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Strobe is Now Tenthwave!

If you haven’t heard the news yet, here’s the press release about our exciting new merger:

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Strobe Promotions, RedStapler and Zezza Network announced on January 14 that they have merged to form Tenthwave, a fully integrated digital marketing agency headquartered in New York.  Lead by former i33 Communications Founder and Chairman Drew Rayman, Tenthwave reunites Rayman with former colleagues Steve Caputo and Rob KaplanBrian Hack and Mike Mazar; and Eric Schwamberger, the respective founders of Strobe, RedStapler and Zezza.

Tenthwave will provide digital and social marketing, promotions, web design and development from ideation through implementation for clients including CBS Consumer Products, eBay, Visa, Pepperidge Farm, Jim Beam, Hearst Magazines, and Sports Illustrated, among others.  Drew Rayman and Steve Caputo will serve as the agency’s managing partners with Brian HackEric SchwambergerMike Mazar and Rob Kaplan serving as agency partners.

“The ways in which brands communicate and engage with their audiences has changed more in the last five years than it has in the previous twenty. Unfortunately, the traditional advertising and marketing agency model has not experienced quite as rapid of a transformation. Agencies need to think differently and act differently,” said Drew Rayman, managing partner of Tenthwave. “In order for brands to compete in a ‘connected’ marketplace they need innovative strategy and direct access to agency talent that is unburdened by corporate procedure. As a new type of digital agency, Tenthwave provides its clients with cutting edge creativity, ideas and work without excessive process, combined with the stability and operational efficiencies of larger firms.”

Rayman, a proven agency manager and operator, is charged with removing the barriers between Tenthwave’s top talent and its clients by enabling the other agency partners, all of whom built successful boutique agencies on their own, to focus less on the operational elements associated with running a business and focus more on what they love to do the most: developing breakthrough work on behalf of their clients and pushing the industry forward through original thought leadership.

“Tenthwave is the natural evolution of our business,” said Steve Caputo, managing partner of Tenthwave. “Client demand for solid marketing strategy in the social media space has increased dramatically over the past year. Our ability to bring that kind of insight and direction to the table will hasten the learning curve among marketers entering the space, and bring those already engaged to a higher level of involvement with their customers. We offer a truly creative environment where the best and brightest can focus on the work while our experienced support staff tends to the details.”

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About Tenthwave

Founded in 2010, Tenthwave is the strategic blend of three award winning digital marketing agencies formerly known as Strobe Promotions, RedStapler and Zezza Network. Headquartered in New York, (with offices in ManhattanLong Island, Silicon Valley and the Washington D.C. Metro area), Tenthwave provides clients with digital marketing and creative services ranging from web design and development, online promotions and sweepstakes, social media marketing and online brand activation. Lead by managing partners Drew Rayman and Steve Caputo, Tenthwave puts innovation before bureaucracy and provides clients with direct access to creative talent. With its focus of maximizing marketing dollars, Tenthwave refuses to embrace “how it’s done” and rather strives to define “how to do it better.”  For more information, please visit www.tenthwave.com.

Enter the Strobe Holidash Sweepstakes!

strobe holidash logoIs a last-minute Facebook marketing campaign on your holiday wish list? It’s not too late!

Our turn-key application can be customized for your
brand in a matter of daysSound too good to be true?
Our social networking elves put this very promotion
application
together in less than a week!

Check it out for yourself on our Facebook page and you could win an iPad!

What You Need to Know About the New Facebook Profiles

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg debuted the new profile redesign on 60 Minutes last night. The new profiles are now live, so what do you need to know? Here’s a breakdown of what’s changed and how you can make the most of the new design.

The old Facebook profiles looked very similar to fan pages, with tabs at the top, a list of friends on the left and a Wall in the center.

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Here’s what the new ones look like:

fb profileRight off the bat, you can see that Facebook did away with the tabbed navigation on top. Instead, there is now a bio section directly under your name that shows the most basic and important information about you: where you work, where you went to school, where you’re from, your birthday etc. Over the next few days as more people get the new profiles, you will see many of your friends updating this info and you should too. Now, you can also easily edit your profile information right in this box.

fb profile top bio bar

Photos also play a big role in the new bio section at the top. The past 5 photos that you have been tagged in will automatically show up here. Don’t worry, you can edit this section as well. Simply roll over an undesired photo & a small gray box with an “X” will appear, click that to remove the photo from your top section. Note that it does not de-tag you from the photo entirely.

You might also notice that I changed my profile picture when I got my new Facebook profile. It’s not just because someone snapped a flattering photo of me this weekend, I did have a logical reason for this. Facebook now features the profile picture in a larger and more prominent space. The low resolution of my old profile picture did not display well in this new environment. Make sure to check your photos when you make the switch, because nothing is worse than a blurry profile pic or embarrassing tagged photo on Facebook.

fb profile side nav bar

The other big changes are housed on the left hand side under your profile picture. The first is how you can navigate the pages of your profile. The navigation options, formerly on tabs and in boxes, are now in a vertical list with corresponding icons. Even though the tabs are gone, you can still get to your profile pages other than the Wall (info, photos, etc.).

Underneath the navigation, you’ll see how your relationships are displayed has changed as well. There is an emphasis on family and close friends as you can even choose who is displayed in your friend list. Think of it as a serious upgrade to the MySpace “Top Friends” concept.

This new design is another example of how Facebook has done a great job of constantly evolving its platform to stay ahead of trends and not become stale like some of its predecessors. While this update doesn’t affect brands as much as consumers, it’s a sure sign of more changes to come.

Don’t have the new profile yet? Click here to get it. Then, stop by Strobe’s Facebook page to let us know what you think of the redesign. We’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Facebook Changes Promotion Guidelines

Big news! We received notice from Facebook this week that they have revised their Promotion Guidelines, effective immediately. The guidelines govern how a sweepstakes, instant win game or contest can be run on its platform. The main stipulation in this document, which has not changed, is that a brand must utilize a third party application (like the kind Strobe creates), in order to administer a promotion on Facebook. Brands also cannot use Facebook’s inherent functions or tools as a promotion entry method, ie: liking a page, posting on a wall, commenting, etc. This too, remains unchanged.

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So, what’s new?

There have been 2 major changes to the previous policy [excerpted from an email from Facebook]:

1. Facebook no longer requires prior approval to administer a promotion on Facebook.

2. Facebook no longer requires a minimum spend threshold in order to run a promotion or contest on Facebook.

This is great news for marketers because it will cut down both project budgets and timelines. It also opens the door for brands of all sizes to take advantage of the marketing opportunities Facebook promotions have to offer. Brands do, however, still need to abide by the existing guidelines regarding how to administer a promotion on Facebook. While these changes are currently in effect, they have yet to be published on the site; Facebook says they will be updated shortly.

If this news is music to your ears and you can’t wait to run a Facebook promotion of your own (even for this holiday season), contact us! We have a selection of turn-key application solutions (all in accordance with the Facebook Promotion Guidelines) to help you increase and engage your fan base.

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UPDATE: Facebook has published the revisions to the Promotion Guidelines.

Poll: Will Facebook Places Kill Foursquare?

New FREE Download – Social Media Marketing Kit

Social media sites like Facebook & Twitter offer a platform for brands to directly connect with their consumers. While brands have begun to adopt this trend, many marketers are still wondering what really works in this space. We’ve put together a handy kit with tips and best practices to adhere to in order to get the most out of any social media campaign.

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Learn how to get started, gain a following and continue to engage that following with Strobe’s Social Media Marketing Kit. This convenient download includes our Strategic Thinker’s Guide to Marketing through Social Media, our Strategic Thinker’s Guide to Achieving Promotion Objectives and tip sheets on how to run engagement campaigns on Facebook and Twitter. The advice in this packet will show you how to analyze and improve any current campaign, and is helpful whether you are a social media novice or a more advanced user.

Click here to download your FREE copy now!

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The New Group Dynamic

We are learning so much about the group dynamic these days. I mean the REALLY BIG group dynamic…What does it say when a record amount of money is donated in a record period of time during a time of economic uncertainty?

This seems NOT to be about party politics or religion, but about humankind displaying a reflexive reaction to the tragedy in Haiti. Thanks to all modes of digital communications, people can direct their giving immediately, by texting, tweeting, posting, through e-donating and e-buying. And these channels, being what they are, provide an immediate accounting of this flood of goodwill. As of this writing, The Red Cross alone has raised $147 million in the US, including $25 million from text messages. That needs to sink in… $25 million (and counting) in two weeks, raised by individuals, reacting on impulse and TEXTING their donations, $10 at time. And that does not take into consideration other channels and organizations, such as this past weekend’s “Hope for Haiti Now” fundraising concert which donated funds to Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti Foundation,  Oxfam America, UNICEF, the United Nations World Food Program, the recently formed Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation, as well as the Red Cross.

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The channels to communicate and contribute are as unfettered as they could possibly be for our time. If 9/11 was the opening chapter of technology-driven news, and the Tsunami (2004) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) relief efforts demonstrated how the internet could serve as a viable donation response channel, then perhaps the earthquake in Haiti is the event that will mark the coming of age of social media. During the past two weeks, “Haiti” has been a consistently trending topic on twitter and ever-present on facebook statuses worldwide. People all over the globe are using social media and mobile channels to come together and help others in desperate need. Never have so many offered so much, so quickly. Over the next weeks and months, we will learn whether or not governments and corporations can mobilize as quickly as the masses that have surged to support the relief effort.

The stories of death and destruction continue to mount in what surfacing as one of the singularly most horrifying natural disasters in history. That our society is attempting to respond in equal magnitude, through untested channels is a testament to the human spirit, and a reason to have unbounding hope.

Free Download: Guide to Social Media Marketing

It’s been predicted that 2010 will be the year in which social media becomes mainstream for marketers.  Facebook and Twitter have experienced a lot of growth in the past year, and are quickly becoming staples of well-rounded marketing campaigns.  If you’re not already planning on joining or enhancing your current strategy on Facebook and Twitter in the coming months, now’s the time to think about it.

Strobe’s new Strategic Thinker’s Guide to Marketing through Social Media offers tips and best practices for planning, executing and analyzing a social marketing campaign. Learn how to attract and engage a following and discover tools to measure your success. Download it here, free!

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Facebook & Twitter & Blogs… Oh My!

Implementing a Social Media Policy

The hot topic of the PMA Law Conference this year was social media.  It was a hot topic indeed, in light of the recently published FTC Guidelines concerning the use of testimonials and endorsements in advertising and social media, as well as the new Facebook policies put in place the day before the conference. Naturally, many questions arose throughout the conference discussions. One overarching concern for marketers about this topic is “How do we protect ourselves and our clients in this ever-changing environment without inhibiting the creative use of these social media marketing tools?”

The take away is basically this: create a social media policy for your company.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY COMPANY NEEDS A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY?

Is your company or brand leveraging social media in their marketing strategy? Has your company created a fan page on Facebook or established a company account on Twitter? Maybe your employees are tweeting about the company on their personal accounts. If so, then it’s time to consider creating a social media policy, a tool to help your employees navigate the social media jungle.

WHAT IS A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY?
Like any good set of terms and conditions or Official Rules, a social media policy will outline what information should or shouldn’t be posted to any social media platform in order to avoid violating the FTC Guidelines. It should apply to any employee, agency or blogger who posts information (that can be attributed to your company or product) to any social media site; including their own or the company’s blog, Facebook fan page, or Twitter account.
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In short, the new FTC Guidelines cover all advertising messages including product reviews, endorsements and testimonials, hosted on blogs and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Compliance with the FTC Guidelines is all about disclosure. So, bloggers, and in some cases your employees (or agencies, or even your mom, if she likes to brag!), who make these “endorsements” must disclose the material connections they share with the Sponsor. This way, consumers are aware when the author of a review/testimonial has been paid or received free product in return. Your social media policy would outline how your employees, agents and bloggers should conduct themselves when talking about your brand and products on the web.

WHAT SHOULD A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY DO?

  • Provide guidance and training to those people who are involved in social media for your company.
  • Make a reasonable effort to monitor your company’s social media platforms including blogs.
  • Make sure you have reserved the right to remove false statements when identified or anything that is posted that you think could be problematic.
  • Train all people involved in social media for the need to be truthful. Stress the need to provide honest & truthful opinions to avoid false advertising claims.
  • Instruct your people to disclose the connection to your company (whether they are employees or bloggers provided with free product).
  • Instruct your people to respect all Intellectual Property rights.
  • Explain that all statements made must be verifiable.
  • Require sponsor approval if bloggers wish to run a contest.
  • Limit employee social media direct messages (may be considered email and fall within CANSPAM).

Make sure the social media policy is reviewed by marketing, HR, legal, PR departments and your advertising agency so you have everyone’s input.

WHY A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY?
While not fool-proof, a social media policy will help steer those in your company to walk the right path when it comes to sponsored messages and testimonials on social media, and having one in place may determine whether or not an action will be brought against your company, should an infraction of the FTC Guidelines occur.

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P.S. - Don’t forget to play our Merry Memory Game for your chance to win an LCD HDTV or an iPod Nano! It’s a great off the shelf solution that can be quickly customized for your holiday marketing campaign. Good luck!

Blogs & Social Media Bring Change to 30-year Old FTC Regulations

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The Federal Trade Commission announced this week that it is changing its regulations regarding sponsored testimonials online, and not surprisingly, the web has been a buzz ever since. The original FTC ruling about sponsored endorsements from 1980 is designed to protect consumers against fraudulent advertising and applies to television, radio, print and later, email. Beginning December 1, 2009, the scope of this regulation will be expanded to also include blogs and social media platforms. Why is this such big news? Well, the proposed changes will affect four important and vocal parties involved in the marketing process; consumers, bloggers, celebrities and companies, by making sure that any paid endorsements online are made known to the public. While that’s a significant change, the ruling spotlights an issue that will have a widespread impact on our industry.The fact that the U.S. government is imposing regulations on blogs and social media means that it now considers both to be legitimate channels of mass communications. If you’re reading this blog post, you certainly get the importance of the social web, but this is a wakeup call for marketers still unsure of the validity of this channel.

What this means for brands & bloggers
In a phrase, no more under the table pay for play, everything will be out in the open. It is not an uncommon practice for companies to send influential bloggers free product (or cash, trips, etc.) in return for a positive review on their blog. However, the blogger is currently under no obligation to tell the readers about the transaction, although some do. Under the expanded FTC guidelines, bloggers and social media users must disclose any paid relationship with a company (this includes freebies, not just money) so that consumers are aware. The same situation applies when brands reach out to social media users to post sponsored content on sites like Facebook and Twitter. It should be noted that sponsored blogging/posting is still allowed, so long as it is indicated as such, just like the accepted practices of marketing through traditional media channels

Another new issue addressed by the FTC is the practice of creating entirely fabricated blogs and personalities so that a brand can falsely feed advertising content through the voice of a supposed customer. Now, companies will not be allowed to mimic user-created sites to mask advertising messages from their audience.

What this means for consumers
In keeping with the FTC’s mission, the reason for all of these new rules is to protect the consumer. Consumers have to most to gain from these new changes, the more transparency there is in product related blogging and posting, the more educated they will be. Similar to the “paid actor” disclosures seen on television commercials, it will be much easier to distinguish a paid blog post, wall post or tweet from an actual opinion.

What this means for marketers
This is not bad news. The same regulations already apply to television, radio, print and email and marketers have been abiding for almost 30 years. Marketers now will have to be smarter and more creative with their social media marketing campaigns as well. As good marketers, we should always want our consumers to be well-informed about our products and services. The proposed FTC regulation is intended to level the ethical playing field and weed out those who are abusing these channels. Many brands will continue to thrive in our online social space, the point is to be here and do it right. Those marketers still skeptical about Web 2.0 applications need to recognize, as the government has, that social media and blogging are maturing into viable and impactful communications channels.