Mike Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media, introduces his practice of leveraging social media with applications that help brands to engage customers by giving them something fun, valuable, or self-expressive. His strategy is echoed by many successful voices. Two examples come to mind:
- Angela Courtin, SVP of Marketing, Entertainment, and Content at MySpace in her treatment of “What Users Care About“
- Dan Buczaczer, SVP at Denuo Group, in his “Rules and Roles for Brands to Collaborate with Users who Generate Online Video“
Mr. Lazerow calls “App-vertising” the new ad “unit”. This introduction was a part of a discussion panel at OMMA Social SF 2009 entitled “The Odd Couples: What Happens When Social Media Agencies and Advertising Agencies Hook Up?”, which took place on January 26, 2009.