When it comes to evaluating social platforms, an OMMA Social panel of agency executives and social ad companies look at the following factors: whether they offer APIs and back-end tools for build a brand presence; the demographics of a social network; how differentiated it is from other networks; and who the investors and management team are behind it before putting a Fortune 500 client on the network.  

Latam Airlines in 2011 joined forces with Expedia participating partner in Expedia’s FriendTrips campaign, the largest sweepstakes in Facebook history. Its aim was to raise its profile in the U.S. for travel to South America, while Expedia wanted to build its social media following through the effort. The sweepstakes allowed people to invite friends on a virtual plane on trips to nine different destinations. During a presentation at …

Are advertisers getting value out of second-screen yet? The panelists suggested its still early days for the medium when it comes to advertising. Scott Maddux, GM, Bottle Rocket, pointed out that ABC backed away from second-screen programming a couple of years ago after finding it wasn’t able to sell sponsorships successfully within the format. The networks efforts are now mainly focused on big events like The Oscars. David Beck, head of social media at Univision, however …

In the first afternoon panel at OMMA Social, agency and other executives take up the topic of second-screen, or social TV, viewing. What's the value of this emerging kind of media consumption and where do advertisers fit in? Tom Boland, SVP, Social, Ogilvy & Mather, said the agency always look at sponsorship opportunities across three screens: TV, Web, and third platform, either social or mobile. So a second-screen platform could fit into that third category. It looks for what's working and what service has gained brand affinity. 

What do Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter creator Jack Dorsey, Tumblr father David Karp, and Pinterest's Ben Silbermann all have in common? Each could easily finance his own well-appointed army? That -- and, "They're all millennials," Don Steele, VP of digital marketing and fan engagement at Comedy Central, told OMMA Social attendees on Monday. In other words, the network's target demographic is the same demographic developing the digital tools that are transforming the lives of millions upon millions of consumers. That, in turn, creates all sorts of opportunities and challenges for the Viacom unit, according to Steele. Not only is rapid digital …

Earlier in the day at OMMA Social, "attribution" -- the marketing model that attempts to attribute sales to multiple touch-points rather than the last ad a consumer clicks or views -- got a whipping. A few hours later, Chris Knoch, VP of Strategic Solutions at IgnitionOne -- which happens to specialize in attribution -- is trying to set the record straight. "Attribution is huge," insists Knoch. "I think people want to kill it because it's getting more complicated." Exclaimed Knoch: "If you're still doing last click attribution, you are light years behind!"

While flying blind can be a thrill, successful social media strategies require well-defined goals and objectives, industry insiders stressed at OMMA Social on Monday. "You only hit what you aim at," Chris Knoch, VP of Strategic Solutions at IgnitionOne, said. If nothing else, social media is a lot easier when you can identify a few actions you want target consumers to take, said Beth McCabe, VP and Group Director of Social Marketing and Technology at Digitas. Without delay, every brand should be able to say, "This is the action I'm after," McCabe said.

Drug companies that maintain a social-media presence risk significant fines if they run afoul of Food and Drug Administration rules regarding drug ads

It's interesting to talk with so many social marketing experts who don't understand the reasons why search marketers need to analyze and mine social and actionable data.

For a massive pharmaceutical company like Johnson & Johnson, a social strategy requires being prepared for anything, timely responses, and seamless brand integration. So Thomas Panchak, senior director of digital marketing at LifeScan -- a diabetes care division of J&J -- told OMMA Social attendees on Monday. "For us, it's ultimately about integration," Panchak said. "For us, in social, I need to do a couple things: I need to accelerate (or amplify) all of my media." The end goals, Panchak said, include "driving toward brand preference and conversions ... My CMO wants to see what's happening to out cost per …