Greetings from SXSW conference in Austin, Texas!

I had an opportunity to interview Fast Company Magazine’s Senior Innovation Editor Ellen McGrit and Pepsi’s Social Media and Digital Director Bonin Bough in the PepsiCo Plugged-In Stage at the Austin Convention Center during the SXSW Conference, which started last week. We discussed some of the themes that had been popping up during the conference, like how using social media for social good is changing the way we think and use social media and how it impacts in the global well being.

Ellen McGrit is the Senior Innovation Editor at Fast Company magazine, she covers a range of business topics, but never stops looking for the writer’s holy grail: The business ideas and the people who are changing the world, and her passion for this really comes through in this interview. Ellen McGrit was a senior writer for Fortune until February 2007 when she joined Fast Company. McGirt has served as a guest correspondent for CNN’s American Morning, and has appeared frequently on Good Morning America, CBS Early Today, NBC Nightly News, CNBC, CNN, and American Public Media, and also a columnist and editor-at-large for Money.

PepsiCo’s Global Director of Digital and Social Media Bonin Bough leads PepsiCo’s global digital charge. Bough has been instrumental in integrating social media and online conversation into PepsiCo’s overall corporate vision and for each of the company’s mega brands, engaging consumers online and tracking behaviors and trends to better inform PepsiCo and brand programs. Bough has architected the company’s leading presence at gatekeeper digital media events, including SXSW, BlogHer and launched what is one of my favorite campaigns; the “Dear Mr. President” viral campaign, among many others. In addition to his work at PepsiCo, Bough co-authored the book, “Perspectives on Social Media Marketing” which addresses some of the most compelling and important issues in social media marketing. Previous to his work with PepsiCo, Bough was Executive Vice President and Director of the global interactive, social and emerging media practice at the leading public relations firm, Weber Shandwick.

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I was one of several social media experts and bloggers invited to the Pepsi Innovation Day and honored to be in the same group with people like Ted Murphy of Izea (whom I had honor to have lunch with) and Jory Des Jardins of BlogHer (who was also at the Pepperidge Farm Social Media Day with me the next day) and Howard Greenstein. We were invited to Pepsi’s Research and Development Department in Valhalla to learn what kind of process it is to make Pepsi products, especially the sodas, and more about their social media marketing campaigns.

I’m always mesmerized to learn more about the production and product development, after all I studied Production Management in college, and I think it is essential even for marketers, sales people and PR people to know how products are made, and what is involved in the process.

We visited the flavor lab and were introduced to flavor chemistry – it takes seven years to train to be a flavor chemist, so I won’t even start making a fool out of myself by saying I would have actually learned much. We also had a discussion with the color expert and were showed how consumer sensory panelists translate the consumer taste feedback into usable research information, and we were able to experience what it is to be a consumer sensory panelist. One of the coolest things was making our own sodas and tasting different Pepsi products sold at global markets and tasting new products coming out. My favorite was the Acai fruit vitamin water coming out this summer.

One of the highlights of the Pepsi Innovation Day for me was also finally meeting Stephanie Agresta, who invited me to the event.

The Pepsi Innovation Day ended with a panel discussion with Adam Cristinsen from IBM, John Andrews of Mars Advertising (formerly Walmart) and Christine Cea, Unilever head of PR. I truly enjoyed the panel, I am of course already a fan of work of John Andrews, and I had also met Christine Cea before, whose take-ons on social media I truly enjoyed hearing in the panel.

Examples of the questions at the panel.

Note: these are my notes during the panel, and not exact quotas.

Q: What are the changes in the social media lately.

John Andrews spoke about different platforms in social media:

Large organizations have so many different tools to connect to customers -smart networks, social media involvement, mobile marketing, microsites- the task right now is how to bring that back to your organization and how to leverage them.

Adam Cristinsen brought in the point how social media has improved communication also between corporations and PR agencies.

Social media has changed the massive organizational pyramids and how to go around them. Social media has also changed how corporations work together with agencies and allowed better control of messaging and communications between the corporations and agencies. There are better relationships and better ways to connect with the company culture.

Christine Cea pointed out that there is no control in social media, and that’s the beauty of it.

Tipping point for Unilever was when they let go brand control during the first season of Donald Trump’s Apprentice – the company let go the brand control by letting the people in a TV show to create a commercial – and Unilever used it. Social media is evolution of letting go in a controlled environment. Now it’s evolving and letting it go into consumers hands.

Q: How to unleash a message with all the legal restraints organizations have – how to let go?

Christine Cea explained how PR department should always be involved.

The requests to let go has to come from brands, but there is need to explain how to work with their marketing message. Don’t just do social media because every one is doing it, you need strategy. Media/PR/Digital has to work together to create the solution. Public relations should always be involved. Even if it is viral video, PR is the one who is brought to clean up the mess, they should be involved from the beginning. And of course, if there is a mess, response well, and response quickly.

John Andrews explained how the Twilight DVD release campaign was successful for Walmart and how they worked together with Elevenmoms from the designing the campaign to execution, and it was the most successful DVD-release ever at Walmart.com with most pre-sales. There has to be involvement and engagement with the bloggers/community in order the campaigns to be successful and successfully let go.

More takeaways from the panel.

- Social media is more about listening. Great benefit to the listening – trends, product development, find the enthusiasts who can push your brand messages. Google alerts still rock, but stay on the top of other platforms as well.

- When you work together with different platforms, create the campaigns together with the platforms, for example create a FB activity together with Facebook. Basically; go where the people are, but use the platforms and work together with them, and use their brand voices.

- There is greater area of word of mouth marketing offline – 80% of word of mouth marketing is still offline. There is so much more than just twitter and facebook, so many other ways to connect.

- Social Media not about technology it’s about the relationships. It’s not about campaigns, it’s about creating relationships and community and deeper relationships with influencers. Work with influencers who are part of your brand’s core values. Use analytics to see who really are the influencers.

John, Gaby, Isabella, Kris and Matt at Times Square
(iPhone picture – I wish I had had my camera with me)

The Pepsi Innovation Day was awesome and after that John Andrews and me drove to city and met my husband and kids at the Kellari Greek Restaurant. I have been working together with John since last fall and it was great finally introduce my family to him.

Psst… This I’m Good Pepsi Max commercial will air on Sunday during SuperBowl 2009.

What do you think?

Will men become Motrin moms or will they just say “I’m Good”?

Here they are! The 10 finalists for the Huge Super Bowl Pepsi Giveaway Game.

Check out these ten finalists, and vote for your favorite below. Good luck and have fun with the voting!

Voting will end January 24th midnight EST, and who ever gets most votes will win and the Super Bowl Pepsi Giveaway Game winner is announced the next day.

10 Finalists:

Plus Size Mommy
Jen Reeves
Sky
Queen of the Click
Alisha
Valerie M
MWhaley
Sorka
Jean D
PartyElizabeth

PS. The Super Bowl Pepsi Giveaway runs also at these blogs: From Dates to Diapers and Beyond,A Ordinary Life, A Cowboy’s Wife, Classy Mommy and Moms Mama’s Faves.

Super Bowl is almost here! And I am having a Huge Super Bowl Pepsi Giveaway Game! You can win the ultimate PARTY pack from Pepsi to host your Super Bowl party at your home.

Super Bowl is on February 1st and it’s always a fun day with friends and family. I’m the weird European who doesn’t really know much about football, but I like watching Super Bowl – and if you know me, I’m sure you guessed why: for the commercials!

Super Bowl is a must see game & fun entertainment for the whole family, and Super Bowl parties are one of the top at-home party events of the year. It’s always fun to share watching the game, the ads and eat snacks with your family and friends. I am so excited to help one of my readers to throw a super cool Super Bowl party this year – sponsored by Pepsi.

Pepsi is on the of the game with all the biggest events of the moment. Pepsi just launched RefreshEverything.com, a campaign of collecting people’s video messages for the president. I would love to see your video message! Let me know if you send one.

Pepsi is also a big NFL supporter – you can also vote for the 2008 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of The Year. The 2008 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year will be announced at a press conference at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay on Jan. 29th, right on time for the Super Bowl.

But let’s get this giveaway game started! I know you want some Pepsi for your Super Bowl party and Pepsi is making it soooo sweet for you and your friends with all these goodies. You have a chance to win an Ultimate Super Bowl Party Pack valued at $250 for your at-home Super Bowl Party!

The Ultimate Pepsi Super Bowl Party Pack:
• 1 football

• 1 beverage pail

• 1 snack helmet

• 2 key chains

• 2 hats

• 2 t-shirts

• 5 Pepsi 24 pack coupons

• 5 Frito Lay coupons

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY – EACH WAY = ONE ENTRY
1. Leave a comment here what would you say to the president or visit RefreshEverything.com and tell me what you think of the idea of making video messages to the president. Leave a way for me to contact you.
2. Subscribe to my feed. Leave a comment if you did.
3. Tweet about this giveaway – I use TweetBacks so your tweets will show here in the comment section automatically.
4. Blog about this giveaway or add the banner to your blog. Leave a comment that you did.
5. Add the giveaway banner (below) to your site. Leave a comment that you did.

<br/><a href="http://www.skimbacolifestyle.com/2009/01/super-bowl-pepsi-giveawaysuper-bowl-pepsi-giveaway.html "><img border="0" src="http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t23/skimbaco/pepsi-superbowl.png"/></a><br/><br/>

RULES:
Deadline for comments/above: January 15th midnight, then I will randomly pick 10 finalists for my Super Bowl Pepsi Giveaway Game. The finalists are announced on January 16th and you guys have a chance to vote for your favorites. The 10 finalists will have linky love to your blogs or twitter profiles so my readers can come and visit you and know who they are voting for. Voting will end January 24th midnight EST, and who ever gets most votes will win and the Super Bowl Pepsi Giveaway Game winner is announced the next day.

Pepsi has started a really cool campaign on YouTube – send your message to our new President?

You can show it to the world by uploading your own video.

Upload your video and the best videos will be featured on the YouTube Refresh Everything channel. All videos should begin with the words Dear Mr. President and end with your first name and where you are from. What you put in between is up to you. You can sing, dance, tell a joke—whatever reflects your hope and optimism for the future. Check out more information at RefreshEverything.com