure their brands’ efforts. Some of the world’s largest brands, including Anheuser Busch, FedEx, New Balance, Time Inc. and Microsoft, work with Buddy Media to create social brand loyalty and social brand advocates. Based in New York, Buddy Media is a privately held company backed by Softbank Capital, European Founders Fund, GreyCroft Partners and additional investors. For more information, visit www.buddymedia.com

Buddy Media and Facebook Social Platforms

Buddy Media — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:51:25 +0000

What excites me the most about the platform is that it really allows brands to very quickly change their FB presence based on how customers are interacting with them. It shortens that time span significantly and can turn a Facebook Fan Page into an engagement and customer response play too.

Ad Agencies Find Social Media Buddy

Buddy Media — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:23:35 +0000

“It used to take three hours to provision the page with tabs; now you can do it in 90 seconds,” Buddy Media CEO Michael Lazerow says as he drags boxes and quickly inserts type into a mock Facebook page he is instantly fabricating to demonstrate the Buddy Media social media platform. “We measured it — we’ve cut 90% of the time out of the process.”

Starwood Hotels Become More Accomodating With Social Media Offerings

Buddy Media — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:57:56 +0000

Starwood Hotels and Resorts recently released a comprehensive new social media campaign across Facebook, Twitter and the iPhone to help out its guests and other travelers. The applications rely heavily on user-populated content, but the hotel chain has also put its army of concierges to work to help jump start the flow of information.

Agencies Buddy Up With Social Media Platform

Buddy Media — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:05:14 +0000

Buddy Media is extending its tools for creating, managing and tracking social campaigns on Facebook and Twitter to Madison Avenue. The company’s platform promises a single source for managing brands’ social media presence without having to know FBML or any other programming language to set up and run social marketing efforts.

New Platform Improves Social Media Monitoring

Buddy Media — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:51:27 +0000

A newly released social campaign platform will make it easy to create, manage, and track social ad campaigns using Facebook and Twitter. The Buddy Media Platform, created by Buddy Media, is a simple and cohesive platform perfect for those who are just getting started or need a refresher on how to make eye-popping social campaigns, according to TechCrunch.

Buddy Media Launches Social Marketing Platform for Agencies

Buddy Media — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:16:10 +0000

Buddy Media Platform Provides Advertising and PR Agencies with Tools and Technology to Easily Build, Manage and Track their Client’s Social Media Efforts

VivaKi, MDC Partners, theKbuzz and Converseon are Among Charter Partners

NEW YORK, October 20, 2009 – Buddy Media, the leading social media company for the world’s largest brands, today launched the Buddy Media Platform, giving advertising and public relations agencies a scalable set of tools to meet their client’s social marketing needs. The Buddy Media Platform enhances and opens up to agencies the technologies Buddy Media has built over the past two years to create, manage and track social campaigns for more than a hundred national and global brands.

“Until today, agencies had no cost-effective way to scale their social marketing capabilities,” said Michael Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media. “With the Buddy Media Platform, agencies can now provide a full suite of social marketing capabilities, including Facebook Pages and Twitter management, in a meaningful and measurable way that deepens client engagements.”

Buddy Media announced several charter partners that have selected the Buddy Media Platform as its preferred social marketing production, management and analytics platform. These include: Publicis’ Vivaki, which combines the digital assets of Digitas, Razorfish, Starcom MediaVest Group, ZenithOptimedia and Denuo; and MDC Partners, whose agencies include Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, and Kirschenbaum, Bond, Senecal & Partners.

“Brands turn to us to help them build out their social presences, source and activate audiences and track results,” said VivaKi’s Jeff Flemings, Senior Vice President/Global Head, Social. “Having access to an intuitive, easy-to-use set of social media tools backed by Buddy Media, which has an outstanding track record of customer success, is incredibly valuable.”

“While social media has ushered in a new era of highly innovative digital marketing campaigns, the process of managing a client’s social media efforts has become increasingly complex,” said Brandon G. Berger, Vice President, Digital Innovation of MDC Partners. “To address this, we’ve are leveraging platforms such as Buddy Media’s social technologies, which allow our firms to quickly and effectively deliver tailored social media programs and reduce the complexity and high labor that can be associated with the social web.”

Other partners include the SAMMY Award winner for “Best Social Agency,” Converseon, as well as social marketing pioneer for small businesses, TheKBuzz, which is using the Platform as the basis of its TheFacelift product for small businesses. Additional partners will be announced shortly.

“Converseon’s approach to its clients’ social and digital media programs is based on a philosophy of ensuring these programs map back to a client’s broader business objectives,” said Converseon CEO Rob Key. “The Buddy Media Platform allows us to rapidly roll-out tailored social media programs without taking resources away from delivering results.”

“Our most important job is helping our clients understand how to listen to customers and how to engage in conversation with them via the social web,” said Dave Kerpen, CEO of TheKBuzz, which today announced The Facelift, powered by Buddy Media Platform, a social marketing solution for small businesses. “Having the reassurance that we can rely on a set of trusted social technologies backed by Buddy Media helps us to keep this focus on shaping industry and customer conversation and the millions of small businesses that are trying to figure out social media”.

Buddy Media plans to add a handful of additional charter partners in 2009 before a global roll out in early 2010.

Using the Buddy Media Platform, agencies have the ability to launch, maintain and measure a broad portfolio of social media efforts without knowing FBML or other programming languages. Key features and functionality of the Buddy Media Platform include:

Facebook Pages: The Platform allows agencies to create, manage and track engaging Facebook Pages to drive and increase user engagement, spread unified brand messaging, publish to Facebook Walls and deploy multiple app-vertisements on Facebook Pages.
Facebook Connect: The Platform provides agencies with solutions that allow users to “connect” their Facebook identity, friends and privacy to any site.
Library of Interactive Apps: The Platform offers agencies a full library of interactive applications out of the box to drive fan engagement, including gifting, quizzes, polls, sweepstakes, coupons, video, slideshow, sharing, refer a friend, HTML and flash integration and more.
Custom Branded Apps: The Platform allows agencies to build and grow brand fan bases through the dispersal of customized social applications.
Twitter: The Platform allows agencies to manage multiple client Twitter accounts, track volume and frequency of click-through rates of links posted, as well as monitor and analyze sentiment, share of voice and market share.
Smart Targeted Media: The Platform helps agencies drive and track social actions — clicks, brand engagement and more — providing deep data that can be used for sophisticated targeted media plans.
Real-time Analytics: The Platform has both agency and client views to offer robust, unified analytics in one easy-to-use interface, making social campaigns accessible, accountable and results-driven.
Easy-to-Use Admin Interface: The Platform offers a single, drag-and-drop interface to manage profiles on the largest social networks.

Agencies interested in learning more about the Buddy Media Platform can visit: www.buddymedia.com.

About Buddy Media
In today’s social media world, every brand needs a Buddy. The Buddy Media Platform gives brands and agencies total control over their social marketing campaigns, allowing them to launch, maintain and measure their brands’ efforts. Some of the world’s largest brands, including Anheuser Busch, FedEx, New Balance, Time Inc. and Microsoft, work with Buddy Media to create social brand loyalty and social brand advocates. Based in New York, Buddy Media is a privately held company backed by Softbank, European Founders Fund and GreyCroft partners and additional investors. For more information, visit www.buddymedia.com.

About VivaKi
VivaKi is the strategic entity created by Publicis Groupe to leverage the combined scale of its media and digital operations, which represent nearly US $50 billion in global adspend and influence. VivaKi aggregates the marketplace influence of four autonomous brands, including two global media agencies: Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia; a leading digital marketing agency: Digitas; and a premiere futures practice: Denuo. On behalf of its agency brands and their clients, VivaKi faces the market to help identify and build technology, message distribution, audience aggregation and content solutions for the future. Sitting at the core of VivaKi is the VivaKi Nerve Center, which serves as a think tank, R&D center and testing ground to activate new pathways for clients to connect with consumers in an increasingly digital world. VivaKi also includes a Talent & Transformation Practice, which leverages the scale of the VivaKi brands to develop and deliver tools and approaches designed to attract, develop, train, motivate and reward the world’s best people. Website: www.vivaki.com

About MDC Partners
MDC Partners is a progressive Marketing and Communications Network, championing the most innovative entrepreneurial talent. MDC Partners provides strategic solutions and services to multinational clients in North America, Europe and Latin America. Our philosophy emphasizes the utilization of Strategy and Creativity to drive growth and measurable impact. “MDC Partners is The Place Where Great Talent Lives.” The company’s Class A shares are publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol “MDCA” and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “MDZ.A”.

About TheKBuzz
theKbuzz is a strategic word of mouth and social media marketing firm. Founded in 2006 by Carrie and Dave Kerpen, theKbuzz helps businesses of all sizes enter the social space using conversation and interaction with brand fans. theKbuzz works with large brands such as IMAX, Verizon FiOS and 1-800flowers.com as well as a variety of small businesses, non profits and government agencies. For more information visit http://theKbuzz.com or http://facebook.com/theKbuzz

About Converseon
Founded in 2001, Converseon is a multiple-award winning full service social consultancy that helps leading brands “join the conversation” to meet business objectives. Recognitions include the SAMMY Award for “Best Social Agency,” a WOMMIE (for Best Word of Mouth Program) and the OMMA Award for Best Use of Virtual Worlds, among many others. Converseon provides the technologies, organizational consulting and “paid” and “earned” engagement solutions to provide brands with a unique end-to-end social solution. Headquartered in New York, Converseon`s team extends to Detroit, San Francisco, UK, Switzerland and Australia. For more information visit http://www.converseon.com

Buddy Media Launches Integrated Facebook and Twitter Client for Brand Management

Buddy Media — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:26:02 +0000

Buddy Media’s compelling Facebook features, such as the ability to make a visually appealing and interactive page, could be popular among brand managers that have little to no technical background.

Starwood launches Twitter, Facebook and iPhone apps for loyalty program

Buddy Media — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:06:29 +0000

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is using a suite of Twitter, Facebook and iPhone applications to enhance its Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty program.
The social media tools, which can also be downloaded by non-members, include SPG TripShare, a Facebook photo application developed with Buddy Media.

Starwood Preferred Guest Launches New Twitter, Facebook and iPhone Applications

Buddy Media — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:12:39 +0000

SPG Connects Members to Starwood and Each Other Through Industry Leading Social Media Initiatives Starwood Preferred Guest(R) (SPG) today announces the launch of a new suite of Twitter, Facebook and iPhone(TM) applications, which can be accessed at www.spg.com/stayconnected. The move comes as part of the SPG program’s overall commitment to providing insider access for its loyal guests by tapping into the power of social media.

Facebook Users Get it in the Can…Thanks to Bud Light Lime

Buddy Media — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:35:59 +0000

We’re incredibly excited to announce the launch of the Bud Light Lime Public Profile for Facebook. The fan page, built with the Buddy Media Page Management System, is an interactive experience created to support the latest Bud Light Lime television ad campaign. Customized content includes an array of television commercials and polls – as well as the piece de resistance – the ‘In the Can’ virtual gifting module.

The ‘In the Can’ module leverages an irreverent double entendre embedded in Newsfeed and Wall Post messaging to spark viral visits to the Bud Light Lime page. Facebook users who receive a virtual gift will be surprised by the risque story that accompanies the can of Bud Light Lime on their Profile Wall.

So check out the page now, choose a friend to receive a virtual Bud Light Lime, and give it to them in the can.

To Elle and Back

Greg Roth — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:39:24 +0000

Hey Momma, look at me! I’m on a highway to Elle!
We’re pleased to announce the launch of the Elle Magazine Public Profile – the latest fan experience built with the Buddy Media Page Management System. The fan page is engaging, interactive, and chock-full of information and multimedia content. Our customized modules include:

- Street Chic Gallery which highlights ‘woman on the street’ photos of real ladies wearing the season’s hottest fashions.

- Elle Gifts, a virtual gifting platform that makes it easy for fans to share the latest fads and must-have trends with their Facebook friends

- Elle News – a dynamic feed that publishes the latest stories from the Elle Magazine blog

- Follow Elle on Twitter – an aggregate feed of all Elle tweets and Twitter-mentions

- Elle Videos which include interviews, fashion show highlights, and advice from fashion and beauty experts

- Polls that allow Elle fans to weigh in on the latest styles and trends

So strut down the runway and head straight for the nearest computer to check out our latest creation – the Elle Magazine Public Profile.

Go to the Public Profile on Facebook

New England Patriots Use Facebook As Primary Online Presence

Buddy Media — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:38:21 +0000

The New England Patriots have partnered with Buddy Media to create a new Facebook page that is now their primary source of online content for fans. The Patriots Fan Zone offers fans of the team a opportunity take part in team-related discussions with other fans, stay up to date on games and events through a team calendar, send Patriots-themed virtual gifts, participate in Fantasy Forecast and more.

New England Patriots Choose Facebook as Primary Social Media Hub

Buddy Media — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:30:38 +0000

You know how bands often tend to put more importance on their MySpace page than on their dot com website? Well, the New England Patriots are now doing something similar on Facebook. They’ve partnered with Buddy Media to create a new section of their Facebook page, dubbed the Fan Zone, where fans can check out a calendar of Patriots-related events, play a Fantasy Forecast game, test their Patriots knowledge in the Patriots Trivia Challenge, send virtual Patriots gifts to their friends and more.

Patriots Taking Main Online Presence To Their Facebook Page

Buddy Media — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:06:56 +0000

The Patriots have struck a deal with N.Y.-based Buddy Media to rebuild their online social media functions. Rather than embedding many of the functions within Patriots.com, the club has elected to make its official Facebook page, now dubbed the Patriots Facebook Fan Zone, the primary venue for fans to chat, share video and photos, view newly expanded fantasy forecasts, plan events and participate in other similar activities

Can Twitter Rake in the Ads to Justify $1 Billion Valuation?

Buddy Media — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:01:00 +0000

The question about Twitter used to be, “Is it a business?” Now, the question becomes “How big can it be?”

And the answer is: It better be big. CEO Evan Williams confirmed last week that the microblogging service had finalized its new funding, reported to be $100 million, giving Twitter — which now has no monetization program in place — a whopping $1 billion valuation.

Ten Post-Casino Night Awards – A Retrospective

Greg Roth — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:12:19 +0000

People came from near and far to attend Buddy Media Casino Night festivities. While nearly everyone walked away a winner, these folks deserve special recognition. As a result, the recipients of the first annual James Bond-inspired Casino Night awards are:

10. The Atlantic’s Shrimp Population wins the ‘You Only Live Twice’ award. Two lifetimes wouldn’t be enough to polish off the mound of aquatic delicacies which seemed to keep multiplying in the largest martini glass I’ve ever seen. The ocean called…they’re running out of shrimp.

9. Katherine Bateman and Lu Montague, winners of ‘The World is Not Enough’ award. These two frantically transformed Buddy Media HQ into Las Vegas East, equipped with blackjack, roulette, and craps. Somehow, they also managed to keep the night running smoothly, while seemingly enjoying themselves just as much as everyone else. Bravo!

8. Jeff Ragovin, who wins the night’s ‘Live and Let Fry’ award, for donating his office/Fortress of Solitude to the catering staff. A scented candle the size of Rhode Island won’t be big enough to eliminate the smell of hot oil from the room, but Mr. Jeff agrees that it was all worth it – if only for the tasty beef cigars and mini-Monte Cristos.

7. Patrick Stokes wins the ‘Thunderball’ award for taking off his poker face and placing a suckers bet on the roulette wheel. Of course, he hit big. He was last seen wrestling with the pit boss, who tried to convince him that the chips he had spilling out of his pockets were not exchangeable for cold-hard cash.

6. Chris Dessi, who wins the ‘Guy Who Loved Me’ award. This guy did more schmoozing than a politician at a funding drive. At one point, I saw him sketching a mock-up of a Public Profile in a giant bowl of guacamole. Ole!

5. The ‘Doctor No’ award goes to Mike Jaindl for letting his hair down and surviving an evening without charting each hour’s milestones in Basecamp.

4. Will Gallego, who put on a suit that was concentrated awesome. Honestly, I’ve never seen the guy wear anything but a T-shirt, and last night he was looking C – double O – L. As a result, he went home with the ‘License to Will’ award.

3. I don’t like to pat myself on the back (even though it’s quite easy with my extra-long arms), but based on the amount of positive feedback I received, I’ve given myself the ‘Man With the Golden Voice’ award. One guy even called me melifluous.

2. The ‘For Your Sighs Only’ award goes to all of the Casino Night invitees, who went home empty handed. Sorry, folks, better luck at our annual X-mas extravaganza.

1. Of course, the night couldn’t have happened without the Lazerows, winners of the evening’s ‘Goldfinger’ award – for throwing a raging bash and providing each Buddy with the opportunity to work for the coolest company in the world.

This post wouldn’t be complete without an extra special thanks to all of our clients and friends who made Buddy Media Casino Night an evening to remember. Diamonds are forever, but the relationships that we’ve built over the last two years are truly eternal. Thanks for choosing not to gamble your media dollars and instead going with the surefire path to a social media jackpot!

Whither paid ads in social media?

Buddy Media — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:49:46 +0000

Michael Lazerow of Buddy Media notes that Facebook’s new profitability shows that social media has a place at the table. Safe to say, it’s going to be the largest business to come out of digital since search. Rick Murray of Edelman finds the challenge is operate within the different eco-systems, if you will, of social media.

Are Your Ads Being Used to Drive Consumers to Ad-Free Services?

analisa — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:17:28 +0000

As a web business model, it’s hard to get hotter than “freemium,” the catchall term coined by venture capitalist Fred Wilson a few years ago. Myriad web and mobile apps have embraced the concept, offering a free, ad-supported version of a product or service, and a paid, premium version.

Five Things to Look Out for this Advertising Week

Buddy Media — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:41:03 +0000

It’s mid-September in New York, and that means the advertising world is gearing up for what may be its largest annual gathering outside of Cannes: Advertising Week. The mere thought of it makes me want to press the old Bar Mitzvah suit, polish the penny loafers and grab my flask of Jack!

Step Right Up! Let’s Play Guess Twitter’s Valuation

Buddy Media — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:14:40 +0000

Guess Twitter’s worth! Everybody’s doing it, and valuations for the micro-blogging service are all over the board. Just months ago, a figure of $250 million was called “staggering.” More recently, Buddy Media head Michael Lazerow recommended that Microsoft or Google shell out $2 billion for the company, while blogger Robert Scoble previously pegged it at a whopping $5-10 billion.

Food Fight!

Greg Roth — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:15:37 +0000

SPLAT! You just got hit in the back of the head by a flying hamburger. Don’t worry, you’re not in the midst of some crazed fast-food fever dream. You’re on Sony Pictures’ Cloudy with a Chance Of Meatballs Facebook Fan Page.

Based on the beloved children’s book of the same name, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a brand new animated 3D film from Sony Pictures. In order to spread the word about the September 18th release of the movie, Sony Pictures teamed with Buddy Media to launch a fun, interactive experience for fans from Swallow Falls to Singapore.

We leveraged the virtual gifting module from our Social Page Management System to create a digital food fight which allows Facebook users to hurl virtual delicacies at their friends in an all-out, no holds barred, social melee. Profiles of the film’s characters, as well as Tweets by Flint Lockwood (the movie’s erstwhile protagonist), and video trailers complete the fan page experience.

Watch out for hot dogs, candy corn, and chocolate donuts…because their flying across Facebook and heading right for your profile. Check out the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs page now and start flinging some food of your own.

Go to the Public Profile on Facebook