Tag: MKG

4 Lessons from The Dark Side of Social Media

Posted on by Deanna Utroske

Community Managers from brands, agencies, professional organizations and more meetup periodically in New York City to network IRL and benefit from one another’s experiences—the good and bad. It’s a great way to share new knowledge and bond over common experiences.

This week, the #CMmeetup group gathered for a panel discussion on The Dark Side of Social Media. And here are the takeaways:

  1. “Leverage your personal social capital only for your own creations.”
    You may be the author of the latest viral social campaign. And of course, you work with a brand you believe in. “That doesn’t mean you should invest personal social capital to ensure the campaign’s success,” says Savannah Peterson, Global Community Manager at Shapeways, the 3D printing marketplace.
  2. “Be open and honest about why you can’t be open and honest.”
    When matters of privacy and legal concerns restrict how much a brand can share with fans and followers, share that fact with them instead. Honesty is really the best policy. “Be sincere, and also let them know what steps your team is taking to correct the concern or improve service,” advises Morgan Johnston, Corporate Communications Manager and Social Strategist for JetBlue Airways.
  3. “Have fun with harmless mockery.”
    Every brand gets made fun of; learn to roll with it. “When no one gets hurt and the teasing is in good fun, it can be a chance to show that the brand has a sense of humor and to engage in a bit of frivolity,” says Jeff Ramos, Community Manager with MKG.
  4. “Behind every tool is a person.”
    “Egregious mistakes cannot justifiably be attributed to a glitch or a platform error. People create and post content,” confirms Evan Watkins, Community Manager at MRY. The upshot: take time to make good choices because, in the end, you’re personally responsible.

Wish you’d been there to learn from the pros? Here’s a video of the lively panel discussion!

Featured image courtesy MKG.

SMW NYC: You Made It, So Thank You!

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Thank you for playing your part in helping to make Social Media Week such a huge success. We were thrilled that you were able to contribute to the incredible energy at our new Campus experience last week.

Together, we saw some inspirational speakers, from Don Tapscott exploring how we can solve problems together to Seth Godin joining Robin Chase and Lisa Gansky to expound on the future of the sharing economy. Other highlights included:

  • + Fabien Cousteau announced the launch of Mission 31, his first attempt to live and work underwater.
  • + Jonah Peretti of BuzzFeed joined our founder for a keynote interview.
  • + Percolate showcasing the power content and distribution at scale.
  • + We held our first Wearable Tech Fashion Show, in partnership with Tech in Motion.
  • + Chipotle launched their new (unbranded) series, “Farmed and Dangerous.”
  • + 10 incredible social entrepreneurs competed for $10k with Yoxi.
  • + Our NOW Studio, powered by Nokia, was packed full of some of the world’s most prolific Vine artists, illustrating how to become a better content creator.
  • + Leica was at Campus shooting beautiful portraits of our attendees.
  • + 140 Proof brought to life your social profile with a caricature artist.
  • + Under Armour presented daily yoga.

While off Campus AOL threw a great bash, and SUXORZ returned to give out worst in social awards. Sociality Squared and Contra Studios explored how creatives can keep their creativity and sanity in our always on world. And this is just a handful of all the activities last week.

Most importantly, we were honored to have you join us. As our first year hosting all Official Events in our new Campus, we know we faced some challenges, but thanks to your real-time feedback, we adjusted our process, which we hoped improved your experience over the course of the week.

As we reflect and regroup, we are asking for you to tell us what you thought of the experience. How can we get better? What needs to improve? What was missing for you?

Please take 5 minutes to complete our survey here — and we’ll be giving away a prize pack, allowing you a chance to win either a Nokia Icon or Lumia 1520 plus, Purity Monster In-Ear Headphones and a FitBit.

Thank you again — for your time, for your participation, and for being a part of SMW14.

A very special thank you to our production partners MKG, our Global Headline Sponsor, Nokia, and supporting sponsors including, Spotify, Merck, Prodigy Network, Google+, Unmetric, and Percolate. We want to give credit where credit is due, and SMW wouldn’t be what it is without them.

Collaboration, Humanity, & Design: All Coming Together At SMW NYC With MKG

Posted on by Nicky Yates

We recently shared a glimpse at what Campus will look like. We know you’ll love the thought that was put into all the small details. From ensuring you can take a call at anytime during the week at Campus to trying to bring a collaborative, human feel to it all, our team worked with MKG to develop something unique.

Design is one of those things that when done right, you might never notice it. But poor design can ruin your entire experience. That’s where our partner’s MKG come in. So, we asked them to share a bit more about their vision.

  1. How does MKG approach partnerships and events?
    MKG’s approach on all events is to be creative, strategic, collaborative, and human. We also want to make it fun, different, and engaging for everyone who touches the project, from partner to consumer.

    Another part of producing an event like Social Media Week is integration, taking ideas from all partners and streamlining them into a concept that expresses everything we are all trying to communicate through experience, design, production, and of course, digital and social. Being able to bring our expertise to this event and fusing it together with a vision we share with Crowdcentric’s of bringing together technology and humanity, all under the umbrella of the ‘Future of Now’, makes this the perfect partnership for MKG.

  2. Why design matters in events?
    MKG’s philosophy is there is never a time when design doesn’t matter! Design is a powerful way to create that impactful first impression and also an integral part of making events immersive and inspiring. It’s important to think about your audience as events are experienced in a very human way, so we create spaces that allows human connection to happen without restriction. Design is how we can silently craft the experience we’d like attendees to have, while simultaneously communicating fun, intelligence and creativity.

    As is the way we approach most things, we believe design is about style and substance. People always say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but the reality is that the way a space is designed is going to be the first thing attendees notice – it’s the way we gain their attention and draw them into the space, and then educate and engage them.

  3. What is the design structure and vision for SMW NYC’s new Campus?
    The design structure for SMW’s NYC Campus is about function and personality. Each design element is intended to highlight the idea that this conference is not your average, suit-and-tie conference; this one is on the pulse with humanity. It’s modern; it’s cheeky; and it knows that no one want to re-live the hotel ballroom conference experience.

    The aesthetic theme is based in raw materials with pops of color to send a visual message of a laid back vibe with a fun personality.

    We wanted the space to represent this year’s theme of always being connected. Spatially, we created an open layout that promotes conversation and human connections, while functionally providing a seamless flow of activity.

    We also wanted this to be a completely immersive experience. One playful way we brought this to the physical space was by deconstructing the SMW NYC branding and then reconstructing those elements 3-dimensionally throughout the space with furniture and scenic pieces all inspired by the logo and branding.

    With so many amazing brand partners and sponsors under one roof, we wanted to make sure that everyone was able to bring their unique personality to their footprint, while also avoiding the messy cluttered look so often found at trade shows or conferences. We came up with a cohesive design plan that allowed us to work with each brand to customize certain elements of their space while remaining part of the overall SMWNYC identity.

With this design approach, you’ll understand why we can’t wait to unveil Campus to you this week! Get a glimpse here, then if you haven’t already, grab your pass. See you soon!

5 Minutes With MKG’s Dave Brown

Posted on by Lindsey Taylor Wood

MKG creates experiential programs that connect trendsetting consumers, influencers and the media to brands. They exist to engage, entertain and brighten people’s lives through the experiences they create. So, obviously, it was a no-brainer when we chose them as our partner in crime for the production of this year’s Ideas Connected at Global HQ. While we’ve enjoyed working with the whole MKG team, we’ve got a real soft-spot for Dave Brown, MKG’s Director of Digital Strategy. Here he shares his thoughts on social marketing, digital innovation and our upcoming event!

1. Tell us about your goals for SMW. As co-host of Ideas Connected and our first Global HQ, what do you hope attendees will take away from the experience?
We’re totally excited about co-hosting Social Media Week’s first Global HQ. We’ve all attended way too many conferences that left us feeling underwhelmed, so this event provides us with an opportunity to flip the idea of a typical conference on its head and create something new and fresh with Crowdcentric. It’s been really enjoyable working together and we hope to make this a memorable experience for our attendees. From the very beginning it’s been our goal to create a space that’s warm, inviting and would organically facilitate networking, connections and the sharing of ideas. We hope attendees walk away feeling like they’ve had a powerful and encouraging experience.

2. As a pioneer in experiential marketing, how has social media affected the field? How does that inform MKG’s work?
Social Media has evolved to the point where we don’t see it as a separate strategy for experiential marketing. It’s fully integrated into the entire vision of a brand and we bake that into our approach here at MKG. You can’t discuss marketing or branding without deeply considering social media. That’s the most exciting part. It’s a new language. It’s a new craft. And, whether you’re a community manager or a digital strategist it’s become an art form to bridge online and offline experiences for audiences so that it’s a frictionless experience which ultimately delivers meaningful results.

3. What has been MKG’s greatest success with Social Media to date?
Fortunately, I’m part of a team at MKG that has seen a lot of success. Our creative execution of ideas is notable. But, if I had to pick one event that stood out for me, it would be the Delta Instawalk at Madison Square Garden. The challenge was to break through all the noise found at major sporting events. We solved this by inviting a talented group of Instagram photographers to come in and document the New York Rangers’ playoff run. We provided them with unprecedented access and experiences that even traditional media hadn’t done before. The outcome was nothing short of beautiful. Our use of Instagram as a storytelling mechanism created a really rich experience for audiences. It reached millions of people in an organic way and set a new standard for what can be done in the realm of social media.

4. What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in the emerging technology and/or new media space right now?

I love the level of personalization I’m seeing across the board. From social connections to anticipated results based on my actions and networks, it’s really exciting. It’s the humanization of big data and how its service is relieving pain points in peoples’ lives so we can spend more time focusing on the things that matter. A great example of this is the social connections feature on Airbnb. There’s no doubt we’ll be seeing more brands and services incorporating this level of personalization and speed of delivery into their offering. This is where things get really exciting and we’re just scratching the surface.

5. What brands do you think are leading the way in innovation with social and digital?
There are so many I admire. Holstee is one of my favorite brands. They’re a great example of how creativity and positive inspiration can build an eco-friendly brand. Another is Photojojo. They consistently remind me that passion, personality and strong communication can build audiences. Oh, and I can’t forget The New York Rangers. They have a really strong digital presence and provide fans with so much access and information through the use of various social channels. As a die-hard hockey fan, I find this both valuable and engaging. All of these brands use social media in fascinating ways to do basic storytelling. It’s exciting to see them grow and resonate with their audiences across the globe.

6. What are you looking forward to most at SMWNYC 2013?
I’m looking forward to watching people connect with what we’ve been building for the last three months. It’s been an incredible, collaborative process and I’m really excited for people to take it all in, get their hands dirty, build things, learn and share skills, make new connections and forget that you’re even at a conference. In one section of the experiential space we have an area called HQ Office Hours where we’ll be offering our ideas and advice to attendees. Anyone can approach us on anything from social media marketing, pitching us their ideas, asking for advice, sharing tips on their favorite app or wanting a restaurant recommendation for the night. It’s going to be a blast and the team and I can’t wait to engage in great conversations with the audience and give out a few solid Hi-Fives.

7. This year, our global theme is “Open & Connected: Principles for a Collaborative World.” How does MKG embody or support this idea?
Our founder, Maneesh K. Goyal is an architect for brands and his expertise is at the heart of our company. We’re passionate about creating memorable experiences that bring people together and deliver meaningful results. This matched with Social Media Week’s Open & Connected DNA spawned our natural partnership. We’re not just saying “ideas connected,” we’re living it.

8. What is the most creative way you’ve seen social media used?
I’ve witnessed so many creative applications of social media. Everything from crowdsourced funding for positive social change to neighbors helping each other in moments of crisis. Social Media always finds a way to surprise me in its application. Its beautiful. But on a more simple level, one of the most creative applications of social media (that anyone can do) is when a brand or a person recognizes a need and fills it with unbending kindness. We call this love bombs and they’re some of the best bi-products of social media. I really enjoy when I see someone say they wish XYZ would happen, and someone with the ability to make that happen does. It’s awesome. You see brands do it. You see people do it. And I hope that contagion continues to spread as social media grows into the future.

Follow Dave_Brown on Twitter: @holidaymatinee