It’s that special time of year when social media marketers, advertisers and online marketing gurus come together to celebrate one special thing: viral Super Bowl ads! Continuing the tradition of year’s past, 2012 has already seen a slew of Super Bowl ads… and the game is still a couple of weeks away. Here’s a few of the trends and news stories you can expect to see more of as the Super Bowl gets closer.

Tons of Teasers: Advertisers are hoping to use movie-like previews online to get viewers and consumers excited about their Super Bowl ads. And as silly as an ad for an ad sounds, they seem to be working. Many, like a recent spot for VW, have already roped in millions of views and gone very viral.

Embracing the Bark Side: That VW preview ad with the millions of views is none other than “The Bark Side,” a commercial which features dogs in Star Wars costumes barking the movie’s iconic “Imperial March.” The clip is a follow-up to last year’s smash, The Force. And if the preview is any indication, Volkswagen has another hit on its hands.

More Controversy: Only time will tell if Madonna will stir up controversy during her 12 minute halftime set, but there are several ads already set to grab headlines and tick people off. At the top of the list has to be the dead fetus-filled commercials from presidential wannabe and general nutjob, Randall Terry. Look for Terry’s ads to be the talk of Monday morning newscasts.

Brands Take to the Tiny Screen: This year ads won’t just be living on the plasma flatscreen or online but also in apps for smartphones. Chevy Game Time is one such app that offers prizes and real-time gaming while the Super Bowl is on. Food Network, EA Sports and ESPN Sports Center are some of the other brands launching apps to enhance game day.

Super Social Media: We’ve seen brands like Doritos and Chevy use social media to cross-promote ads in years past but this year social media has gone legit. For the first time ever, the Super Bowl has its own social media hub that will cover all the action on Twitter and Facebook surrounding the game as well as keep tabs on the latest social media news stories developing in the days before the big day.

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.

Brandsplat Report-Enzo’s 2012 Marketing Predictions from Enzo Cesario on Vimeo.

Enzo F. Cesario, Brandsplat’s CCO shares his marketing predictions for 2012.  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

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.

What we marketers love about social media marketing is the immediate opportunities to connect with our customers. But the line of communication works both ways. When consumers are unhappy campers, the first they do is voice their grievances on sites like Twitter and Facebook. The New York Times is the latest brand to be on the receiving end of a Twitter attack from ticked off readers.

Things at the New York Times got messy yesterday when an accidental spam email wound up in the inboxes of 8 million subscribers. The solicitation message, which asked readers to reconsider their home delivery service, was originally intended for only a small group of subscribers. Recipients of the email took to Twitter to ponder if the New York Times had been hacked, while others hopped on the networking site to voice their displeasure at getting such a message. Soon the Times and the whole mess was a top trending topic and big news story.

Digital missteps like this one are pretty serious, so the interest was high yesterday to see how the company would rectify its mistake. The Times quickly responded to the tweets, assuring readers that the message was just spam and that it should be deleted. The tweets back and forth showed that the Times was listening to its following and responding to the issue with the latest developments. By the end of the day on Wednesday, the PR team from the Times had put out the Twitter fire and business went on as usual.

The fact is that technical screw ups and miscommunications are bound to happen. And people are bound to get upset about said screw ups. But there’s a proper way to handle them and the NYT, as far as we can tell, did just that. So, readers, share with us: Did you get one of those messages from the Times? Have you ever had a brand reach out to you on Twitter to fix a complaint? Let us know!

The digital newsletter is a great way to strut your custom content, expand the reach of your email marketing campaign and enrich your overall digital engagement strategy. Even better — it’s virtually foolproof; the only way that a digital newsletter could possibly destroy your brand is if you weren’t paying attention to the content and what was being printed was offensive, inflammatory and even racist. Thankfully, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul already made that mistake so you don’t have to! Paul recently displayed some truly dunderheaded brand management (or mismanagement, as the case may be) and we can all be a little wiser thanks to his idiocy.

First off, let’s get this out of the way. It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican or even if you vote for aliens. Paul’s mistake is not one of party lines but of a brand lacking any thought or strategy. In case you haven’t heard, Paul is currently in deep doo doo over newsletters he published in the ’80s and ’90s which featured the politician’s signature brand of straight talk. The problem with the newsletters in question is that Paul says he didn’t write the crazy racist passages that are now being quoted by every news outlet on the planet. Paul says a staffer wrote the articles in question and that’s the only explanation he’ll give. He’s even getting testy about it — he walked out of a CNN interview when questions about the newsletters arose.

Keeping far away from the icky content of the newsletters and even ickier politics involved, the big problem here is a loose cannon of a brand with zero accountability. If any of our small businesses acted like Paul and then didn’t accept responsibility, we wouldn’t be in business for long. The main marketing mishap here is that if Paul didn’t write those articles, then he took the sin one step further by not triple checking the content that has his name on it. Conversely, if Paul did write the wackadoodle articles in question, then he needs to fess up and accept his fate.

Either way, it’s a classic what not to do with a newsletter or blog or social media post. We’ve seen brands like Marc Jacobs get bitten in the back by not monitoring who is in charge of their social media postings. We’ve seen business blogs get mismanaged by untrustworthy sources. Companies big or small have to carefully and thoughtfully create content for their brand or, like Ron Paul, pay the price for not paying attention.

We’re all for digital engagement that uses email marketing to give their followers exactly what they want. Online retailers and deal hucksters who sling out the goodies have to practice a delicate balance of staying ahead of trends while giving discounts on cool items that inspire folks to whip out their credit cards. We don’t use the word “art” lightly when we talk about well-done email marketing because most of the things that land in our inboxes are anything but artful.

We started thinking about the potency of email marketing because of the Slanket. Surely you remember the Slanket, the precursor to, but less popular version of, the Snuggie? The blanket with sleeves but without the catchy marketing campaign popped back up on periphery when it showed up in our daily deal email from Living Social. Surely you remember Living Social, the less cool, but slicker-looking, version of Groupon? It’s the holidays and the best they could come up with is a deal on the Slanket? Living Social ran a half off deal on the Slanket this week after a week that also included discounts on Botox, gourmet popcorn and bowling. While all of those items are super, they don’t exactly inspire us to smartphone our way into debt.

The point here is that with email marketing — and all of our online marketing, for that matter — brands have a teeny tiny amount of time to get consumers to respond. And folks won’t think you’re giving them a huge deal if you’re offering things they don’t actually want. But more than deals, the content of our email marketing messages matters. We spend time and money on newsletters and email campaigns in hopes that people will be engaged enough to visit our websites, buy our services and products and talk about us on social media. Churning out messages with no soul or personality doesn’t do our brands any favors. In short, do we want our emails to be a Snuggie or a Slanket?

We could go on and on about how bad email marketing is the Internet’s version of pollution. Instead, we want you to try this: Go through your email and junk mail and see which messages actually catch your eye. Make notes about what interest you and what doesn’t work. And then come back here and share your findings!

I was fortunate enough to run off to New York City last week and take in some of the holiday sights and sounds from the city that never sleeps — and never stops marketing. NYC during the holidays is a great place to track the effectiveness of online branding, social media marketing and digital engagement. This mecca of consumerism and flashing lights long has relied upon good, old-fashioned marketing techniques for hundreds of years… and still does. From holiday windows to parades and old-timey outdoor holiday markets, the Big Apple has its feet firmly planted in Christmas Past. But, as I found, the holiday season in New York City in 2011 is also the most digital time of the year.

The windows of the world, according to Burt Bacharach, are covered in rain. But according to Bergdorf Goodman, the windows of the world are covered in sparkling, over-the-top decorations. As retailers die across the country, the concept of snazzy holiday windows seems out of touch. Yet in New York, the windows are a must-see tradition. Bergdorf’s is the premiere stop on the holiday window tour and this year’s display is no exception. With a nod to animal themes, the display designers used unusual materials to create an eye-popping winter fantasy.

But what does this have to do with digital marketing, you ask? Relax, I’m getting there. The store invited bloggers and fashion writers down to get a peek in late November, and by the time we arrived in NYC, buzz around the windows was at a fever pitch. Clearly, the 112-year-old retailer knows that if you want people to talk, alert the bloggers. And according to early numbers, the windows are paying off. Bergdorf’s has also been teasing Twitter followers with exclusive pictures of the stunning creations since they were unveiled.

Less successful were the Lady Gaga windows for Barney’s. The pop diva partnered with her visual collaborator Nicola Formichetti to create “Gaga’s Workshop,” a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory type of store within the department store. Turns out the $95 dollar chocolate shoes, Gaga magnet sets and saggy, sad, unfestive window creations didn’t inspire, but the use of Twitter certainly has. #GagaWish is the hashtag used in the final window where shoppers and Gaga fans alike are asked to tweet their holiday wishes. The wishes then appear on a huge space-age type of screen for all of NYC to see. It’s the fun “name in lights” kind of experience that fame-hungry Gaga lovers and tourists are eating up with a glitter-covered spoon.

Finally, the future of big brand holiday marketing can be seen at Saks Fifth Avenue. Last year, the company unveiled a one-of-a-kind digital mapping projection window that made headlines around the world. And this year, the giant snowflakes and bubbles are back and bigger than ever. It’s impossible not to feel the childlike magic of the holidays as you watch snowflakes fall from the side of Saks Fifth Avenue with the tree at Rockefeller Center in the background. Over the top and totally New York, the display uses technology that others across the globe are starting to copy.

All of these blasting and beautiful displays are proof that New York is still the center of creativity when it comes to marketing the holidays. And although most no one can spend millions on holiday displays, nearly everybody can take a bite out of the Big Apple’s digital marketing techniques.

Brandsplat Report-Lawblogs, Fruitcakes and Every Tweet_Ever. from Enzo Cesario on Vimeo.

Enzo F. Cesario, Brandsplat’s CCO talks about ABAJournal’s BLAWG100, Frank the Fruitcake and EveryTweet_Ever. Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

No need to face the freezing cold to get the best in online marketing, digital engagement and social media marketing news. Get cozy and pour yourself a steaming cup of a little drink we like to call “Five Things You Might Have Missed.”

1.) Merry Chucksmas: Whether you call them Chucks, Cons or just good old Converse, we call the Converse YouTube campaign sheer holiday genius. The series of hilarious clips features — including, among other things, a bulldog in space, a ska-loving santa and an uncomfortable elevator moment — are funny, stylish and smart. These ads are the kind of viral gold every marketer wants in their stockings this year.

2.) Talk to Your Elf: Here’s a little North Pole Facebook fun from the folks at Build-A-Bear Workshops. “Get Your Wish On” is the company’s new Facebook app that allows kids to talk to “real” elves live from the North Pole in a video chat. It’s social media marketing mixed with holiday cheer and we’re sure kids and parents will eat it up.

3.) Ready for Take-Off: The end of 2011 has been piled so high with a plethora of Google products that surely one or two has slipped by you. Among the coolest is Google Flights, which officially went live last week. Great-looking, easy to use and super fast, Google Flights is a must use for business and holiday travelers alike.

4.) Big Apple Wilderness: REI, a brand mainly associated with rugged outdoor settings, is taking on New York City with a slick augmented reality app. In celebration of the opening of the company’s SoHo store, REI is asking New Yorkers to scan codes on the brand’s posters around the city. The app opens up virtual landscapes while sharing information about real-life nature adventure opportunities to be found right in the Big Apple.

5.) Gadget-induced Giving Back: We round out this week’s list with a campaign from eBay which hopes to inspire the child in all of us to give back this holiday season. Two teched-out window displays in San Francisco and New York City, respectively, feature moving trains and smiling teddy bears. The catch? It’s all digitally animated and by scanning a toy’s QR code with your smartphone, users can donate the toy to Toys for Tots while activating a dazzling animated and interactive display. Folks everywhere can get in on the action, too, by visiting the website.