We here at Brandsplat are not just experts in ghostwriting and savvy blog creation — we also dabble in all things online marketing. And we know better than anybody how important it is to keep bloggers happy. Bloggers are this generation’s version of on-the-scene reporters, and influential bloggers can truly make or break a company. So it isn’t surprising that many companies bend over backwards to make sure bloggers are “loving it.”

McDonald’s has a turbulent history with digital engagement. The fast food giant is often pegged as the planet’s foremost purveyor of heart disease and diabetes; online critics aren’t shy at all about stretching Ronald and Co. over the rack. The brand battles huge image issues on nearly every digital platform. 2012 has already seen the #McFail disaster, wherein a Twitter hashtag campaign backfired on the company. So when it comes to the super-costly and mega-high-stakes marketing of its partnership with the Olympics, McDonald’s is doing whatever it can to keep bloggers fat and happy, so to speak.

The Huffington Post reported last week that McDonald’s has assembled some 400 bloggers. This blogging army, according to HuffPo, has been plied with all-expense-paid vacations and lavish gifts. And all McDonald’s wants in return is a slew of positive posts about its brand and products. The high-cost, high-profile blogging campaign will be rolled out over the next few months in the UK, just in time for the Summer Games. Organizers are hoping to show bloggers how easy it is to use Facebook and Twitter to promote their glowing McBlogs. Shifty? Unethical? Sleazy? Perhaps for regular journalists — but this is blogging, so all bets are off! McDonald’s has a long history of trying to buy off bloggers — most recently with a mommy blogger experiment that backfired in 2011.

Mickey D’s isn’t the only company who tries to sway bloggers. Marie Callendar’s, Levis and nearly every cosmetic company under the sun (just to name a few) have all openly appealed to bloggers in hopes of a few kind (and influential) words. So, readers, we ask you: Does this practice make good digital marketing sense or does it make you want to take a shower? Let us have it in the comments section below!

Honesty in Facebook marketing?! Kitties attacking all kinds of webpages?! Freaky job postings?! What the heck is going on? Fear not. We sort it all out just for you in our weekly list of Five Things You Might Have Missed.

1.) The Sarah Phillips Warning: This week, Sarah Phillips made headlines for getting fired from ESPN after a Deadspin article painted the columnist as a con artist with several identities who help spearhead some big-time Internet scams. The scandal reminds us that if you’re hiding something, bloggers will always find it — and no brand is above being occasionally duped.

2.) Kitty Cat Attack! As YouTube has proven time and time again, everything is better with cats. So cat treat maker Temptations is letting Facebook fans put cats everywhere they go online. The Kitty Hijack app available on Temptations Canada’s Facebook page gets dragged into your bookmark bar and then the feline fun is unleashed as kittens crawl all over any site you visit. The funny, frenetic frenzy is Facebook and online marketing purrfection.

3.) Help Wanted: Here’s a jaw-dropping print campaign from the UK for the non-profit Freedom from Torture. Made to look like a job posting, these ads boldly seek to fill the positions of “Torturer,” “Abuser” and “Kidnapper.” Bent on making a point and standing out in an employment-starved climate, Freedom from Torture turns a simple classified ad into something unforgettable.

4.) Rocking Crowdsourcing: We love to see a spunky individual who can turn themselves into a brand by using online and social media marketing, and nobody better personifies these attributes than musician Amanda Palmer. David Meerman Scott profiles Palmer’s ingenious way of using Kickstarter to fund her new album on WebInkNow and we think it’s worth the read. Palmer has raised more than $350,000 and the total goes up nearly every minute, thanks in large part to her huge social media following.

5.) Coming Clean with Social Media Flubs: Common Sense Media’s goal is to help parents control their children’s use of Facebook and mobile phones. To get the message out, the group has released a series of funny TV ads. In the spots, parents admit to their social media flubs and misconceptions. Tech- and Facebook-addicted kids are a very real, very “now” issue and Common Sense attacks it with humor and heart.

Content marketing gurus and SEO mavens alike were in a tizzy earlier this week as Google rolled out its Penguin update. Penguin, like Panda, is an algorithm update aimed at catching webspam. Sometimes these updates, which Google routinely does, do really have an impact on online marketers outside the SEO world. But Penguin is unique. Being smaller than Panda, its focus is more direct and strict. And if blogging for business or article marketing is your thing, you could get bounced by Penguin and not even know it. Luckily, there are ways for your blog to play nicely with Penguin and they come straight from Google’s mouth.

Google’s top 8 things to avoid via WebProNews on Penguin are:

1. Avoid hidden text or hidden links.
2. Don’t use cloaking or sneaky redirects.
3. Don’t send automated queries to Google.
4. Don’t load pages with irrelevant keywords.
5. Don’t create multiple pages, subdomains or domains with substantially duplicate content.
6. Don’t create pages with malicious behavior, such as phishing or installing viruses, trojans or other badware.
7. Avoid “doorway” pages created just for search engines or other “cookie cutter” approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.
8. If your site participates in an affiliate program, make sure that your site adds value. Provide unique and relevant content that gives users a reason to visit your site first.

These are all great tips — especially the keyword stuffing — Penguin or no Penguin. We’ve seen clients eager to jam as many keywords into a blog or article as possible and it never seemed like a good idea. Now we know it isn’t. Things like sneaky redirects, hidden links and multiple pages of duplicate content have always been looked down on by Google and now Penguin is better way combat it. In short, Google is getting smarter all the time and updates like Penguin are on a mission to take out bad, spammy content.

The good news is that these updates actually help those of us who create original, non-shady content. By playing along with Penguin, instead of against it, your content can now be found faster and read by more people!

From billboards and television commercials to viral spots and online marketing, he’s everywhere. Lately he’s been seen touting a diaper bag, but he’s also found hanging out with his bros shooting the breeze about parenting stuff. He is the modern dad and marketers, it seems, just can’t get enough of the guy.

Some call it a re-verb of the crap economy; others call it a balance of power. But whatever you call it, the Mr. Mom phenomenon is a very real one to advertisers. The modern dude-dad is funnier, more subversive and just the kind of man marketers hope we can relate to. Huggies is leading the way in the dad marketing revolution. Dads are front and center in a series of commercials which put real life papas and Huggies products like wipes and diapers to the test. Huggies and the dads are put through ringer in a series of challenges like eating spaghetti and speed changes. The funny reality TV-like spots are right in tune with the trend of featuring dad as this beleaguered, flawed superhero.

And what’s funnier than one Mr. Mom? A group of supper daddies, naturally. So appealing is the trend of the Dad-Dude Pack that What to Expect When You’re Expecting, a movie based on the famous pregnancy book, has tailored its trailers to feature funny dads. Never mind that the source material is about women’s bodies during pregnancy. Lionsgate Films is hoping to reel in guys with wacky shots of funnymen like Chris Rock and his fellow father friends carrying babies around Central Park.

And as much as we love this modern man who isn’t afraid of some diapers, we still love the stereotype of the dumb dad, too. This Verizon spot, which features some clueless dads with some really bad ideas, is an online hit even if it doesn’t celebrate dad as Superman.

But let’s ask you: Is this Mr. Mom marketing trend about to burn out or have we only seen the beginning of Dadtastic campaigns? Tell us in the comments section below!

Tech oddities! Branding delights! Social media marvels! Step right up and enjoy the little online marketing circus we like to call “Five Things You Might Have Missed!”

1.) Meet the Social Pizza: What’s more social than sharing a few slices of pizza? How about actually creating a pizza on social media? Domino’s in Australia is calling on Facebook fans to create the ultimate social media pizza pie. Through March 25th, Domino’s fans down under will have the opportunity to vote on favorite sauce, crust and topping combinations, with the winning concoctions featured on Domino’s menu. Amateur pizza chefs will also get a shot at $1,000 bucks for coming up with a great pizza name.

2.) Skin Vibrations: Here’s one from the “What the Tech?” files. Nokia is reportedly working on a patent to help smartphone holders literally feel when they receive a call. A small patch of fabric or a tattoo can be attached to the skin and will vibrate when an incoming call is received. While still in the developement stage, the vibrating tattoo officially ushers in the era of humans being literally attached to their phones.

3.) Main Events: Like the rest of Facebook, Facebook Events got a big-time makeover this week. Unlike Timeline and some of the other updates, however, this one is bound to make plenty of people happy. Easy for brands and individuals alike to use and keep organized, the new Facebook Events is the must-use use tool of the spring on the planet’s biggest social media mecca. Check out Social Media Examiner’s in-depth look at Facebook Events to learn about all the new features.

4.) Holy Phileas Fogg! So they might not be able to make your skin vibrate today, but Nokia claims its battery can last on a trip around the world. Inspired by the 140th anniversary of Around the World in 80 Days, Nokia sent its phone to 12 cities and 4 continents with a single charged battery and no charger. The results are a globe-trotting, good-time viral hit.

5.) Help for Your Ugly Office: We close out our list with a drool worthy digital contest from Turnstone. Those makers of pricey but awesome office accoutrements, Turnstone is giving away 5 office makeovers to startups with great ideas and amazing stories. Wannabes are encouraged to pitch their dream office ideas to Turnstone via video. After a judging committee sifts through the submissions, Turnstone will post the best videos and users will vote for their favorite. It’s a cool contest with a great prize from a brand that encourages vision and personality.

As we covered last week, Facebook czar Mark Zuckerberg is the latest celeb to join inspiration board site Pinterest. Non-stop buzz notwithstanding, Pinterest certainly has its limitations. Primarily, the super visual site simply won’t work for companies that aren’t image-based or don’t have physical merchandise. Pinterest is all about sharing pictures of things you love with followers who love the same things. So this concept won’t really be of any use to, say, a headhunting agency or accounting firm. But Pinterest can work incredibly well with your company blog if you happen to be in a “ooh, look at that” type of industry.

Food, fashion, interior design and exotic locations are the topics Pinterest users like to pin the most of. Therefore, any catering company, jewelry designer, furniture maker, or travel agent with a blog should really consider hopping on the bandwagon. If you’re in one of the aforementioned industries and you do blog, chances are you have tons of photos of what you do and what you’re working on to give your customers and readers a taste of your genius. Sharing those pictures on Pinterest is a snap and literally takes seconds. Once the photos are shared, users interested in your images will start pinning them, too. But the Pinterest possibilities don’t stop there. Art galleries, graphic designers, cartoonists, landscapers, wedding planners, ceramicists and florists who blog should consider “pinning” as a way to gather more readers, as well.

Again, Pinterest isn’t going to work wonders for every blog. Image-friendly blogging platforms like Tumblr seem to work better on Pinterest than text-friendly sites like Blogger. Also, Pinterest, like all social media marketing channels, takes time. As one would do with blog creation, Pinterest boards should be carefully curated and planned out to really convey your brand’s message. And like other social networks, gaining followers takes time and engagement as well. Don’t expect one fabulous photo of one of your products to bring in thousands of blog readers and buyers without a little work.

So let’s hear from you, readers: Have you had any success with marketing on Pinterest or do you think the whole thing is just something bored, crafty housewives like to do over a glass of wine? Sound off below!

Feeling those mid-winter, uninspired blahs when it comes to online marketing? We’ve got just the thing to get your brain moving: Our weekly list of five things you might have missed. This week’s fivesome features news stories, marketing innovations and social media ideas guaranteed to ignite your creative fires!

1.) Food + Fashion: This interview with Cupcakes and Cashmere creator Emily Shuman tops our list for proving that when we blog about the things we’re passionate about, the money is sure to follow. The former ad executive is making big dollars by covering fashion and food in her highly-read blog. Shuman is further proof of the blog as business model and we love it.

2.) The Golden Voice Returns: Remember Ted Williams, that homeless dude with the amazing voice? After a rough ride through the media ringer, Williams returned in a charity Twitter campaign for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese this week. Kraft donated thousands of boxes of mac’n'cheese for every #voiceoflove tweet they received to Feeding America. The campaign was a stand out on Valentine’s Day for showing the Twitter love for folks who really deserve it.

3.) Best Apology Ever: O.b. Tampons has made more than a few marketing mistakes over the last two years, so when the company pulled its o.b. Ultras from store shelves late in 2011, consumers were not happy. Instead of tweeting a “we’re sorry” message, the company came up with a now viral video that sets a new standard for creative corporate apologies. Without giving away the details, we’ll just say this hilarious and ingenious interactive spot is sure to put o.b. on the road to redemption.

4.) Even Zuckerberg’s Pinterest Crazy: We clocked Pinterest as the “it” social media site last year and having Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg sign up this week seems to confirm that prediction. Zuckerberg is already enthusiastically pinning and posting, proving that Pinterest is a social media force to be reckoned with.

5.) Here’s to New Voices, Too: With the sad passing of Whitney Houston and the downright bizarre Grammy awards from last weekend, it seemed like music could use a fresh face or two. Luckily, a super-viral Target commercial answered the call by introducing the planet to 11-year-old Denise Bestman from Staten Island. Her cover of Rolling in the Deep is evidence that talent and hope are found in unlikely places.

Brandsplat Report-Chronicle Video, Specialty Blogs, SuperBowl Ad from Enzo Cesario on Vimeo.

Enzo F. Cesario, Brandsplat’s CCO shares his thoughts on the Chronicle Viral Video, Specialty Blogs and Super Bowl Ads. Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

What a week! Between awards show cattiness, brand breakdowns and Internet shutdowns, there is no shortage of things to dish about. So let’s get right into all the latest online marketing news in a list we all know and love as our “Five Things You Might Have Missed.”

1.) Timeline App-valanche: In its short life, Facebook’s Timeline has been known for garnering a lot of resistance and headlines. We can now add apps to that list. Tons of blogs reported on the addition of Timeline apps this week because, love it or loathe it, Timeline is Facebook’s latest product and apps could be the next big thing in Facebook marketing.

2.) Lionel Richie, Free Speech Protector? This video from slick ad director Matthijs Volt may not have set out to say a lot about piracy and SOPA but by using dialogue from hit films (without permission) to recreate Lionel Richie’s hit “Hello” the video is the kind of thumbing of the nose the movement needs right now. Funny, brilliantly edited and released at a time of year when we celebrate film, this viral hit laughs at piracy laws and makes us smile, too.

3.) MINI is Red Hot and Social: The itty bitty car MINI has launched a giant Facebook campaign in which one of its cars is suspended on a hill by a rope with a Bunsen burner underneath, burning away at the rope. This crazy science experiment relies on Facebook page likes to release the car into the wild. Users who like the brand also get to check in on the car’s status.

4.) From Tart to Sour: This week, Pinkberry was the latest brand to hop onto to Twitter to put out a bad PR fire. Co-founder of the yogurt empire Young Lee was arrested after chasing down a transient and beating him with a tire iron. Company heads swiftly took to Twitter to state that Young has not been an active part of Pinkberry since 2010 and now serves solely as a stockholder. The company is desperately (and understandably) trying to distance itself from Lee, but given the amount of negative posts online, it might take more than a few tweets and a press release to make its image sweet again.

5.) Going Wiki-less: During the SOPA protests blackouts of Wednesday, many big websites shutdown services, and the most missed site had to be Wikipedia. Wiki withdraw proved how much we would miss uncensored unregulated information and the message was received loud and clear.

On today’s five-item menu: The White House serves up a meaty Twitter marketing topic, IKEA hosts a hot sleepover jam, a juicy burger from the dark side and so much more. Bon Appetit!

1.) Turning the Tide: Here in the U.S., many states have taken drastic measures to get rid of plastic grocery bags. Yet worldwide, the pesky polluters continue to be a problem. So in a wise effort to get shoppers to switch to reusable grocery bags, Tide came up with one you can write your shopping list on. This planet-friendly maneuver is also brand-friendly, as Tide’s logo is prominently displayed.

2.) Take a Bite of the Dark Side: This crazy-ass Darth Vader hamburger from France’s Quick fast food chain was on every blog this week. But in case you missed it, the restaurant came up with a “Dark Vador” burger to celebrate the release of the Phantom Menace in 3D. Notable for its black hamburger buns and strange-looking sauces, this burger might cause a travel frenzy to Paris from geeks hoping to get a taste before the promotional item goes away on March 1st.

3.) Facebook Fan Slumber Party: IKEA once again took the Facebook page to another level when it held a sleepover in one of its stores in the U.K. 100 lucky followers on Facebook got to spend the night in Swedish retail slumber with massages, bedtime stories and goody bags. And IKEA took the opportunity to promote its line of mattresses and bedding.

4.) That Bag Can Talk: Tostitos debuted an unlikely but very likable spokesperson this week: a talking bag. In a series of ads that are getting a lot of play online, the bag talks about being dip worthy and entertains a group of football fans. It’s funny advertising for the snack crowd and it signals the arrival of the upcoming Super Bowl advertising-pollooza.

5.) The White House Pours a #40: This week, the White House took to Twitter to ask followers, “What can you buy with #40dollars?” The topic, which was launched in response to Congress’ rejection of a tax cut that would have put an extra $40 on American’s paychecks, became a hashtag which developed into a lively conversation between Washington and Twitter users. While detractors say the administration is out of touch with Americans, it can’t be argued how well they keep in touch with voters using social media.