Disney-Pixar is just one of those brands kids of all ages love dearly and without question. It even withstands not-so-great moments (*cough,* Cars 2, *cough cough*) with flying colors. So beloved is Pixar that it can get away with things other companies would never dream of (like the dialogue-free first 20 minutes of the hit Wall-E).

That said, Pixar knows when it’s taking a risk and markets accordingly. Take this summer’s Brave, for example. The film boasts the brand’s first film heroine, a sassy Scottish tough girl named Merida. For the decidedly dude-centric film empire, her creation is an act of bravery in itself. Marketing Merida to the Toy Story set takes a certain finesse, and here’s how Pixar is handling it:

Thanks to Twitter’s new capacity to relay brilliantly and beautifully handled images, Pixar has been tweeting photos of Merida since late last year. Early on, bigwigs at Pixar clearly thought that the sooner they could establish Merida as a new animated star, the better. Next, the company employed the hashtag #Brave to get film fans chatting about the recently-released trailer. Since the film is a bit of a departure, image- and clip-heavy tweets are the fastest way to get folks excited about the film. Pixar, by the way, is a great example of Twitter marketing in general. The brand tweets clips and quotes from classic films as well as news on upcoming projects like Brave.

In addition, over on Facebook, it appears the movie is already a hit — and it doesn’t even open until June. With over 100,000 fans, Brave on Facebook embraces the film’s international roots by having multi-lingual options for viewing the trailer. The page promises to serve as a hub for contests, ticket buying and fan interaction as the film gets closer to its release date.

While we can’t be sure if little boys will love Merida, we know if any company can get inside their minds, it’s certainly Pixar with its masterful grasp on online marketing.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m sure many of us were disheartened to see our beloved childhood friend, the Etch A Sketch, dragged into the unsavory world of political campaigning. Last week saw everybody’s favorite red-screened, white-knobbed drawing toy used as weapon against Republican hopeful Mit Romney. Etch A Sketch fever hit social media like a tornado on Wednesday when Romney aide Eric Fehrnstrom said of his candidate’s performance during primary season, “Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again.” This off-the-cuff comment led to Twitter silliness, moments of unexpected branding brilliance and a case study on how social media marketing interacts with today’s political campaigns.

Within moments of the comment, “Etch A Sketch” had become a top trending topic on Twitter. Much like Angelina’s leg, Mitt’s Etch A Sketch launched a Twitter account of its own. While all of this was funny and buzzworthy meme stuff, the comment itself was a PR disaster and Romney’s opponents hopped on social media almost immediately to skewer Fehrnstrom. Newt Gingrich and others were quick to use the Etch A Sketch metaphor to exploit Romney’s changing position on issues. Gingrich tweeted, “Etch A Sketch is a great toy but a losing strategy. We need a nominee w/ bold conservative solutions.”

Meanwhile, the makers of Etch A Sketch, Ohio Art Company, couldn’t have been more thrilled. Their product quickly received millions of dollars in free publicity as images of the Etch A Sketch were shot around the globe via the Internet. The company released this giddy statement about the brouhaha: “Happy to see Etch A Sketch, an American classic toy, is DRAWING attention with political candidates as a cultural icon and important piece of our society. A profound toy, highly recognized and loved by all, is now SHAKING up the national debate. Nothing is as quintessentially American as Etch A Sketch and a good old-fashioned political debate.”

News outlets were reporting toy retailers couldn’t keep Etch A Sketches in stock after the quote exploded. So score one for Ohio Art Company. And score one for social media marketing and digital PR. This silliness over a quote about an Etch A Sketch is the perfect example of how fast these channels work for and against brands of all sizes.

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.

In social media marketing, we live by the legend that everybody gets all of their information from Facebook and Twitter. After all, we see big news stories spread like wildfire on social media every week, if not daily. From celebrity scandals and branding snafus to sports scores and natural disasters, the common belief is that social media isn’t just talking about the top stories of the day, but actually breaking news stories, too. Yet a new study is out to burst that bubble by claiming only 9 percent of Americans turn to Facebook and Twitter to get their news.

Shockingly, The State of the News Media 2012, a report from the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, finds that Americans are decidedly old school when it comes to getting their news. More than a third claim they still hear the headlines from news organizations like CNN, MSNBC and local radio/TV news outlets. Tech sources for news weren’t totally out of the picture, however; 32 percent say they rely on search engines and 29 percent use news aggregation sites and apps like Flipboard, according to Pew.

The numbers in the survey shift dramatically, however, when the study focuses on subjects who rely on digital for their only news resource. A full 52 percent of digital news consumers admit to getting at least some of their daily news from Facebook and Twitter. Pew subjects were also very opinionated about which they liked better for news — Facebook or Twitter. Seven percent of digital news consumers say they get news from Facebook very often while only 3 percent said the same for Twitter. But Twitter dominated in being first for original stories; 39 percent said they read stories on Twitter they wouldn’t have found elsewhere.

But does the dip in social media news mean anything to marketers? You tell us, readers! Has the social media news era already ended, taking our interest in engaging with brands on Facebook and Twitter with it? Sound off below!

In online marketing, there are some brand names you hear time and time again: Innovators who can simultaneously rock social media marketing, traditional advertising and digital engagement. Over the last two years, Dunkin Donuts has truly emerged as one of those names, and this spring the company launched two newsworthy social media campaigns.

2012 saw a ton of brands get in on last week’s Saint Patrick’s Day action with all sorts of Twitter- and Facebook-based campaigns. Fast food chains in particular were quick to push their green-colored products in hopes that the luck of the Irish would translate to a bump in seasonal sales. Dunkin Donuts launched the hashtag #GooDDLuck to promote its GooDD Luck Twitter Sweepstakes. The clever contest called upon DD’s 134,000+ Twitter followers to tweet what items or rituals bring them good luck (followed by the #GoDDLuck hashtag). Dunkin social media wizards then picked 7 lucky winners to get $50 gift cards. That’s a lot of green donuts! The campaign boasted a lot of responses and even picked up some headlines along the way.

On the Facebook front, DD is one of the many companies capitalizing on March Madness. The Dunk Zone is Dunkin’s Facebook hub for all things basketball. As one of the lead sponsors of NCAA Basketball, Dunkin has partnered with CBS to offer Facebook fans inside info on all the latest games, scores and stories coming from March Madness. While basketball and the company’s new Angus Steak & Egg Sandwich might seem like a brand disconnect, DD has a long history with the sport — even recently calling upon superstar LeBron James to promote the company in Asia. Dunkin has all kinds of other action happening on its Facebook page, as well, and clearly people are responding. As of this writing, Dunkin Donuts has 6 million-plus Facebook Likes.

So what can indie companies learn from a donut digital dominator like Dunkin? First off, seasonal social media campaigns like Dunkin’s are the kind of things anybody can do and are a great internal motivator to plan ahead. Also, Dunkin excels at coming up with interactive conversational campaigns on Twitter and Facebook. Again, all of us could and should do that. Lastly, Dunkin Donuts is a great example of a brand that’s simply well-liked. Donuts are not supposed to be serious or make people think, so Dunkin appropriately speaks the language their customers want to hear.

On these pages, we love to chat about how big brands handle social media marketing meltdowns and snafus. Multi-billion-dollar corporations, it seems, have the same problems on Facebook that the rest of us do: crazy messages left on our walls, accidental fights breaking out over innocent topics and general misunderstandings blown way out of proportion — all in a way that can only happen on Facebook. So we were interested to see how mega-insurance powerhouse Allstate tried to put out a Facebook fire ignited by Women’s History Month and Rush Limbaugh.

A couple days back, Allstate harmlessly posted the question: “It’s Women’s History Month. What woman inspires you?” Undoubtedly, Allstate was looking for answers like “my mother” or “Golda Meir” but what it got instead was a firestorm of angry responses from women who were upset that the company advertises on Rush Limbaugh’s radio program. Limbaugh, in case you’ve been visiting your vacation condo under a rock, took some major heat last week for calling a Georgetown University student a “slut” because she supported health insurance coverage for contraception. ToppleBush.com published a list of advertisers who support Limbaugh’s program and Allstate was one of the heavy hitters.

But Allstate says they’ve never advertised on Limbaugh’s show and the ads that have aired have been a mistake. (Sears has similarly been charged with advertising on Limbaugh and also claims whatever spots have aired have been accidental.)

“We contacted the vendor that arranges for our advertising placements and discovered that an error had been made and advertising time had been mistakenly purchased for the show,” Allstate said in a press release. The insurance giant took further action to ensure its posts would not appear on Limbaugh’s show, as did other brands including like AOL, which pulled its advertising completely.

Meanwhile, the brand took to Facebook to clear up the Limbaugh mess directly. In a series of posts that interacted with Facebook users, Allstate discussed the programming mistake and its stance on Limbaugh. Of course, Facebookers will be Facebookers, and the fight over Limbaugh continued in the comments section of several posts.

In the end, Allstate faced the allegations head on and bravely hopped in the shark-infested Facebook waters. Do we buy the “Oops! We didn’t mean to advertise on Limbaugh’s show” excuse? Meh. It’s most likely a face-saving move… but when played using shrewd Facebook management, it’s a wise one, too.

With the heavy political mudslinging, depressingly overzealous marketing campaigns and lame social media sniping of late, we think it’s time we all lighten the funk up. After all, it’s spring and there’s tons of companies and individuals using online marketing in surprising, hilarious and inspired ways. Here’s a handful of some of our current favorites on a little list we like to call “Five Things You Might Have Missed:”

1.) That Viral Video Smells güd: Makers of yummy body and skin care Burt’s Bees came up with a “scentsational” way for fans to get a whiff of its new line, güd. Scratch and sniff cards were shoved in fashion magazines like Lucky where readers were prompted to visit Burt’s YouTube channel. There, viewers are treated to sparkling animated video with “scratch-along” numbers that give them that olfactory sense of inhaling whatever scent is on the screen. Smells like genius to us!

2.) ATMmmmm: Los Angeles-based cupcakery Sprinkles gave its Beverly Hills branch a one-of-a-kind ATM-type of machine that dispenses the company’s famous cupcakes, Sprinkles merchandise and even recipes. The machine itself is a candy-colored feast for the eyes, sure to inspire drivers to pull over and make late-night withdrawals.

3.) Tweeting with Friends: Scrabble, that O.G. uber competitive word game, is launching a new product called Scrabble Trickster. To celebrate, it’s taking the fun and games to Twitter. In what can only be described as “why didn’t we think of that sooner?” Twitter marketing, Scrabble is offering a chance for followers to play the game in real-time with other tweeps and even giving away some prizes to the winners. We love Scrabble and adore brands that tap into the light-hearted side of Twitter, so this campaign is a winner.

4.) How do you say WTF in Japanese?: Dying to see a singing supermodel drinking tea handed to her by some weird hooded dude? Then this list-making video starring Miranda Kerr is just the ticket. We can’t promise that you’ll be inspired to mix in such bold images in your own viral marketing, but we can promise you’ll be amused for 16 seconds.

5.) Does Craftsmen Make Those?: And, finally, Sears recently yanked this t-shirt off its website. Duh. For a company that features family-friendly ads and corny all-American imagery, this t-shirt doesn’t really gel.

Hey Twitter marketing gurus — here’s a question for you: What would you pay to read and analyze old tweets sent by Twitter users over the last two years? Or the better question might be, why would anyone pay for old tweets? Marketing analysts are apparently willing to drop serious dollars on old tweets and Twitter is happily selling them to the highest bidder.

According to The Mail Online, the social data platform startup DataSift is the first company to get access into old tweets dating as far back to January 2010. Tweets are marketing gold as they offer insight into customers and their relationships with brands. And other marketing companies also are dying to get their hands on this demographic jackpot. Mashable is reporting that some 1,000 companies are on the waiting list to receive access to old tweets. DataSift is taking on the considerable task of analyzing billions of tweets and can potentially unlock all kinds of information about Twitter users. Current searches on Twitter.com only go back 7 days. DataSift can now go back two years and go beyond the basic keyword searches because it can analyze a topic and even hunt down tweets related to that topic.

Talk about thorough. Yet this new practice is not without questions and controversies. Already many have shamed Twitter for selling user-created content for their own financial gain. More have wondered about the privacy issues that could arise from selling user data, while others see the blatant sale of tweets as a death knell to the site’s independent spirit. There is no question that access to social media like sent tweets could be a treasure trove of user information. Big-time marketing firms and research companies are drooling at the chance to find out more about the 85 billion tweets that were sent last year alone. But the big question remains unanswered: Will this kind of research really help smaller businesses learn more effective methods of Twitter management and Twitter marketing? Only time will tell. In the meantime, if you’re dying for the information and have the big bucks to spend, get in line.

The Pope dabbles in Twitter marketing, a birthday boy melts Red Lobster’s butter and much, much more in this white-hot edition of the Five Things You Might Have Missed!

1.) Flashmobs, now less dorky: We happily laid branded flashmobs to rest. Honestly, we were thrilled to see them fade into the Internet mist. But Intel’s latest spin on flashmobs might have changed our minds. Armed with Intel Ultrabooks, mobsters popped up in locales all over Los Angeles to make fireworks, perform live music and create live digital art, all by using a laptop.

2) #IGaveTweetingUpForLent: It was bound to happen sooner or later — the Pope has gone cuckoo for Twitter marketing. His newest campaign? Tweeting during Lent to educate followers the on the reason for the season. The Pope started tweeting on Ash Wednesday and will continue until Easter morning. Pope Benedict sums up the brilliance and effectiveness of Twitter by saying, “In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives.” We totally agree, Popester.

3.) Remember Facebook Shopping? Us Either: It’s a trend that could’ve been but never really took off: Facebook shopping. Bloomberg reported this week that JC Penney, Gamestop and Nordstrom are all shutting down their Facebook stores after slumping sales and waning interest. More proof that not everything int the world of Facebook marketing is guaranteed to be a smash hit.

4.) No, Free Cheddar Bay Biscuits Do Not Count as a Meal: On the other end of the spectrum, Red Lobster is the most recent brand to cave to Facebook fan pressure… but this time it was for a worthy cause. 56-year-old Robert Mills bemoaned on his Facebook page how he couldn’t afford a birthday dinner for himself and thought Red Lobster should offer a free meal deal like other chains do. After some campaigning and cajoling by Buzzfeed, Red Lobster happily gave Mills a free birthday dinner. Aww.

5.) Pimp My TV: Named as the No. 1 trend to watch at this year’s SXSWi, “Me-TV” is exploding already (and the festival isn’t even for a few more weeks). Me-TV, or customized video programming, is the next big thing and everybody from P Diddy to Shelby.tv is eager to cash in on the craze. Think of it as all of your regular and online viewing in one place and controlled by you. Marketers will be next in line to see how Me-TV can work for brands. Stay tuned.

If you happened to be watching HGTV on Fat Tuesday during a House Hunters marathon hosted by Michael Ian Black and thought to yourself “that guy is everywhere,” you are not alone. Black, who rose to fame in the ’90s on cult cable comedies like Viva Variety and The State, is suddenly a hot commodity and can be seen online in a new series of ads for Expedia, on television and on nearly every talk show. And it’s all because the comedian knows how to flawlessly work social media marketing.

To date, Michael Ian Black has nearly 2 million Twitter followers and he keeps the masses entertained by tweeting endlessly. During his Mardi Gras gig, Black played House Hunters bingo with Twitter followers, mocked drunken parade goers and even took time out to promote his soon-to-be-released book, You’re Not Doing it Right. Black takes the Twitter engagement a step further by regularly re-tweeting responses from his followers, something even B-list comedians don’t do. Black has carefully crafted himself as a pop culture commentator — and what better place to discuss that topic than social media?

The actor and author has submerged himself in social media since 2009 and can also be found on Tumblr and even MySpace. Now, his book is already having bang up pre-sales on Amazon and he’s chatting with the likes of Esquire magazine. Black has gone from being that guy from some ’90s shows to a real social media-made celebrity. And while we can’t all expect our tweets to land our brands on television, Black’s story is proof that social media marketing works when you mix hard work with humor, personality and one-on-one engagement.