Announcing...

After several months of planning and global coordination, it's with great pleasure that I welcome the launch of Social@Ogilvy, Ogilvy & Mather's new cross-discipline social media marketing practice.

As Facebook pointed out during a panel this afternoon in Hong Kong, the first stage for many businesses is one of experimentation, setting benchmarks and seeing what's possible. In other words, it's the 'social media' stage.

Next, comes the 'social marketing stage' - one in which benchmarks are set and brands begin to grow in their sophistication on the platform, potentially branching beyond just page management to leverage the platform in new ways, such as through apps and Facebook Ads.

Several brands, however, are one step further. It's the stage of 'social business.' That's the stage in which social has made its way to the heart of the enterprise, having permeated not only through marketing communications, but through all other departments.

This is what Social@Ogilvy is all about - bringing social media beyond marketing communications to enable sales, facilitate customer care, and impact CRM. It's something Ogilvy has been doing for a long time, but for the first time today, we are calling it by an official name.

Interested in learning more? Connect with Social@Ogilvy online in the following places...
Blog: social.ogilvy.com
Twitter: twitter.com/socialogilvy
Facebook: facebook.com/socialogilvy
SlideShare: slideshare.com/socialogilvy

Facebook on 'Social by Design'

Social isn't new. It's been around now for years, and yet, I still find myself in scenarios in which colleagues and clients want me to 'make something go viral.' This happens all the time!

Facebook recently hosted a Creative Garage at Ogilvy Hong Kong, providing us the opportunity to 'hack' multiple live client briefs with the best and brightest. The preface was simple: before coming up with a big idea or creative concept, think of what user behaviors you might leverage. In other words, what are people already doing online in a social context that might work for your brand or campaign?

Ogilvy PR APAC Named Top Digital Consultancy of the Year!

Working at an agency is not about fame or glory; we're always behind the scenes. When fantastic work is recognized, however, it's nice to celebrate our accomplishments.

On Sunday, The Holmes Report named Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide "Digital Consultancy of the Year." From the report:

With 1,000 people across 38 offices in 16 countries, Ogilvy remains by far the dominant player in the Asia-Pacific market, by most measures twice the size of its closest competitors. That makes it difficult to maintain the same rate of growth as smaller agencies, but one reason Ogilvy continues to expand is a commitment to innovation, underscored by the rapid development of its digital influence business, which more than doubled in size last year.

Top quality digital and social media work is supplemented by a commitment to thought leadership. Regional practice leader Thomas Crampton maintains one of the best blogs in the region, and is a frequent speaker at local events, and the firm has produced Asia-specific content focused on the growing importance of digital and social media in the region

Key additions in 2010 included a trio of digital leaders—Tim Ho, Xie Qing, and Andrea Fenn—in markets across the region, ensuring that digital and social media elements are seamless integrated into local programming.

Congratulations to the Asia-Pacific 360 Digital Influence team! This is an award well-deserved.

I'm Moving to Hong Kong!

It's official - my husband and I are moving to Hong Kong! I'm excited to embark on a new phase of my career in which I will take on the role of Regional Strategy Director, 360 Digital Influence, Asia-Pacific. What a mouthful!

The demand for digital continues to grow at an amazing rate, in nearly every region of the world. I am honored to join Thomas Crampton, Scott McBride and John Stauffer in APAC and can't wait to meet the rest of my new colleagues from halfway around the world. Here's a glimpse of the social media equivalents I'll be working with in China (thank you, Thomas!).

To all of the wonderful colleagues, bloggers, companies and clients I've worked with in the U.S. - please keep in touch! Though I am sad to leave San Francisco, I look forward to the challenges and learning opportunities that lie ahead :)

The above photo is from Goway.

2011 CES: Is It Still a Man's Show?

I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on behalf of a client this year and was both excited and scared to face an onslaught of crowded spaces and long cab lines. Despite the worry, I have to admit: I had a blast at CES!

Though I wasn't able to see as many celebrities or play with as many gadgets as I had hoped, I did enjoy spending some time with real women in tech (like the awesome mom and tech bloggers you see in the above photo). Read my take over at Ogilvy PR's Womenology blog on "CES 2011: Where are the Women". I share my conversations with Mia Kim, founder of Popgadget, and Beth Blecherman, founder of Silicon Valley Moms Group, TechMamas and co-founder of CoolMomTech.

Why I Liked The Social Network

After 'boycotting' The Social Network for months, I finally allowed myself to be dragged to see the movie along with my friends from Ogilvy PR. I'm not the biggest fan of Mark Zuckerberg, so I wasn't keen on supporting a movie about the guy. I'm SO glad I put my biases aside!

The truth is, it's amazing to watch just how quickly Facebook grew and how it was nearly impossible for the founders to keep up with it. One day, there was no Facebook, the next day, there is one. Months later, there are a million users on Facebook in multiple countries. It's incredible.

Having been in college when Facebook was created (I actually 'boycotted' it then, but was finally swayed to join by friends who couldn't stop using it) to now working as a digital strategist who uses Facebook daily to reach and connect with people - you have to hand it to Mark and team. They've changed the world. Plus, the movie trailer has a great soundtrack!

I encourage you to check out the movie while it's still in theaters. It's very well done, the characters are pretty well developed (I don't know if they're portrayed truthfully, though), and I found myself wanting more at the end.

When Birds of a Feather Flock Together - #360DI Summit

Great things happen. At this weekend's 360 Digital Influence Black Belt Summit in Washington, D.C., 50+ strategists from N. America, the UK and France convened to discuss the latest trends shaping social media marketing and communications.

After two intense days of brainstorming, redstorming and thunderstorming, we all left a bit pooped. Chris Graves, Ogilvy PR global CEO, helped uplift the crowd with a thought piece on influence.

As a social media marketer, I spend day and night thinking about influence. How to inspire a group of consumers to learn about a product? Share a post with a friend? Write a positive review? Conducting business is contingent on the ability to influence potential customers. It's no surprise influence lies at the center of any social media program.

Graves touched on several interesting theories behind influence and human behavior:

1. The Strength of Weak Ties
"Individuals with few weak ties will be deprived of information from distant parts of the social system and will be confined to the provincial news and views of their close friends," (The Strength of Weak Ties: A Network Theory Revisited, by Mark Granovetter; download the full paper to read more).