Carrot Creative Blog

From building Infieldparking.com, a social networking site for NASCAR fans, to building David Ortiz’s fan page on Facebook, Carrot Creative understands that marketing strategies used in the corporate world can also be applied to sports. President and Creative Director, Mike Germano, talks with SLAM magazine about the business of social media and the benefit it provides to NBA players:

“Brands want to communicate with customers, and there’s an equation there that can be easily replicated with sports in that players want to interact with their fans to create a more loyal fan base. [In terms of the NBA] social media allows players to very easily transcend just being a basketball player. It allows any athlete to take that next step in communication with fans and make it personal.”

Everyone has their online identity. You have a website. You have your blog. Your LinkedIn. Twitter. Facebook. You build these networks and pages out to form “Who you are.” But, having one of these “things” does not classify who you are as a person. If you’re on Twitter, it doesn’t mean you necessarily have “quick thoughts”, if you’re on LinkedIn it doesn’t necessarily mean you are all about networking for your career. Or, at least I hope it doesn’t.

I was lucky enough to be invited to keynote yesterday’s IDI Marketers Forum International Conference at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The conference is intended to provide valuable, up-to-date information from top internationally recognized experts to the direct marketing community. With an experience working mostly in online marketing, one might think that a direct marketing approach needed an entirely new perspective on social media.

But, when you think about it, there’s a basic theme every industry needs to think about when entering this space— just get in it. Get in it now and learn quickly, you’re already behind.

The Social Cash blog interviewed our very own Mike Germano last month discussing all things marketing, the future of Facebook and Mike’s favorite topic: Carrot Creative. Mike provides some insightful thoughts on the future of marketing within the popular social network and what it means for the big brands who are starting to “get it” and engage.

Check it out and stay tuned for an upcoming prediction and resolution list about the future of web marketing in 2009 from the entire Carrot Crew.