Today social media (in the form of Facebook) and video games (in the form of Nintendo DSi) unite in yet another example of how game companies continue to evolve to meet expectations of community connectivity. Users will now be able to use the DSi to capture and upload photos to their Facebook page. The Facebook Connect functionality, a free download for DSi reported earlier this year, will be available today after 5 p.m. PST.

DSi owners will be able to snap pictures with either of the system’s two cameras, then upload them directly to a Facebook profile, among other functions. This includes photos that have been altered with the facial manipulation software by using the DSi’s built-in interactive lenses that Nintendo has featured prominently in the DSi commercials. A wireless broadband Internet connection will be vital to transmit the photos.
Per the research firm, NPD Group, Nintendo reports its DSi has sold over 1.7 million units in the United States alone, since its launch in April.

The social media trends continue to advance as more console manufacturers try to take advantage of the services. Microsoft is planning to integrate Facebook in a new dashboard update and Microsoft also promised upcoming Facebook integration with the Xbox Live network. Time will only tell to see how video games continue to interact and become integrated with developing social media.

Have you seen the Taco Bell commercial with two guys rapping their order into one of the restaurant’s drive-thru windows? Pretty clever, huh?

Nope. Not even close.

An almost identical user-generated video, “Big Mac DriveThru Rap“, collected millions of online views over two years ago. The overnight viral sensation also spawned tons of copycat videos, including one called the “Taco Bell Drive-Thru Rap“. Sound familiar?

Taco Bell’s blatant “borrowing” of this internet meme has created a new level of national buzz for the brand, and unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) prompted users to begin creating their own drive-thru rap videos. It’s enhanced their search optimization on video sharing sites, and has made ordering unhealthy food through a window - dare we say it - kind of fun.

This is a nice example of a brand tapping into a viral video sensation, while doing it in a way that shows respect to the original creation, rather than completely exploiting it.

My only question is….how funny will this movement be when you’re stuck behind the next Dr. Dre of Chick-Fil-A or Wendys’ ?

The original Taco Bell rap:

The commercial:

Faithful readers, I’m proud to announce that you’re reading the insight of a 1^st place Halloween costume contest winner. Yeah, that’s right…I’m a pretty big deal. And as I stood triumphant on a stage in a sweaty, overcrowded bar in NYC a few days ago, I thought of the theme for this week’s blog entry - Contests.

Marketers love them and clients eat them up. They’re relatively easy to produce and have the potential to attract some serious media attention. But take a moment to step back and ask yourself why you’re having a contest in the first place. What do you expect to get from it, and how long after the contest is over will you see results? All too often, these questions are overlooked and a contest is used as an easy way to get some quick attention.

So, my friends, it’s time for a little WOM wake up call - It’s not hard to come up with a catchy idea for a contest (or to recycle the same old ideas). And it certainly isn’t difficult to get the media attention and a solid number of entries when you’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the program.

But coming up with a contest that involves strategy, a long-term vision and an eye on the word of mouth potential requires some real thought and creativity.

So here are some of MGH’s core thoughts to consider before building out any sort of contest or sweeps:

1) Motivation - Why in the world would someone enter your contest? Because they care about you and your company or is it that they want to win some stuff? It’s cool if it’s both, but if they’re entering because they want a new Nintendo Wii, then you might as well hand your prizes to people on the street. Make sure that your contest rewards those who show the most interest and passion for your brand.

2) Longevity - No matter what some may tell you, length is important (at least in contests). The problem with most of these promotions is that once they’re over, they’re over, and the day prizes are awarded is the same day that everyone moves onto something else. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Ideally, people should buzz about both your contest and your company for months after it’s over. Put the time and effort into building your initiative so that it’s strong enough to withstand the test of time.

3) Buzz - Think about it: how many times in a day or week do you see an ad to enter some sort of contest or sweeps? And how many times do you completely ignore it? Well, guess what? That’s what everyone else is doing too. Your promotion should stand tall above the rest and give people something to WOM about. And it should be built so that details and info can easily be passed on from one person to another.

We love contests here at MGH, but recognize that having a contest just to have a contest does nothing for our clients or the majority of consumers. So our best piece of advice is to take a good look at your overall strategy, and then (and only then) determine if a contest is something that’s right for you.

You can’t just post a promotional video on YouTube and assume it will be passed around to every viewer on the planet. There are millions of videos, podcasts, blogs, forums, MySpace pages and “viral” emails published daily, yours won’t go much further than your desktop if it gets a D for cool.

Don’t get me wrong, we realize “cool” is subjective. If your target demographic is 75-year-olds searching for retirement housing…well, you still need to make something with pass-along value, it just needs to be “cool.” Like a grandpa head-cam capturing a lively canasta game. It can have its own standard for cool, but must be interesting none the less. People don’t have time to be sold. In their free time, they want to be entertained.

We all know how powerful pass-along campaigns can be, but we aren’t quite sure what will make the grade on the global scale.

Here are some qualities that MGH recommends looking for in a pass-alongable message. As a special bonus, we’ve added some of our personal favorites.

Irreverent: We love a good make-fun-of-yourself message. No one will deny looking at something for the sheer joy of anonymous irreverence
Here’s one of my favorites: (be forewarned, this page contains major foul language)
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=irule
This hilarious collection of kids drawings was passed around in email format for years. In fact, it’s such a classic, people actually spout quotes from the comments! There is no promotional message here, but the idea of creating something people genuinely identify with should truly be a core principle of any viral outreach.

Hilarious: There is no true measure for comedy, but redefining funny seems to be the collective goal of the online world. Find something that makes you hilarious and see what people think. Remember, it doesn’t have to be dirty to get passed along.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dmVU08zVpA This one happens to have adult humor, but certainly isn’t the only way to get a laugh.

Informative: People love to receive emails about free gas, discount ice cream and even new products that get them excited. If you have something really interesting to announce, don’t be afraid to get it into the hands of the people. Chances are, the right audience will pass it along if for nothing more than to help educate their friends and family.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/

You shouldn’t necessarily try to build something for it’s pass-along value. Instead, take a look at what you’ve currently made (commercials, radio spots, coupons, e-content, blog entries) and think about re-purposing them. There’s a whole world of opportunity once something cool meets tech-savvy consumers.