There was always something magical and amazing about Santa’s visit at our house when we were kids. Our family would go to church and then celebrate our gift-giving and togetherness as our own family unit on Christmas Eve so that on Christmas Day we could pack into the car and make the drive to Grandparents’ and Relatives’ houses. I loved starting off the evening with church and Christmas songs and the spiritual side of Christmas. It made it all the more real, and let us all be together.

I still love that tradition. Just my family on Christmas Eve, together, and sharing great food, drink, music, stories, and exchanging gifts. Of course, the fireplace being sully stoked and ready for the occasional cardboard box or wrapping paper ball is part of it. Nothing else burns quite like corrugated cardboard, as the material heats up and flames shoot gently out of the corrugated edges.

As kids, we’d anxiously await the moment when the steady stream of food tapered off and it got to the point where we just knew that it was going to be time to open presents. The temptation of seeing all those brightly colored packages wrapped up under the tree for weeks was always too much to bear, but we knew that waiting would be worth it. Plus, there was no other choice.

We’d take turns handing out presents and opening everything. We were never the everybody-rip-into-it-at-once type of family. We’d all take turns opening something. I appreciated how that made the entire experience take longer. I sure wanted to rip them all open, but it was really nice to be able to actually see one brother fake pleasure at getting socks or another actually freak out over getting the chemistry set he’d always wanted.

Then there was that One Special Gift that I just knew would be the thing that would make this the Best Christmas Ever. Inevitably, though, after all the unwrapping was done, that One Special Gift would not be part of the pile. The feeling I had at that point was quite mixed. Disappointment for not having received something that I know I clearly indicated I wanted. Guilt for wanting one MORE thing when I had a pile of presents at my feet. But there was something else – hope. Hope that when Santa visited overnight, maybe that One Special Gift would be the one thing that Santa remembered.

Santa is very special. He’s a guy that dedicates his entire life to making and delivering the special things that kids want most for Christmas. So it wasn’t until I was a little bit older that I noticed that nearly every Christmas Eve, there was one thing that inevitably wasn’t part of the family gift giving experience. One thing that I still held out hope for. One more thing that I could anticipate, and grow excited for.

Christmas morning, I was usually the first one up. I liked being the first to see whether Santa had come, and I liked having a small portion of the morning to myself. I also knew that the sooner I got up, the sooner I would have some clue as to what Santa had left for us.

Running out into the living room, the fireplace doors would be ajar, there would be soot tracked on the hearth, and the cookies for Santa and carrot for Rudolph were always nibbled on, but not always gone. Santa also would always leave a note. It was exquisitely written in handwriting that could only be Santa’s. I’d never seen it anywhere except for on Santa’s note.

Then there were the packages. And Stockings. Santa had special wrapping paper that everything he ever brought us was wrapped in. I had no idea how there could be that much wrapping paper that Santa’s gifts were wrapped in it every year, but he also has flying reindeer, so  he can pretty much make anything happen. And the stockings were so overloaded with small, fun things and candy and treats that they had been taken down from hanging under the mantle and laid on the hearth. They would nearly be bursting!

So I would survey the scene. Which ones were for me? Which ones were for my brothers? Was anyone else awake yet? How long would I have to wait? At least I’d already turned on the Christmas Tree lights. Their multi-colored glow being the only light in the room. It was really very peaceful and comforting to be the only one awake at that time, knowing that I got to have that moment to myself to feel so lucky that Santa had visited us. That I wasn’t too much of a problem kid that I still got something from Santa at the end of a year.

Then I would see it. The one package that looked like it could be the One Special Gift that I’d been hoping for. I knew that I’d need to save that one for last when we started opening Santa’s gifts. Then my brothers would get up, and Mom and Dad would roll out of bed, too. That’s when the anticipation would grow. But of course, coffee had to be made first so that Mom and Dad could settle into their chairs and brace themselves for the rest of the day. I always thought that the coffee excuse was just another part of Santa’s Plan on how to make the experience more intense.

When we started opening, this was more of the every-man-for-himself flurry of gift wrap. We’d work our way through the stockings and then onto the last couple things that Santa had left. Then I’d have to pause to consider the last package in front of me.

Was it The One? What if it wasn’t? Could I be happy enough with whatever it was that Santa wouldn’t think I was just another greedy little kid? Could I fake enough excitement that my parents wouldn’t be able to tell that I was actually let down? I mean – I surely already had enough great gifts that I shouldn’t be sad. If the inverse had been true, and I got the one thing I wanted and nothing else, then I would have been disappointed in another way. Well… there was only one way to find out. Open it.

What I know now is that Santa was a master of experience design. He had his hooks in your mind for as long as you could remember. He had songs that reminded you that you’d better be good for goodness sake. But it was more than that at our house. It was special. Everything about Santa was like a symphony. The parts all went together to build to this crescendo that left you there, with your family in the glow of the Christmas Tree on Christmas morning with the feeling that you were truly loved and that even though that elated feeling was related to having received a thing, that I still knew behind all of it, it wasn’t about the thing at all. It was about how you were supposed to feel.

And it felt good.

So this year, as I look at Christmas approaching, I am very excited for my own son’s experience with Christmas and Santa. He’s old enough now that it’s all sinking in, creating wonder and amazement. I know he already loves the tree and lights. The music. The colors and decorations. I can’t wait to see his face on Christmas Morning. I can’t wait to see him witness Santa’s exquisite handwriting. I can’t wait to sense that he feels the magic that all of these elements of the Christmas season bring. And to know that hopefully, he can experience the joy and love and amazing sense of warmth and wonder that I felt – and still feel – at Christmastime when I’m with my family, friends and loved ones.

And I’ll do everything I can to help Santa in his job of letting everyone have a wonderful experience at Christmas. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas as well.

(OMAHA, Neb. – Dec. 1, 2010) – Bozell, an integrated marketing communications consulting firm, has named AnnMarie Fereday and Duane Siebler as business and engagement developers and Maggie Harn as copywriter.

As a business and engagement developer in the Brand Navigation department, Fereday contributes to communication planning and account service on multiple clients including Alegent Health, Borsehims, Tnemec and College World Series.  She brings a breadth of experience in brand management, media, digital and event management to Bozell. Fereday was previously employed by Starcom Worldwide developing national strategy for clients including Macy’s, MillerCoors and most recently Procter and Gamble. She graduated from Creighton University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Siebler also joins Bozell as a business and engagement developer in the Brand Navigation department and leads strategy and planning for multiple accounts including Tate and Lyle, OPPD and Right at Home. Siebler has more than 16 years of marketing and management experience and previously served as senior director of business recruitment marketing at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and as senior manager of marketing communications at Lincoln Financial Group. He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

In her role as copywriter, Harn is responsible for concepting and writing for clients including Borsheims and Alegent Health. She previously served as a copywriter at Target’s internal agency inHouse, writing for Target media in all forms including TV broadcast, in-store marketing, online, social and traditional. Harn graduated from Creighton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication. She was also an award-winning writer at the Miami Ad School in Minneapolis where she studied copywriting.

About Bozell
Bozell is an integrated marketing communications company with offices in Omaha and Kansas City. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com.

Now that the financial crisis is no longer a crisis, but rather a healing wound – perhaps one that’s slow to heal – the sales and promotion of LUX items from high-end companies is once again turning heads. Although luxury companies still produced and sold items in the past few years, be it in more limited numbers, promotions were dormant during the monetary meltdown.

Cover of 2010 Borsheims LUX Book

Borsheims Jewelry and Gifts, for example, followed a similar business method in recent years. The Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway company continued to sell high-end pieces despite the economic downturn but kept communication under the radar with its high-end clientele. The company felt that the economy’s inevitable upswing would bring back its upscale buyers. But in considering the poor state of the economy, Borsheims scaled back its typical advertising of glitz and glam products, knowing it was only a matter of time for LUX to rear its diamond-studded head.

With the gentle upswing of the economy, consumers are opening up – but with new intentions behind their purchases. High-end consumers are no longer making purchases based on status but are buying for meaning. Gone are the days of conspicuous consumption (sorry 1980’s!) and in comes a new style of buying. Even though buyers are still purchasing Jaguar cars, Iturralde Diamonds has high-end jewelry and watches, they are only purchasing if they think the quality is worth the price. The value of an item is now seen differently.

“Now a handful of companies are trying to put the “lux” back in luxury by introducing products with more handcraftsmanship and detailing. Sure, these products cost more. But the companies that make them are betting people will be willing to spend more to get more.”

http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/02/news/economy/luxury_comeback.fortune/

In response to this new buying trend, companies are developing lines of “artisan collections,” which are low production (sometimes even one-of-a-kind pieces) that they can charge high dollar for. Luxury companies feel that if people are going to spend the money now, they should offer distinctive products with elevated quality. As a result, purchasers of these items view them as handcrafted works of art.

Christopher Designs spread in the Borsheims LUX Book

And Borsheims’ latest LUX book exemplifies just that. Starting with a unique 7” x 7” shape, the 60-page piece uses only clean, white backgrounds, allowing the product to really stand out. By showcasing these high-end artisan pieces in a gallery style, it creates a more approachable look while provoking desire. Any personality can look at any one of the items and make a personal connection with it. And to provide even greater value for the luxury consumer, the LUX book features in-depth descriptions of each item and explores the materials used – like crystal, gems or precious metals – and any interesting techniques used in the piece’s creation.

Without a fully recovered economy, not all companies are brave enough to pursue the changing buying patterns of elite consumers. Borsheims, though, is giving its upscale clientele reasons to buy in spite of the recession. The early results of the LUX book were very positive so far. Multiple pieces from the Lux book have already sold – which shows us the piece is working, and appealing to the high end demographic. With a unique combination of business savvy and unmatched quality products, Borsheims is putting the trust and “lux” back in luxury.

The other day I was driving home flipping through the radio channels and I heard John Tesh drop one of his pearls of wisdom. He said that several thousand “environmentally friendly” products had been evaluated for their level of environmental friendliness and ninety-percent had been caught in a big fat lie. I hit the brakes as the full meaning of that statement hit me. He was saying that the vast majority of products marketed as eco-friendly were not offering any benefits to the environment whatsoever. They were frauds.

I was stunned. So many people have embraced the mantra: reduce/reuse/recycle. They go far out of their way and spend a considerable amount of extra money to help the planet. And now these bastions of earth friendliness, the caring companies with a corporate conscience who are entreating us to join in and enable them to save the planet have become the enemy.

Now who can you trust? It seems unthinkable to keep providing money to the lying SOBs but what’s the alternative? Stop supporting green (or faux green) living altogether? I honestly don’t have the answer.

(Omaha, Neb., November 12, 2010)—Omaha-based creative marketing communications company Bozell won awards for six projects at The Show 19, the annual statewide awards program of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Nebraska.

“We are always proud of the work our design team does, for every project. They are immensely talented. It’s a great feeling to have that talent recognized by AIGA Nebraska,” said Kim Mickelsen, managing principal of Bozell.

The awards were determined by a group of three judges chosen for their expertise in design and marketing. Gold, silver and bronze awards were given for 17 different design categories, but the judges had the right to withhold an award placement if they deemed that none of the work earned the recognition. Submissions must have been created and implemented in a campaign within the last year.

Bozell was honored with the following awards:

Silver, Motion/Interactive, Ourmaha TV Spot for Catholic Charities

Bronze, Website, InvestNebraska.com for the Invest Nebraska Corporation

Bronze, Corporate Communications, Event invitation for the 25 Year Club

Bronze, Website, for NebrWesleyan.edu for Nebraska Wesleyan University

Bronze, Self Promotion, Camp Wannatailgate for Bozell

Bronze, Corporate Communications, Thinking for Bozell

About Bozell
Bozell is a creative marketing communications company with offices in Omaha, Nebraska, and Overland Park, Kansas. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com.

Thursday nights are down 17% in the new TV season, and now rank behind Sunday and Monday. Sunday is the top night, anchored by NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

The top networks are averaging a 13.6 in 18-49s on Thursdays, down 17% from a 16.4 rating in the first seven weeks of last season. On Sunday, the Big 4 average a 17.0 (down a hair from a 17.2 last season, collectively; NBC is up 24% on that night). Mondays are averaging a 14.3, down from last year’s average of 15.5.

ABC’s Particular Struggles

ABC is having a particularly tough time on Thursdays, and is down 35% while it struggles to find an 8pm show that works. Its first try, My Generation, lasted just two weeks.

But despite its challenges, ABC has won on Thursday nights seven weeks in a row. Last week, Grey’s Anatomy was tops in the 9pm hour in 18-49s, giving it status as the No. 1 series in the slot for the 7th week in a row. The show topped second-place CSI (on CBS) by 30%, NBC’s comedies (The Office/Outsourced) by 34%, and Fox’s Fringe by 139%, according to TV by the Numbers.

CBS is down just 7% for the night, thanks in large part to its popular The Big Bang Theory which was moved from Monday to Thursday. CBS also has a strong Monday lineup with popular shows like How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement and Two and a Half Men as well as new shows Mike & Molly and Hawaii Five-O.

Ask a Social Expert Anything…

by Meghan D’Arcy

The young professional generation is comprised of thinkers. Unlike our parents and grandparents, we won’t stay at our first job after college for 40 years and become complacent. We want to chase opportunities, explore our options and find our calling. Sometimes that means working jobs that make us horribly miserable until we find The One. In Scott Bishop’s case, it took three cities, one professional group, countless networking events and nine years after college to realize his dream and he’s enjoyed every moment of the journey. Well, maybe not every moment, but doesn’t that sound poetic?

“I finally got to the point where I wasn’t happy with where I was. I just decided to jump off the bridge and find out if I could swim. I’ve always believed that you have to scare yourself every once in a while to test yourself,” Bishop said. After working for years in the marketing and sales industries, Bishop had found himself working as a marketer for a publishing company in Chicago, Illinois. It was traditional marketing with no room for creativity and certainly no need for digital marketing, which Bishop found himself drawn to. So he left his job, moved to St. Louis, Missouri and started his own company, Crave Engine. Crave Engine specializes in digital marketing and social media to provide businesses with an online presence, help them generate awareness and increase sales. “Why I like to go to work is that it allows for creativity. You actually get to solve problems and get paid to do it.”

Crave Engine has been in business for a year and a half and Bishop has no intention of trying to grow the business or turn it into an agency. It’s been his life for the past year and a half, in fact he admits he doesn’t really have hobbies outside of work. That’s lucky for him considering he now works two jobs after moving to Omaha two months ago to accept the position of Director of Social Influence at Bozell, an integrated marketing agency. His responsibilities at Bozell are the same as at Crave Engine, but he enjoys that he now has a team and can really focus on his interests. At Crave Engine he takes on many other duties such as billing and searching for new business, and that hinders his ability to research and truly know digital marketing inside and out. But he still maintains that starting his business was one of his best decisions, and one that has affected his entire career and life.

“Everything I’ve done in the past year and a half has led me to where I am right now. For some people that’s not a big deal, but I’m finally at a place where I’m happy, I’m living in a town that I actually consider home, I like living here, I like the people here, I like where I work and I like what I do. That’s just a very different place from where I’ve been since I got out of college,” Bishop said. If he’s had to read and write a lot, forego fun activities for work activities and postpone settling down, it’s all worth it to be in Omaha and have what he has now.

Bishop has always been a go-getter. While living and working in Chicago, Illinois, Bishop and two friends started Social Media Breakfast, a networking organization. It was held in the morning to attract high-level executives who can’t make happy hour events because they have families. It also consisted of mini-roundtable discussions rather than presenters and panels, and seats were limited to 50 or 60 instead of 200. Leave it to a marketer to increase demand.

Bishop advises anyone in any industry to make use of every opportunity that presents itself. “Everything is a stepping stone for something else. No one’s going to pick up the phone and call you, you have to go out there and make things happen. And then all of a sudden things just start falling in your lap and you don’t know where they came from but if you really want to analyze it, they come from the last year of working your tail off.”

To learn more about Crave Engine, visit craveengine.com. To follow Bishop’s blog, check out realtimemarketer.com.

Tate & Lyle is one of the world’s leading providers of food ingredients. It literally supplies hundreds of different ingredients — such as sweeteners, starches, fiber and more — to leading food manufacturers such as Kraft and ConAgra.

Most people who work in the food manufacturing industry know who Tate & Lyle is. However, because of its long history and respected reputation as a quality ingredient provider, many of those people also thought that they knew everything there was to know about the company.

Tate & Lyle wanted to change that. It was looking for a “wow” factor that would make customers and potential customers stop and say, “Maybe I don’t know everything there is to know about these guys.”

The International Food Technologists (IFT) Food Expo happens once a year. It’s like Disneyland for food technologists and research and development folks. It’s a packed house of food industry decision makers looking for inspiration and the next big idea. That makes it a great place to connect with existing and potential customers, but it’s also an overwhelmingly challenging place to find a way to stand out in the crowd.

Tate & Lyle approached Bozell to develop a new approach for its entire presence at the IFT Food Expo. In the past, its exhibit design and messaging had been largely product focused — showcasing top-selling products such as SPLENDA® Sucralose and PROMITOR™ Dietary Fiber. It had seen success, but didn’t feel that it was truly communicating its innovative approach of going beyond just providing individual ingredients to providing complete customer solutions.

Using Tate & Lyle’s existing booth to maximize budget, Bozell created an entirely new platform for the IFT Food Expo. The theme “Our Ingredients — Your Success” focused on the partnership Tate & Lyle builds with each of its customers. The messaging reinforced Tate & Lyle’s proactive approach and ability to work with customers throughout the product development process to find the perfect solution to product challenges.

A fresh, contemporary design not only stood out from the more traditional look of other exhibitors, but also produced the backdrop for six stations featuring prototype products addressing the latest consumer trends driving new product innovation like new technology in computers and in the supplement market, creating new supplements for the brain, that can help you perform better at work or study.

For example, one station featured the trend of healthier family snacks, and offered samples of no-sugar-added peanut butter cookies with 6g of fiber per serving made with SPLENDA® Sucralose and PROMITOR™ Soluble Corn Fiber. Another featured the trend of consumers’ increased desire for exciting new tastes and textures, and featured crunchy coated nuts made with PROMITOR™ Soluble Corn Fiber and X’PAND’R® SC corn starch to produce a light and crispy coating.

Tate & Lyle booth attendees received a punch card to track their visits to each trend station. Those who did were eligible to enter a drawing for an Apple iPad or iPod Touch. Pre- and post-show emails to  attendees featured the same messaging as the booth and were designed to generate booth traffic (pre-show) and reinforce the booth message to maintain customer awareness (post-show).

The booth received heavy traffic throughout the show, and generated 270 leads for requests on specific product details and 35 requests for actual product samples. The client was exceptionally pleased with the creative approach and the finished product.

Tate & Lyle’s mananging principal of promotion for the Americas, Stephanie Edgecombe, reported that the Bozell team “really helped us make great changes in the way we communicate…it was great to be amongst those who thought differently and gave me support to push forward new ideas within the organization. You’ve made a huge impact and it is recognized.”

According to a compilation and analysis of current studies, Mintel predicts nine key consumer trends for the year ahead, examining how long term behavior has been impacted and created a new way of life. In 2011, consumers are living for the long term with attitudes inspired by a changed value set.

1.  Renewed emphasis on prevention will drive consumers to think defensively. In the UK, 43% of consumers say “trying to add to my rainy day savings/emergency fund” is a priority for this year, up 15% from last year. In the US, a third of consumers say they’re using debit rather than credit, and debit transactions are forecasted to rise nearly 60% between 2000 and 2010. Consumers want to know what they’re getting themselves into. So, 2011 may see the need for brands to demonstrate how a product or service delivers long term benefits or prevents problems down the road.

2. For brick and mortar retailers, discounting is a no-win battle against the internet. In the US, 35% of consumers say their choice of store is determined by special offers or discounts. In 2011, brands need to offer more than just retail, and be a venue, not just a shop. Exclusivity and environment may be key aspects to engage consumers with real life, not virtual, shopping experiences.

3.  With smartphones becoming the dominant mobile force, Quick Response and app technology will provide portals into unique experiences and improve our quality of life. In the US, sales of smartphones grew 82% from 2008 to 2010. As consumers are empowered, 2011 will see people take a deeper interest in where they are. Geography and status can be redefined through retail, presenting brands with an opportunity for increased location based services, promotions and solutions.

4.  Economic uncertainty has changed the workplace and the meaning of job security for the foreseeable future. As a result consumers will continue to question higher education’s ROI and alternative channels for learning will gain credibility. In 2011 we may see more lifelong learning in the workplace, corporate sponsored degrees and companies investing in employees through education and training rather than salary or benefits. And, learning while doing, rather than learning in a lecture hall, with DIY education gaining steam.

5.  Women are earning and learning more than men, creating new gender roles in business and consumerism. In 2011, age is no longer an easy marker for lifestage. 2011 may see a counter trend to the ‘metrosexuality’ of men in a ‘masculinization’ of women. Implications for how brands market to women will be big, especially in sectors such as automobiles and sports. With men helping around the house more than ever, there may be an opportunity for brands to cater household products, as well as retail experiences. In the US in 2008, 27% of men reported being the sole cleaner in their household; in 2010, that number jumped to 32%.

6.  People are working beyond retirement. With half of Americans having no retirement account, the number of over 65s working will reach nearly 20% by 2014. In the UK, 77% of over 55s plan to continue working after retirement age “in order to enjoy and prolong a better standard of living.” In 2011, this group may prove an untapped market, affecting a number of consumer sectors. Vitality, energy and longevity will become key product qualities in the food and drink sector, while health and beauty messages may need to center on anti-aging properties.

7. Attitude toward weight is polarizing, pitting the rise of the super-healthy against the eternal appeal of indulgence. In the UK, almost a quarter of women wear clothes in sizes 18 and over, more than 30% of UK children are now classed as overweight, and 34% of US adults age 20 and over are obese. 2011 may see a wider array of products from portion control and more info on packaging to low-cost healthy fare and products to firm and salve chaffed or sagging skin.

8.  Modern city dwellers have a growing love of gardening and a need for nature and with fresh, organic produce. In the US, 26% of internet users purchased vegetable seeds in past year, 19% bought vegetable/flower garden fertilizer and 27% said they like to grow vegetables at home. In the US, 40% of people with a garden agree “growing fresh food to cook with” is important. In 2011, rural tourism, working farm holidays and garden leisure may benefit, while rising food and commodity prices may see a boost for seed sales as this trend develops.

9.  In an ever more digital era, automated technology machines are replacing people, creeping into new territories, including hospitals, libraries, pharmacies and the home. 2011 may see certain jobs permanently displaced by technology, including service jobs, not just manual or factory work.

Source:  Research Brief From The Center For Media Research

Technology research firm Gartner recently released their list of the top 10 strategic technologies for 2011. Gartner defines ‘strategic technologies’ as those that have just matured or are still emerging.

I was struck by the fact that at least six of the technologies have already, or will, impact brand strategy and communications planning. Many of these are already being employed at some level.

Listed below are the six technologies with a brief explanation taken from the Gartner press release.

Mobile Applications and Media Tablets

Gartner estimates that by the end of 2010, 1.2 billion people will carry handsets capable of rich, mobile commerce providing an ideal environment for the convergence of mobility and the Web. Mobile devices are becoming computers in their own right, with an astounding amount of processing ability and bandwidth. There are already hundreds of thousands of applications for platforms like the Apple iPhone, in spite of the limited market (only for the one platform) and need for unique coding.

The quality of the experience of applications on these devices, which can apply location, motion and other context in their behavior, is leading customers to interact with companies preferentially through mobile devices. This has lead to a race to push out applications as a competitive tool to improve relationships and gain advantage over competitors whose interfaces are purely browser-based.

Social Communications and Collaboration

Social media can be divided into:

1. Social networking —social profile management products, such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendster as well as social networking analysis (SNA) technologies that employ algorithms to understand and utilize human relationships for the discovery of people and expertise.
2. Social collaboration —technologies, such as wikis, blogs, instant messaging, collaborative office, and crowdsourcing.
3. Social publishing —technologies that assist communities in pooling individual content into a usable and community accessible content repository such as YouTube and flickr.
4. Social feedback – gaining feedback and opinion from the community on specific items as witnessed on YouTube, flickr, Digg, Del.icio.us, and Amazon.

Gartner predicts that by 2016, social technologies will be integrated with most business applications. Companies should bring together their social CRM, internal communications and collaboration, and public social site initiatives into a coordinated strategy.

Video

This is not a new media form, but its use as a standard media type used in non-media companies is expanding rapidly. Technology trends in digital photography, consumer electronics, the web, social software, unified communications, digital and Internet-based television and mobile computing are all reaching critical tipping points that bring video into the mainstream.

Over the next three years Gartner believes that video will become a commonplace content type and interaction model for most users, and by 2013, more than 25 percent of the content that workers see in a day will be dominated by pictures, video or audio.

Next Generation Analytics

Increasing compute capabilities of computers including mobile devices along with improving connectivity are enabling a shift in how businesses support operational decisions. It is becoming possible to run simulations or models to predict the future outcome, rather than to simply provide backward looking data about past interactions, and to do these predictions in real-time to support each individual business action.

Social Analytics

Social analytics describes the process of measuring, analyzing and interpreting the results of interactions and associations among people, topics and ideas. These interactions may occur on social software applications used in the workplace, in internally or externally facing communities or on the social web.

Social analytics is an umbrella term that includes a number of specialized analysis techniques such as social filtering, social-network analysis, sentiment analysis and social-media analytics. Social network analysis tools are useful for examining social structure and interdependencies as well as the work patterns of individuals, groups or organizations. Social network analysis involves collecting data from multiple sources, identifying relationships, and evaluating the impact, quality or effectiveness of a relationship.

Context-Aware Computing

Context-aware computing centers on the concept of using information about an end user or object’s environment, activities connections and preferences to improve the quality of interaction with that end user. The end user may be a customer, business partner or employee.

The other strategic technologies are cloud computing, storage-class memory, ubiquitous computing and fabric-based infrastructure and computers.

Are you using these technologies to your advantage?