1. BP placed a new cap this Thursday that brought the oil spill in the Gulf under control, and everything is holding steady  17 hours later.  While this is a positive sign, officials have made it clear the cap is not a permanent solution and that there is still a long way to go.
2. Complaints continued this week from Apple’s iPhone4 users. Poor reception has tainted the release of this long awaited technology and done damage to Apple’s reputation. In a press conference today, Apple promised free bumpers to iPhone 4 owners to help combat the reception issues, as well as a refund to anyone who wants to completely return their phone. Do you think this fixes the problem?
3. The National League defeated the American League in this Tuesday’s All-Star Game. While NL fans might be excited about the victory, it seems most of them did not tune in to watch the game itself. This year’s All-Star broadcast was the lowest rated in history. What does this say for the future of the MLB and sports broadcasts in general?
4. As of today, St. Louis has the green light to join the race for Missouri’s 13^th casino license. St. Louis will compete against at least four other cities for the license, including Cape Girardeau, Spanish Lake and Sugar Creek. Click here for more information.
5. Corn farmers from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C. this week for committee meetings, Capital hills visits and the semi-annual Corn Congress. TVGi client, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), hosted the event, which focused on increasing opportunities for corn growers.

What I found particularly interesting about this story wasn’t the fact that mom’s were using Facebook to voice their concerns (the term ‘mommy bloggers’ was born due to their large influence in the social media world), but rather P&G’s response which is highlighted in a Social Media Influence article. They acted fast, distributed SEO friendly content, used an integrated media approach (local TV news and YouTube) and they were clear on the product changes.

Too often in a crisis situation, organizations tend to remain quiet and address the issue with more of an internal focus versus responding immediately to public outcry. P&G did the exact opposite and set up an immediate, integrated media effort to respond to the comments being made on social media. From interviews with local TV stations to posting videos from experts on its YouTube channel to address concerns, it was obvious that P&G was monitoring the conversation taking place on multiple channels and responding when appropriate. It is clear they have previously discussed possible online crises and developed a plan that allowed for quick response within the correct channels.

To me the most impressive part of their response was the way that they acknowledged and validated the parents’ concerns. P&G even added additional customer-service representatives in order to provide additional time to speak with consumers with questions about the Pampers product. They have admitted that their initial launch of the product lacked detail and may have caused some confusion with parents. I find some comfort in the fact they are listening to their audiences and taking action to rectify the issue.

It will be very interesting to watch the debate continue between consumers and P&G. Will the social media storm continue to grow? Or will P&G’s efforts successfully satisfy shoppers and the media. We can praise the transparency and speed in which P&G responded to the complaints – a practice we should all learn from.

Happy Friday everyone and have a safe and fun-filled weekend.

Then there is the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which by all accounts is a crisis on many levels. Many families lost loved ones and the environmental impact could well be worse than the Exxon Valdez oil spill decades ago. There is also the impact on businesses—such as the fishermen and shrimpers who depend on the Gulf for their livelihoods. It is a crisis; it just doesn’t seem like one for BP. At least that is the perception.

Click here to continue reading about BP’s handling of the recent oil spill in TVG’s recent Insight article.

If you’ll recall from my blog series back in February, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently enacted guidelines for bloggers’ disclosure of gifts and other forms of compensation.

Last week a Daily Online Examiner article revealed that Ann Taylor Loft received a warning letter last week from the FTC after they provided bloggers with gifts at a January preview of the retailer’s summer line. The warning highlights the importance that bloggers disclose all material connections to companies they write about.

Other companies may not be so lucky to get away with a warning. According to the article, Ann Taylor took a few steps that prevented it from being reprimanded more severely. They posted a sign at the preview requesting that bloggers disclose the gifts if they posted comments about the preview, although the sign may not have been easily seen by all bloggers. Luckily for Ann Taylor, many of the bloggers did disclose the gifts and Ann Taylor put in place a written blogger disclosure policy shortly after the preview.

The fact that the FTC sent the warning letter to Ann Taylor indicates that they are actively investigating companies who may not be taking their guidelines seriously. It is very likely this is the first of many warnings and reprimands the FTC will make as their investigations move forward.

Is your company doing its best to comply with the guidelines? If not, it may be time that you consider implementing a social media policy and training your employees on what your expectations are for marketing via social media. As we learned from this example, simply having a corporate social media disclosure policy in place helped Ann Taylor avoid major fines and repercussions.

What I find most interesting about this event isn’t so much Biden’s choice of words, but rather what happened after he made the statement and the response from the White House. Sure, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs could have issued an official statement or addressed the press corps directly, but instead he turned to social media, more specially, Twitter, with the following tweet: “And yes Mr. Vice President, you’re right…”

This brief, 41-character tweet is just one of many recent examples of the power of social media as a communication tool. From world events such as the earthquake in Haiti or the protests of the presidential election in Iran last June, Twitter has provided – and will continue to provide – a new way to report on the stories of the day.

Whether you’re a fan or Twitter, or not, the social media tool is here to stay and will most likely continue to explode…and continue to report on explosions (verbal and otherwise) that happen in this world we share.

1. Dunkin’ Donuts returned to the St. Louis region this week after a 10-year hiatus with a new store on Kirkwood Road near I-44.  They also made news this week for their use of Twitter and its direct correlation to sales.
2. March Madness kicked-off this week and many companies are tapping into the college basketball fan base by developing marketing campaigns around the tournament madness.  How’s your bracket doing?
3. Recent data released by WPP Group research firm Kantar Media shows that U.S. ad spending was down 12.3 percent in 2009. Nielsen’s previously reported a decrease of 9 percent.
4. The Friday 5 is sending out very happy birthday wishes this week to TVG’s President and CEO, Donna Vandiver!
5. Wrapping up this week by sending you to the brand new blog of TVG’s Kelly Ferrara. Check out ConversActioning and its first post on social media- Be Short and Belong.

One last honorable mention this week to TVG’s Sanford-Brown team that made the Friday 5 last week for their announcement of Sanford-Brown College – Fenton’s new sleep tech program. They followed up this week with a great segment on KPLR St. Louis.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and see you back here next week.

1. This year brought another successful Mardi Gras celebration to St. Louis.  Following the Soulard celebrations over the weekend, the Lumière Place Light up the Night Fat Tuesday Parade brought some 26 krewes out to parade downtown with the theme “famous couples.”
2. We learned yet again how social media allows one person and one incident to quickly impact the image of a company with @TheKevinSmith and @SouthwestAir.
3. In light of the FTC’s new guides concerning endorsements and testimonials, WOMMA issued its Social Media Marketing Disclosure Guide.  The report offers ethical practices your company can utilize to stay compliant with the FTC and to maintain good social media engagement etiquette.  Still not sure about the FTC guides? Check out Shelley’s blog post from earlier this week.
4. TVG’s own, Cassie McCloud started to prepare this week for her presentation at the St. Louis IABC March seminar. Join us on March 25^th for her discussion on engaging employees in the web 2.0 world.  She’ll be joined by HOK, Hallmark, Webster University and many others!
5. Lastly, St. Louis saw a hint of spring this week with some sunny weather and temps moving into the 40s!  TVG’s Amy Crump took the occasion to start some early spring cleaning around the office.

Let’s hope the nice weather lasts so we can all enjoy our weekend!

1. The TVG team welcomes Bud Gregson who joined TVG as a web designer and programmer. His first order of business will be working with our great client ulrich Medical USA.
2. Sorry folks, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog’s Day which means six more weeks of winter. The famous rodent wasn’t replaced by a robot as PETA requested, but he did Tweet his forecast.  (Also an important day in my week personally, as I share my birthday with the groundhog. A fact that has earned me the nickname Phil throughout the office.)
3. Hot topics on Twitter this week included the Grammys, Toyota, the Super Bowl, Oscar nominations and Lost.
4. Facebook turns six this week, I joined the site back in 2004 and boy how it’s changed.  Dopplegangers and UrbanDictionary.com name definitions are the craze this week.
5. Congrats to the TVG team for being named to the Top 50 Women Owned Businesses in Missouri by www.diversitybusiness.com.

That’s all for this week. Enjoy your Super Bowl weekend.  Who are you rooting for? Will you even be watching?  I’ll be cheering on the Saints and critiquing all those ads.