Quick! Make a wish—it’s 12/12/12. Or is that for 11:11…? Whatever it is, we’re a bit superstitious and we want to take advantage of today’s date singularity and share with everyone our 12 favorite digital topics of 2012. Topics below are in no particular order.
1. “Reverse Engineering Facebook EdgeRank – Beyond the Theory” by Baekdal
“Here’s a peek at a future blog topic you’ll find on our company blog. I’ll be diving more into this soon so stay tuned. In the mean time, this article touches a lot of key points about the similarities between Facebook’s EdgeRank system and search engine algorithms.”
– JJ Banasch, Director of Media
2. “The Most Innovative Gadgets of 2012” by Business Insider
“Working within the digital space, I am always intrigued by the latest and greatest technical gadgets that come out within the market, but like many others, I am hesitant to make the immediate purchase prior to stacking up one against another. This allows me to make a better determination on what is “worthy” of my investment, what fits best within my lifestyle, what is going to make my life simpler, more pleasurable, and is durable enough to make it through contact with my one-year-old and four-year-old son. This article provided me with a great snapshot of what I am looking for while I work on that dream Christmas wish list.”
– Melissa Lopez, Director of Performance Marketing
3. “California AG Wants to Ground Deltas App Privacy Violations” by AdWeek
“We build a lot of mobile apps, so awareness of the changing legal requirements and the public’s growing concerns over privacy when using apps is important. Staying on top of this type of news helps us help our clients achieve their marketing goals without risking an image-damaging incident such as the one Delta is experiencing now.”
— Cathy Artigues, Director of Technology
4. Attribution Infographic by Adobe
“One of the keys to success with a marketing strategy is Campaign Attribution. With this infographic, Adobe does a great job of not only showing where companies could be falling short, but it also helps pin-point some of the pain points companies feel when creating an attribution model. Everyone always asks for a competitive advantage, and at Mindgruve, we feel Attribution is that advantage. Being able to tell what campaigns drive ROI lift in combination allows us to find performance at scale both online and offline.”
— Michael Bowen (just call him “Bowen”), Director of Performance Optimization
5. VIDEO: State of Social Media
“This video does a great job of quantifying current statistics on social media. It’s a great reminder of ways for us to harness the power of digital word of mouth. For example, the Ford Explorer launch on Facebook generated more traffic than a Super Bowl ad!”
– Christy Awbrey, Director of Client Services
6. Effective Content Marketing by Jack Joechner
“One of my top picks for 2012 actually came more recently in Jack Loechner’s summary of research from Marketing Profs and Content Marketing Institute. Why do I like it? It gives us all of the stats we need to know that content marketing is here to stay and will continue to be an important factor in marketing budgets for 2013. With content success stories on the rise, those who are trying to harness its power in the best way possible are encouraged to continue on, and get creative with budgets and messaging in order to make it work for their brands. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, content is king!”
— Katie Belman, Director of Content & Social Media
7. “Social Media Road Map” by FastCompany
“This modern, multi-faceted look at the world of social media was timely and packed with great insights and unique points of view. Even if you didn’t agree with every bit of content, it was undeniably an interesting and enjoyable read. Or, maybe that’s just because I’m a social nerd.”
— Erica Schlesinger, Content & Social Media Producer
8. VIDEO: McDonald’s Canada Reveals Where Their Fries Really Come From
“This year, I noticed a ramped up effort in transparency amongst companies, especially via digital. One of my favorite transparency campaigns this year was this campaign put out by McDonald’s Canada. It focused on answering real tweeted questions by real consumers through a series of revealing social videos of their production process. Here’s to hoping for building a deeper trust and relationship between consumers and businesses in 2013!”
— Jen Kim, PR & Social Media Producer
9. VIDEO: Bodyform’s “Apologetic” Response
“This video became pretty viral in our office. Not only is it hilarious, but it also provides a unique way for a company to respond to a negative Facebook post about the “monthly visitor.” The somewhat silly post from a concerned individual sparked the minds of the marketing team at Bodyform and produced “social media gold” surrounding this usually taboo topic. Customer service brilliance!”
– Rachael Martin, Account Manager
10. “Responsive Typography: The Basics” by Information Architects
“Oliver Reichenstein reveals the thought process behind a well-considered responsive website while highlighting the new typographic challenges responsive design presents.”
– Michael Tussey, Art Director
11. Google: Take Action
“A free and open world depends on a free and open web. With more than 2B people on the Internet, our economy and liberty depends on it being open and uncensored. Unfortunately, not all governments support a free and open Internet which infringes on online free expression. Government alone should not determine the fate of an open and inclusive internet. Currently, ITU is holding secretive and confidential meetings about the fate of the internet. What can we all do? Pledge your support today!”
– Chad Robley, CEO
12. 2012 Pantone Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango
“Orange has been a big color for us this year (hint: MDVIP’s new branding). Guess we were on to something. And the color of 2013? ‘Emerald.’ We’ll see how this inspires us in 2013.”
– Mindgruve Design Team
We’ll be featuring Mindgruvers and their thoughts throughout the New Year so be on the lookout for your favorite authors and topics.
Have any 12/12/12 conspiracies or superstitions? Or just a favorite digital topic you’d like to share? Tell us on our Facebook or tweet us on Twitter!
