I'm sure after last week’s article on social media, you all probably expected me to jump on the Facebook train and write about their failing ad model, the stock tanking after opening day or how Facebook doesn't really care about any of this since they've succeeded in becoming the plumbing of Internet 2.0.

In case you didn’t already know, Internet 2.0 is the social web that has been cast over the original DARPA project. It has enabled Facebook to be valued over $100 billion and helped create a wide variety of rocket-launched start-ups including Instagram, Draw Something (OMGpop), Pinterest and Spotify. It's interesting to note that all of these companies might have failed if Facebook had not already laid the tracks for instantly connecting friends and, maybe more importantly, provided an open API for these companies to leverage and scale their products through viral means. 

Now what does all this talk of social plumbing have to do with ads and music? Advertising, when it’s designed with passion and emotion, then targeted appropriately by both audience and context, will feel (or should) like content.  And this can make a massive impact on the consumer and can move mountains - creating a lasting bond between the brand and the consumer. 

This is very similar to the experiences we've all had with music. Remember that one song from your youth that can instantly take you back to feeling the warm sun on your face, wind blowing through your hair (not so much anymore) and the sweet smells in the air. That connective power can and should be the goal of every ad campaign. Advertising is at its best when it brings you back to a place and time – remember how you felt the first time you saw the grandmother from Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” or Coke’s “Mean Joe Green”.  Unfortunately, too often we treat advertising like a mass production line: commoditizing it and diluting it to the point that it no longer matters and becomes white noise.

I've been a fan of music my whole life and there was a period of time where I thought music was dead. Artists lost their ability to create great music that moved me - the labels were running the show and commoditizing the art to the point that we heard talk of a “formula” for hit making. Thankfully one positive of the stock and housing market crashes was that it forced musicians to rethink their approach. Many abandoned their labels and went direct to the consumer via social media and live shows. Now it is easy to find new musicians that have passion for their art and push the boundaries of emotion. Socially charged services from ExFM to Tumblr to Spotify make the discovery process and experience way better than the old weekly trip to Tower Records.

This reminds me of the current wave we are experiencing in the ad industry with DSPs and Exchanges - commoditizing advertising to the point of ineffectiveness for brands. Seems that we are due for a renaissance in the way brand advertising is presented and experienced. What impact will the social web have in reshaping consumer's connections with brands? 

NOTE: I post new music to my tumblr account which can be found here - followlarry.tumblr.com.  Enjoy!

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