What would I do in this crazy world of social media mixed with traditional media and everything in between? Well, it’s hard to say exactly, but I’m fairly certain. No, totally certain, that I’d combine tactics from both camps into an integrated, consistent marketing package.

You might be thinking, “yeah, but you’re in marketing, so you know this stuff and you don’t have to deal with all the budgeting headaches that brands do”. True. But, that doesn’t change the fact that there are a plethora of tools out there to help build brand awareness, find brand ambassadors and gain their trust. It just takes a little work.

Marketing isn’t rocket science, but it does take some thorough, strategic planning up front. Research is often overlooked based on a timeline or a budget, but it can be pretty eye-opening if you go through the process…the right way. But that’s not what this blog post is about. So…

Following a solid foundation and strategic plan, I’d figure out how and where to talk to my customers. Here’s where my theory of using an integrated campaign comes in. In today’s world, your customers are EVERYWHERE. They’re shopping, they’re driving, they’re going to concerts, they’re eating, they’re watching TV, listening to Internet radio, watching podcasts, tweeting, Facebooking, connecting in more ways than we can even imagine. And, it may seem overwhelming, but it’s pretty important to find them where they are and speak to them in a way that makes sense. In a way that’s compelling and provides some kind of value in their busy lives.

So I’d figure out what my brand was all about, what it adds to my customers’s lives and how I was going to convey that message. Then, I’d take the time to reach those customers – in many ways (digitally, traditionally and socially).

Whether I had a large or small budget to do this wouldn’t change my approach. There are affordable ways to use (most) tools available. Probably most importantly though, are the ideas. How would I break through and stand out above what everyone else was saying? I’d have to find a smart, cutting-edge agency to do that, of course.

Next up, examples of brands who are doing a good job of this.

Quite often I come across someone who tells me they think Twitter and Facebook are stupid. In fact, I’d hear that almost everyday for awhile. I’d say, “okay, tell me why you think that”. And they’d usually respond with something along the lines of, “because I don’t really care what other people are doing, or what they had for breakfast”. And that’s fair. I don’t really care what other people had for breakfast either.

But, when it comes to the real value of social media, I tend to disagree with the statement that “it’s stupid”. It’s quite the opposite actually. And, more businesses should begin to understand it better (or get someone who does), or they’ll probably be left in the dust as this social media thing keeps growing and evolving over time.

Social media is all about connecting with people. The amount of information you can find out through your social networks is astounding. I can pose a question to my Twitter followers and within seconds have a response, suggestion, theory, etc. Or, I can ask my friends on Facebook to come to my birthday party – give them all the details, directions, guest list and pictures from my last shin-dig (to entice them, of course) all within minutes. Can you imagine the time I’ve saved? No need to write out invitations, buy stamps, mail them and wait for people to call my land line with their RSVP.

But, it’s not all personal. Social media has helped thousands of businesses connect with their customers, deal with service issues, give away discounts and coupons or simply create an identity for themselves. I’m much more apt to buy from a company whom I trust and know I can connect with easily through a social media channel. The customer service opportunity alone is worth the effort for brands looking to jump into the crazy world of social marketing. Not to mention the incredible value of third party endorsement through friends or peers telling others that they “like” something.

It might sound silly at first, but when I see my good friend “likes” something, well, I might just “like” that too since I happen to really “like” that friend. See how that works?

I’m sure you’ve all heard and read about the privacy issues Facebook is dealing with. In fact, you may be one of the people who have already opted out of the largest social networking site in the U.S. The words, “delete Facebook account” happened to be the top 20 trending searches on Google last Friday.

If you’ve been avoiding the news lately, then you haven’t heard about this most recent turn of events for Facebook. The bottom line is new default privacy settings on Facebook put more of users’ information out there for the whole world to see. And, data on your Facebook profile is now being shared with “partner sites” like Yelp, Microsoft, Pandora and others. These companies can use profile information to target advertising, as well as to understand what demographics are using or talking about their products.

But wait! Facebook chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, is now working full-time on damage control. Today (Monday) he confessed that the sprawling social network had “missed the mark” when it comes to its complex privacy controls — and pledging to do better. He also recently said in a statement, “The privacy and security of our users’ information is of paramount importance to us.”

So, what do we do as consumers? Well, I really don’t think it’s a big surprise to anyone that Facebook knows about you. We all share quite a bit of information on our profiles…and that’s by choice. The issue comes down to other properties/companies being able to market to us based on what we’ve told Facebook, and our ability to manage that information. We told Facebook our entire life story because we trusted it. And, we wanted our “friends” to know what we’ve been up to. Having someone or something else use the information (without our permission) isn’t cool.

Today Zuckerberg promised, in “coming weeks,” privacy controls will be “much simpler to use” — including an “easy way to turn off all third-party services” that can access your account.

I believe that a simple set of easy-to-use privacy controls — including the option to opt in to sharing information rather than having to opt out — would make a lot of people feel better about this whole situation. Facebook has the opportunity to regain some trust here and that’s not always the case in privacy wars. I think most people want Facebook to succeed and will stick around to see what happens. I’m not sure I’m ready to give up on daily glimpses into 414 of my “closest” friends’ lives.

I was inspired last night after an awesome presentation by Edward Boches, chief social media officer at Mullen in Boston. He provided some great insight into the world of social media. But more importantly, he gave some really cool examples of how brands are using social media to their advantage.

Among the many that stood out, I decided to blog about Dunkin’ Donuts. Now Dunkin’ Donuts is a national chain, and they’ve got a lot of competition out there when it comes to coffee options. It seems almost impossible to compete with major brands like Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, Dunn Brothers and Alterra (just to name a few). But, what Dunkin’ Donuts is doing with its Dunkin’ Run idea is ingenious (in my opinion).

The genius part of this how they’ve captured the essence of social media…allowing consumers to make the decisions and create the content. Who doesn’t want to be the hero? We all do…well most of us anyway. And the idea of putting the consumer in the driver seat, spreading a feel-good message, doing something nice for others and having it appear within a social media platform with your companies logo on it…that’s pretty awesome.

They created an iPhone app, they connected it to Facebook, they’re capturing customer data and providing offers and coupons to these people. It’s quick, easy and convenient…just what everyone is looking for these days.

Maybe Dunkin’ Donuts isn’t your favorite coffee option, but what if someone buys it for you? Then you’re all over that. And, you’re probably going to return the favor at some point – keeping the happy cycle of coffee lovin’ going. And, keeping Dunkin’ Donuts pretty busy. Just what they wanted.

Interested in a Dunkin’ Run now? Check it out.

Just two weeks after naming its first vice president and hiring a junior art director, Thirsty Boy has hired Jeffrey Ohm as account executive, adding to the growing roster at the interactive advertising agency.

Ohm comes with a solid background in account service. “We’ve been growing like crazy during the last year and finally realized we needed someone exactly like Jeff to help us stay organized and process-driven,” says Steve Koeneke, Thirsty Boy founder. “Jeff joined Thirsty Boy just in time to be pummeled with work. He’s already proven his abilities through his enthusiasm, his keen attention to detail and sharp sense of style.”

Ohm comes to Thirsty Boy with ten years of agency experience and an impressive client service history. He has worked on such accounts as Miller Lite, the National Honey Board, Culligan Water and CoCo Key Indoor Water Resorts. Ohm’s office looks out onto Water Street, providing him with an extensive amount of fodder for his inspiring haiku poems.

And, that’s not all. Last week Thirsty Boy attained agency of record status with Tushaus Computer Services. Tushaus provides consulting, planning, design and implementation of IT infrastructure. In addition, Tushaus offers data center services and software/application design and development, complemented by an emphasis on client satisfaction.

“Tushaus is a dream client for us,” adds Koeneke. “They get it and they get what a great marketing campaign can do for a brand. They’re open to new, fresh ideas and that’s going to make a world of difference as they look to grow their business.”

“We needed an agency partner who understood our services, our client satisfaction business model and the role our employees play in driving the success of our business and our brand,” said Kris Palen, Tushaus director of marketing and communications. “We felt partnering with Thirsty Boy would allow us to reach that next level of creativity. I’m impressed by the brands they’ve built. They do smart work, and that’s exactly what we need to get our marketing initiatives really rolling.”

Tushaus is headquartered in Milwaukee and has operations located in Oshkosh, Green Bay and Madison. Tushaus was founded in 1993 and has annual sales of $30M.