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Bad news for brands enamored with the possibility of connecting one on one with each and every consumer through the magic of social media: Young people don’t want to be friends with you.

just 6 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds who use the Web desire to be friends with a brand on Facebook—despite the fact that half of this demographic uses the site.

Among Web-connected 18- to 24-year-olds that figure does double—meaning that 12 percent of that demo is OK with befriending brands—though the vast majority of young adults are not

Zappos, Trader Joe's, Amazon.com, Method, Red Bull, The Body Shop, Google, and SodaStream all built their brands without advertising. Their brand advocates are their marketing department. "We've built this entire business, and an entire category in fact, on the power of our brand advocates," says Kristin Harp, U.S. marketing manager at SodaStream, which turns tap water into sparkling water and soda.

the three most powerful social media companies--Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn--never spent a dime on advertising or paid people to recommend them. They didn't need to. Advocates used social media to recommend them to their friends.

You may spend millions of dollars on elaborate marketing campaigns. But there is nothing more powerful than a trusted recommendation from a brand advocate.

many execs say it's impossible to draw direct correlations between stunts and sales. Most clients seem satisfied with generating high levels of social sharing, with online views providing substantial savings compared to paid media. "From our perspective ... it will more than pay for itself in earned media and 'share of conversation.' That, in turn, translates into brand worth, which in turn drives sales," says Thomas Moradpour, vp, global marketing at Carlsberg. "We won’t be able to track a direct bump—too many variables—but we’ll measure the impact on brand health and equity through our brand trackers in all of our key international markets."

many execs say it's impossible to draw direct correlations between stunts and sales. Most clients seem satisfied with generating high levels of social sharing, with online views providing substantial savings compared to paid media. "From our perspective ... it will more than pay for itself in earned media and 'share of conversation.' That, in turn, translates into brand worth, which in turn drives sales," says Thomas Moradpour, vp, global marketing at Carlsberg. "We won’t be able to track a direct bump—too many variables—but we’ll measure the impact on brand health and equity through our brand trackers in all of our key international markets."

marketers are staging "pranks on steroids," upping the ante in almost every imaginable way and probing darker territory—with the sponsor's name attached. Scenarios that trade on fear, death and danger test the limits of personal privacy and social acceptability. The genre, he says, represents "the dark side of the constant drumbeat to enhance consumer engagement."

“If too many people can buy it, the brand loses its exclusivity.”

Despite the ubiquity of digital and social media, the in-store experience is still integral to producing individualized experiences for high-wealth customers. “Even though the products are available to view online, it is not the same as the experience of seeing them in person,”

Digital and social media can amplify in-store experience for high-wealth customers, but shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a substitute.   

Of course then there are the brands that step into social media like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They crash our Facebook pages and pose as the tragically hip ordering the latest cocktail infusion at our neighborhood bar. When it comes to “being real or personable”, too many brands come off as cheap polyester versions of Leisure Suit Larry.

We’re sick of the self-promotional ego machinations. The brands we love, come with a personality, authenticity, and unique point of view.

marketers are often too busy chasing the dragon of aggregate click-throughs and response rates to really take notice of whether they’re actually connecting with people.

when a user comes across your Twitter handle or Facebook feed, she doesn't suddenly transform into a "professional-only" mode that consumes, filters and reacts to content based 100% on her company and career. No, her professional persona may take center stage, but her entire thought process is also influenced by the less apparent parts of her personality: the fact that she's a parent, enjoys rock climbing, is coming off a rough week or lives in a city. As marketers, we need to embrace this fundamental nature of user behavior; namely, that people act, engage, and respond not solely as professionals, but as nuanced human beings.

If connection needs to take place at a human level, then our brands must also become human

Being a humanized brand means learning the art of authenticity. It means being genuine, being passionate about whatever it is your brand is and does. Just like in everyday life, people respond most to others who are perceptibly and consistently real. And that's why it's an art, not a formula. Authenticity, in the long run, can't be manufactured or faked.

However, rival Ford will continue its social media strategy. A spokesman said: "You just can't buy your way into Facebook. You need to have a credible presence and be doing innovative things."

"In terms of Facebook specifically, while we currently do not plan to continue with advertising, we remain committed to an aggressive content strategy through all of our products and brands, as it continues to be a very effective tool for engaging with our customers," GM said in a statement.

The most popular use of "360 campaign" is to define a marketing plan that is both online and offline, on social media, and more. It's a holistic promotion that truly covers all the bases

to be truly 360, a campaign would need to encompass everything — mobile, digital, television and social (until new mediums arrive, in which case the campaign would need to again expand).

Content and brand stories should not be conceived of in a sequential manner but rather as an ecosystem and constant narrative.

There has never been a greater need for brands to craft little jewels of content that can sparkle and seduce the most discerning of consumers. Brands that learn to tell their brand story in bite-sized, mobile friendly chunks in the fragmented world of social media will engage consumers.

Launch? Here’s an age-old concept that is being re-shaped in the era of the proto-brand.  As social media and technology open up development, co-creation will become the normative process for many brands.

As the speed and quantity of new offers being thrown at us increases, our attention spans become shorter and we’re more easily distracted.   In this 21st century business environment, brands cannot rely on the one-liner.

In the world of open, brand is more valuable than ever.  More than what you can offer is the outcome of the way you act: trust, equity, and loyalty. Open up to people, and you gain empathy, support, and forgiveness.  Close the door to them, tell the same jokes over and over, and soon you’ll be looking at a theater of empty seats.

Several speakers suggested introducing new types of control measures such as social media guidelines and new positions to monitor and manage rogue messages. Interestingly, companies such as noted rule-breaker Southwest Airlines and B2B icon SAP are moving in the opposite direction with a less is more approach. Rather than try to rein in communications, they have given their employees more freedom to express themselves and quickly experienced small wins that have helped build stronger reputations for their companies. For example, rumors were self-corrected by employees, stronger connections with customers were created, and employees felt more engaged in shaping their company.

This less is more approach is only effective when you have a strong culture focused on a deep and all-encompassing employee understanding of the company's vision. For this strategy to work effectively, employees need to be aligned with the messages you want to share and need to be invested in the success of the company.

brands considering where to focus their efforts and limited resources would do better to put less emphasis on putting more controls in place, and more effort toward helping employees better understand the CEO’s vision and what makes a company a special place to work. In the end, giving your employees the tools and freedom to spread that message and build your reputation makes more sense than reigning them in and holding them back.