• by John Capone , March 7, 2011

Regardless of the perspective, getting social media right is Madison Avenue's new imperative," says Joe Mandese in this month's cover story. And as you'll see from our twin takes, entwined around the consumer, there's no shortage of perspectives on what being social means ­- or even what social media is.

There seem to be as many definitions of social media as there are people who have liked Starbucks on Facebook (19,533,263 and counting). Inevitably, the social media specialist has reared his head to sort it all out for us. And while he's having his day in the sun now, in a few years he'll likely be an endangered species. Not because social tools are going anywhere, but because they are going everywhere.

Just examine the lauded Pepsi Refresh project. First, you have to abandon any sense of it being a campaign or any single part of PepsiCo's marketing machine owning it. PR firm Weber Shandwick, digital agency HUGE, AOR Chiat, and in-house social media lead B. Bonin Bough (who came over from Shandwick) can all lay claim to various elements and say they've actually headed the effort.

In the larger picture, Madison Avenue is working feverishly to integrate a media revolution into its DNA. So how's it going? Well, there have been some happy accidents, but mostly the "Mad Men" come off looking like a middle-aged dad taking his son to a punk rock show: hopelessly out of step and occasionally caught in a mosh pit.

On a personal note, I'd like to thank you for reading my rantings in EdBlog for the past three-plus years. It's been an interesting ride, but this edition, blessedly free from mildly insane fantastical scenarios involving Samuel Jackson's Pulp Fiction character, comScore's staffing policies or Sam Biederman's goons coming for EdBlog with revenge on their minds, will be my last. From here on out, I'll leave you to Joe Mandese's altogether more cogent and sober (and occasionally sobering) takes on each month's issue.
 
John Capone
On Twitter @justcapone