In the pursuit to define and quantify Social Media, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) created “Social Media Ad Metrics Definitions” and “Social Advertising Best Practices.”  According to a recent Nielsen study, Social Media has surpassed e-mail as the most popular form of consumer communications and activities. There has also been a surge of consumer growth deriving from an older demographic (34-49-year-olds) as opposed to its traditional younger demographic. As the IAB notes, “Social Media has changed the paradigm of how people consume online media.” These documents are intended to help marketers better understand this evolving relationship between consumers and online media.

The “Social Media Ad Metrics Definitions” document sheds light on navigating as well as measuring social media.  The “Social Advertising Best Practices” document outlines what elements make Social Media powerful: reach, relationships and relevance.  Reach, Relationships and Relevancy are what differentiate Social Media advertising from any other medium.  With the vast number of social networks and online communities, Social Media has now become the most popular form of communication, generating a reach far surpassing than that of email. As for relationships, Social Media’s strength is in the personal connections it enables, and the peer-to-peer contact it facilitates. Lastly, consumers are extremely engaged with the content and connections that their friends are creating because of its personal relevance.

We are honored to say that Brickfish has been named by the IAB as one of the top five Best Practices in Social Media Advertising. The IAB recognized Brickfish as a best practice for our continued efforts in the Social Advertising and Social Media space. The IAB featured the Brickfish program, Design a Coach Tote, as an example of the reach and power of UGC. The Coach Case Study demonstrates how UGC can enable relationships between the consumer and the brand. Additionally, the IAB comments on our technology, which tracks brand interactions across the Web and globally. The Coach campaign reached over 8,000 URL’s, which generated over 6,000,000 consumer engagements.

Brickfish is thrilled to be considered a leader in the Social Advertising space and will continue to develop programs and technology that follow these guidelines set forth by the IAB. Brickfish will also continue to set an example as a Best Practice in the ever-evolving UGC and Social Media landscape.