A few days ago a news program showed Dr. Tayag dancing to Maroon 5′s Moves Like Jagger. He then went on-air on a morning show to do the dance live, again on national television! Apparently though this guy has been dancing to this song as early as November. We found a video of him leading a Philippine contingent dance in an international conference. Dr. Tayag is the one in the green polo shirt and shades.

So… er… can you guys Move like Tayag?

Instead of the usual online reputation management topics that are usually discussed like Personal Branding, I’ll be zeroing in on this from the perspective of facing a crisis brought about by social media. It’s important for brands to know what tools and measures that are available that will help them avert or rise out from crisis situations.

SEMCON

See you guys there!

Christopher Lao shot into national infamy when his interview on GMA 7 went viral. To those who don’t know him or can’t remember, Lao drove his car into a heavily flooded street. The car literally floated and everything was caught on camera. A reporter from GMA 7 then interviewed him and unfortunately Lao let his frustration get the better of him and he started ranting on national television.

He’s back on Youtube though but this time it looks like he’s happy to be on camera. Lao stars in a viral video by BPI Loans which re-enacts what happened. Check the video out below.

Lao vindicates himself here, hehe. Good job bro.

Here’s a screenshot of one of the slides:

Hope you guys like this!

PS: Thanks to Adobo Magazine for writing about the webinar! Click here to read the write-up.

I’m really more of a multi-channel type of digital marketer when it comes to advertising but we can’t deny how cost-effective advertising is on Facebook. With a CPC rate of P2-P5, it beats the prices of all the other major websites in the country offering advertising. Facebook also allows companies to build brand communities which is one of the banner highlights of the Social Media Wave 5 Study by UM.

A word of caution to those client-side: ask for the CPC rate that you will be charged. I’ve seen so many companies throw away millions in ad budget because they didn’t know that the rates they were paying for were extremely padded.

With the entry of Groupon (and their ridiculous ad budget) to the Philippines, awareness of group buying websites will be at an all time high. Like what I mentioned in a previous article, Groupon has actually started posting ads already through the Google Ad Network. You’ll find their ads scattered all over local websites and blogs. The biggest obstacle to this business model though will definitely be the low penetration of credit cards in the Philippines. The first group buying site that solves this problem will get ahead of the game.

Services like Foursquare will see growth in 2011 but not enough to put them center stage. Majority of Filipinos still don’t have smart phones. The good thing with 2011 is that companies are starting to roll out more affordable Android smart phones (Cherry Mobile, Samsung, etc).

It’s also quite hard to organize promos and special offers with Foursquare. We tried doing some projects with them this year but it never really flew because they took forever to reply and approve built-in campaigns. If they ramp up their organization next year then businesses will probably take notice.

Smart celebrities who recognize the power of social media and community will build their personal brands online. I’ve heard of several who have already started working on big projects (mostly radio DJ’s) for 2011. Expect podcasts, online video shows, and more blogs in 2011 from Filipino celebrities.

The one that I’m watching out for and monitoring is Magic 89.9FM’s Mo Twister’s Podcast. He’s been drumming up hype and excitement for this for the last 2-3 months now and I heard he’s finally launching it on January. If he succeeds then more celebrities will definitely jump on the bandwagon.

With all the seminars and conferences being produced it’s no wonder that the technical knowledge of marketers with Facebook is growing. Companies will start being more creative and innovative with how they use Facebook Pages. We’ll be seeing more custom applications and exclusive promotions and contests. The danger I’m seeing here is that they will be too focused on the apps and not on engaging their fans.

On a side note, let me just mention that social media might play a big role in customer service in 2011. I’ve been doing consultancy work for several companies on how to build their customer support channels online. It’s not that hard to imagine especially since MMDA is doing such an excellent job at it (and they get tons of complaints everyday).

Social Media is a double edged sword. It can help but it can also destroy. There have been several incidents of local cyber bullying already and the number of incidents are growing at an alarming rate. As most of you know I’m part of the Web Safety for Parents Initiative together with Sonnie Santos. We’ve been going around schools and churches and I keep on hearing about students who were victims of cyber bullying. This is a real issue and we have to deal with this.

With the surging growth of blogging and social media, more Filipinos will start to realize the power of Personal Branding. We’ve already seen phenomenal case studies in people like Randell Tiongson, Alodia, Vince Golangco, Flair Candy, Jayvee Fernandez, Abe Olandres, and of course Anton Diaz.

My hope is that we see new names next year. The field is still wide open with so many niches unclaimed and untouched. If ever there’s a time to build online personal brands, it will be next year!

Now this is definitely 100% going to happen. A lot of advertising and PR agencies have already set-up their own digital departments. Freelance consultants are also popping up left and right. It’s only natural that client-side also follows. Several multinationals already set-up their digital marketing departments and I have a strong feeling more will do so in 2011. This means that digital marketing is a solid career track that you can take if you decide to pursue it. It’s no longer a sideline job that rarely gets any attention. It’s a full blown department that will have responsibilities and deliverables.

To those who are just about to start out in this new industry we highly recommend that you start reading books, blogs, and websites about the subject matter.

One of the products offered by digital agencies is content generation and community building. This wasn’t really a hot item in 2009 but it grew leaps and bounds in 2010. It will continue to grow in 2011. Companies rarely have the know-how and the manpower to effectively run social media channels. Offering this service and showing previous successful case studies will almost always land you a steady monthly retainer. For those who want to venture into this make sure that you update your clients regularly with reports (using metrics). Also send in your editorial calendars and response matrix in advance so that both of you are in the same page.

For years now the buzz is all about Search Engine Optimization. There’s nothing wrong with this and I’m sure that SEO will continue to be a vital part of any good digital marketing strategy. However the focus in 2011 will really be on social media because it’s a new frontier that’s delivering mixed but significant results. More and more marketers will dip their hands into Facebook and Twitter and we’ll be seeing tons of promos and contests in the months ahead. It will definitely be a crazy trial and error period. Hopefully we’ll see some Filipino-made world class social media marketing campaigns that we can be proud of.

Social Media will continue to play a crucial role in nation building. Who knows maybe we’ll even get to see a localized version of Wiki Leaks. The Philippines will definitely need something like that since we’re literally swimming in an ocean of systemic graft and corruption problems.

That’s it for our 11 predictions! How about you guys? Do you have any thoughts on what will happen to the industry here in the Philippines? Feel free to share in the comments section below. Cheers and Happy Holidays again!