Zynga Plans Its Own Social Network by Erik Sass

Zynga, the titan of time-wasting, is broadening its distribution base with a new social network called "Zynga With Friends," where players can build profiles and connect with other players while wasting epic amounts of time, according to the company, which announced the plans on Tuesday. In addition to giving gamers a new go-to destination for flushing their lives down the toilet, the move is interesting because Zynga With Friends will be an alternative to Facebook, where most Zynga games are currently played. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Ford Launches 'Random Acts of Fusion' by Karl Greenberg

    The automaker, which by now could probably publish a textbook on social-media launch strategies for cars and crossovers, is starting up a new social-focused campaign for the new 2013 Fusion, the third-generation of the vehicle. ...Read the whole story

  • Shazam's App To Expand Olympic TV Spots Into Social Media Experiences by Laurie Sullivan

    The discovery media company Shazam will provide NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, with a social TV experience during the 2012 London Olympics. Shazam's goal is to expand 30- and 60-second TV spots into a three-minute video or experience on Twitter and Facebook that will likely tie brand sponsorships into the agreement. ...Read the whole story

  • packaged goods Brut Seeks 'The Essence Of Man' by Karl Greenberg

    The men's aftershave brand is launching a campaign that offers a new spin on machismo. The TV and digital effort is -- like the previous offbeat humorous campaigns -- focused on young guys with a digital media orientation. ...Read the whole story

  • SocialVibe; John Capano and Bob Lonigro by Amy Corr

    SocialVibe hired John Capano as chief marketing officer, Brett Lofgren as chief revenue officer and Bob Lonigro as vice president of sales. ...Read the whole story

Helping To Build A Facebook Ad Model by Jack Loechner

According to a new report from Resolution Media and Kenshoo, "Exposure Rate," a new metric to measure targeted engagement on Facebook, takes center stage. The research focuses on interaction with Facebook Marketplace Ads (not to be confused with the Facebook Premium Ads offering) across various ad types and targeting criteria. ...More

  • Facebook, Finally, Gets A Woman On Its Board by Thom Forbes

    From a public relations point of view, the ascendance of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg to its board of directors may say more about the company in the breach than in the appointment. To wit: How could a company in A.D. 2012, whose primary customer is female, heretofore be one of only 11% of Fortune 500 companies without a woman on the board? ...More

  • Flying Too Close To The Sun by David Berkowitz

    Remember Highlight? Sure, it's still around, and it's premature to write it off. Yet the new app that received the most buzz at South by Southwest (SXSW) this year just gained a new competitor: Facebook. There have been many instances recently of the rich getting richer, with the best functionality and features getting incorporated into the most dominant platforms. Facebook, Google, Apple, and Twitter are among those especially adept at making dreams come true while simultaneously unleashing nightmares. Here are four ways this has been happening lately: ...More

  • perspective Tweet Emotion by Drew Neisser

    In just one day at the 140 Characters Conference, I gleaned some observations worth sharing (and caring about): Among them: Social media is a boundless source of social good, and is best taught by doing. Twitter allows us to access what is otherwise inaccessible, and it will surely survive and evolve. Finally, from tragedy comes inspiration. ...More