In November, Google announced a new way for users to personalize search results pages. This blend of social media, bookmarking, and search is a new way to tailor search engines to your needs.

Once you sign into your Google account, you’re able to remove, rearrange, and comment on search results. While you can save and share these notes, they do not affect the way that Google ranks pages for other users … yet.

But this is only the beginning for interactive search. It shows that search engines are noticing the popularity and usability of social bookmarking sites like Digg, and may indicate a shift in the search world from shadowy algorithm-based rankings to a format that resembles social bookmarking  in the near future.

David Kiley of Business Week’s advertising blog, Brand New Day, wrote a post about Pepsi’s new ad campaigns, which capitalize on the current feeling of hope that is spreading across America following Barack Obama’s Presidential win. The ads use President Obama’s campaign slogan “Yes We Can” to evoke the feelings of hope and inspiration that led Americans to vote for him.

Kiley calls the ads a miss. “Call me cranky,” he writes, “but I don’t think an advertiser should lift this phrase for its own use, and especially not launch the campaign right around the inauguration. This is a special time in America—difficult and historic. This ad and its language comes off as a ripoff. Not an homage, but a ripoff. And it cheapens the ad and the campaign. It makes Pepsi look crass.”

Granted, I am a tried and true Diet Pepsi drinker. As all of my co-workers will attest to, if you try to come between me and my Diet Pepsi, we’ve got problems. While I agree that taking a phrase that has so inspired America and putting it on a soda can is a bit cheap, I can’t help but feel that the campaign works. We’re talking about it, aren’t we?

Think about it — you wake up to the radio, watch your favorite morning television show, surf the web at work and are constantly bombarded by advertisements all day. Over the course of a single day, a typical adult will see hundreds to thousands of advertisements.  How will your company break from the noise to actually invite potential customers to interact with your brand?

Here are some tips to help your company stand out in the media saturated digital age:

Have a strong corporate identity.

This is your brand and how you project this to the world. A clear and legible logo that is memorable and visually represents your business will help your potential customers to remember your company. A strong logo can include a mark, a tagline, or an image to fully represent your brand. The colors and professionalism will also affect how consumers perceive your brand. Reds are stimulating, blues and greens are healing and calm, and yellows are happy and optimistic.

Utilize non-traditional communication.

By thoroughly researching and knowing your target audiences, you will have insightful information about the activities they participate in and the places they go. Use this knowledge as a venue to reach out to the customers when they are not expecting it. This can also include advertising with complementary products. For example, if my company sold skateboard decks, I would want my product at local skate parks and available to skaters in the event of a rider breaking their board. Complementary products and services could include grip tape, snacks, or skateboarding lessons. Diversify where and how you communicate with potential customers.

Offer superior value.

What makes you different from your competitors? Is it excellent and responsive customer service, fast lead times, or a high quality product? Customers want to know what value your products and services offer. How you communicate these value-added attributes of your products and services will greatly influence how potential consumers perceive your brand. Make your company memorable by providing a superior value to your customers and clearly communicating this distinctive trait.

We’re excited to announce the launch of Wrangell Homes‘ redesigned site. Wrangell Homes is a custom home builder in Wilmington, NC committed to superior craftsmanship, creative architecture and the finest materials for any project budget. The website features a high-end look and feel and a clear display of some of their finest work.

With the airing of a new “Lost” episode tonight, many fans await the arrival of the new adventurous season with hopes of answers and less questions. Through the scuffle in preparing for tonight’s 3-hour event, inquiring fans can’t help but wonder what happened to all the creative viral marketing campaigns seen in previous years.

Sure, we have seen the Lost Season 5 banner ads and the preview commercials countless times … but where are the creative marketing strategies that were used in previous seasons? Marketing strategies that intrigued fans and non-fans alike about the new season and the meaning of the marketing message. The marketing strategies that make you wonder, ask questions and share your findings.

For those who are not fans, I suggest you review some of the creative tactics used in the past by this hit series. If you are a fan, what was your favorite marketing strategy used?

“Mobisodes” or Missing Pieces

Originally intended for mobile phones, these short stories were created for fans to view a series of 2-3 minute episodes. These episodes offered new, compelling clues about questionable scenes and favorite characters. “Mobisodes” are available as “Webisodes” and posted regularly.

Radio Spots

In the early life of the TV series, “Lost” marketers brought attention to the masses by airing several creative radio spots. Instead of the typical announcer format, the radio spots tied in directly with the show’s mysterious plot. In what sounded like radio interference from a distant signal, a static-y voice interrupted commercial breaks and pleaded for help. As the series premiere drew closer, the “distress calls” created intrigue by divulging only a limited amount of information about the show.

Billboard Campaign

Probably the most unique method of advertising was the creation of several billboards. Invading more than 8 major cities around the world, “Lost” marketers placed billboards advertising the imaginary Oceanic Airlines. These billboards were strategically placed only in areas related to the show’s characters. Each billboard advertised different destinations and included the now defunct FlyOceanicAir website, which created an air of mystery for those exposed to this campaign.

Marvel Comics

“Lost” again took it to another level when they placed key visual references from the TV series in popular Marvel Comics. Obvious symbols and references from the show were repeatedly found throughout the comics.

Interactive Websites

Several interactive websites were created to promote and advertise new seasons of “Lost,” including a website for the fictional Oceanic Airlines and another informational site about the Hanso Foundation, which plays a pivotal role in the plot.

With social networking continually growing and expanding to absorb all age groups, now is the time to think outside the box and invest in viral marketing. Even though I admit I was slightly disappointed in the lack of marketing promoting for the new season, “Lost” marketers have done their job well in the past. Rest assured, I know what I will be doing tonight at 8 pm.

Kraft Foods has now harnessed the popularity of the iPhone for research and advertising purposes. Download the iFood Assistant for only 99 cents, and receive shopping list tips and recipes. The Kraft app has grown in popularity and is now one of the top 100 paid apps and number 2 in the Lifestyle Category.

The app features instructional videos, quick and easy recipes and tools to help you create a shopping list. Because consumers are always looking for ways to save time and feed their family quickly and easily, Kraft has created the perfect tool. Not only does this app help the consumer, but it is providing valuable marketing data for Kraft. They are able to gain information on what people are shopping for, what they make for dinner and what products they prefer. This is just one example of how a brand is able to get into our minds and learn our behavior while giving us something in return. Happy shopping!

AdAge Article – Kraft Hits on Killer App for iPhone Marketing

This afternoon within minutes after President Barack Obama was officially sworn into office, a seamless transition took place at the official website of the presidency. WhiteHouse.gov transformed into a sleek, modern new design with an interactive interface to represent the new president’s 21st Century agenda.

Similar to the administration’s transition website, Change.gov, the new White House website features extensive use of social media. From a new White House blog to weekly video addresses (which will also be posted at the President’s official YouTube page), the new administration promises to offer “communication, transparency, and participation” for Americans through its social media efforts.

According to the first blog post, written by the administration’s Director of New Media Macon Phillips, the site “will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world.”

For the first time, the official website of the President has become a point of connection and community rather than a static portal for information. “Like the transition website and the campaign’s before that, this online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content for you,” Phillips writes.

I’m looking forward to seeing what social media can do for the Office of the Presidency, but I’m also excited about what President Obama’s use of social media can do for social media marketing. Utilizing social media in a campaign is old news — after all, how else can a candidate reach “the youth vote”? But no candidate has ever used it as seriously or as successfully as President Obama did.

Adding social media to the administration’s official website has proven once and for all that social media is no longer “for kids.” From the official White House blog to the Presidential YouTube page to the White House twitter page (@thewhitehouse), President Obama has cemented what social media marketers already knew — it’s time to take this crazy social media stuff seriously.

In my opinion, this change is long overdue. Better late than never, though.