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.

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.

Another crazy week has come to an end, and that means we are armed and ready with a chunky list of the best in online management, social media marketing and digital engagement news. Sit back and enjoy our 5 things you might have missed.

1.) Ferris is Saved: That long-awaited and much-discussed Matthew Broderick/Ferris Bueller Honda ad finally saw the light of day online just days ahead of its Super Bowl debut. The result? Ferris and the humor from the ’80s may not have aged all that well, but those of us from the John Hughes generation are sure to make this clip a viral hit.

2.) Let the iPad 3 Rumors Begin: As the Super Bowl passes and a predictable awards season slumps towards the finish line, America needs something to look forward to. Thankfully, the hubbub around the spring iPad 3 should do the trick. The usual fever pitch of crazy is happening, proving even without Steve Jobs, new Apple products can still stir up a PR frenzy.

3.) Komen Foundation Flails on Facebook: Oh goodness. We’re doubt you missed this story if you own a computer and have logged on Facebook at all this week. Nevertheless, it is listworthy for proving how fast bad news travels in the age of social media. The Susan G. Komen Foundation announced it would sever its ties with Planned Parenthood this week and within hours the story exploded on Facebook and was trending topic on Twitter. Komen thus far isn’t backing down and Planned Parenthood supporters are already on the defensive. Look to Facebook to continue serving as the battleground for this hotly-debated topic.

4.) A New Kind of Bear Tale: A new interactive documentary, Bear 71 makes the list for showing how technology, Internet marketing and viral content can be used to make provocative points while drawing attention to important issues. Bear 71 hopefully is the wave of the future for online marketing of documentaries that normally get lost in the blockbuster shuffle.

5.) Back in the Groove: Another ’80s favorite is back for the Super Bowl — Madonna! The original Queen of Pop returned with a full-court media blitz this week and was everywhere from Leno to Google+ and beyond. Madonna at 53 is still an innovator when it comes to pushing her brand in new ways and we’re happy to have her back.

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.

An online video creation is a carefully-crafted stew that has to have all of the ingredients to make it a delicious success. On this here blog, we frequently talk about why we love a certain viral hit and what we can take away from it. But what about your video? You know, the one which was supposed to go viral, grab viewers/customers and put your brand on the map? Why didn’t it ever take off?

We’re glad you asked. Here are four reasons no one likes your video:

1.) Your Video Doesn’t Load — Sounds obvious, but it’s true. Videos that take too long to load or that just don’t work are the No. 1 reason folks tune out. There is a teensy weensy window in which we have to connect to viewers, so if our tech is junk, nobody will watch.

2.) Your Video is Too Damn Long — One minute and thirty seconds is said to be the magic length for viral videos, and we agree. In fact, go shorter if you can. Why? Because coming up with quick ways to get your brand’s message across shows both style and smarts.

3.) Your Video Makes No Sense — Abstract, absurd and bizarre are good things in the world of viral video. But rambling, non-sensical, poorly-edited hot video messes are another altogether. No one wants to sit through a shakey-filmed version of your company’s last get together, so don’t even bother uploading it.

4.) Your Video Hasn’t Even Been Seen — We say this all the time but it bears repeating: What good is having great content if you do not promote it? It isn’t enough to have an expensive, well-made, clever video. The real work begins after the video is finished. Social media pages, your company blog (which we assume you have but if you don’t, we can help) and your website should all work overtime pushing your video genius.

It’s no secret that MySpace, once high on every social media management guru’s list, has experienced a well-documented fall out of popularity. But the site might just have a comeback left in it, if Justin Timberlake has anything to say about it.

Last week, Timberlake, MySpace’s new co-owner, pulled an Ashton when he showed up at a press conference to tout the awesomeness that will be MySpace TV. In one of those churned-out celebrity endorsement speeches, JT told an audience last Wednesday, “We’re ready to take television and entertainment to the next step by upgrading it to the social networking experience. Why text or email your friends to talk about your favorite programs after they’ve aired when you could be sharing the experience with real-time interactivity from anywhere across the globe?”

The folks at GetGlue could argue that they already offer that kind of thing and Facebook devotees are most likely questioning the upgrade in the first place. But the ace up MySpace’s sleeve are the technological goodies to offer an immediate and communal experience that none of its competitors can top. MySpace TV will first draw on the site’s some 42 million songs and 100,000 music videos for programming and then branch out to produce reality and sports television with its partner Panasonic. Sounds like a new version of MTV — without the Snooki.

Timberlake promises MySpace will be the bridge between social networking and television.

“As the plot of your favorite drama unfolds, the joke of your favorite SNL character plays or even the last-second shot of your favorite team swishes the net, we’re giving you the opportunity to connect your friends to your moments as they’re actually occurring,” he adds. “This is the evolution of one of our greatest inventions, the television.”

Yet it remains to be seen if Timberlake (whose last hit record was popular right around the first time people cared about MySpace) and Panasonic can put the brand back on the map. What do you think, readers? Can MySpace pull a Cher and make a big comeback? Does the concept of social real-time television have real marketing possibilities? Tell us all about it in the comments section!

Another week has come to a close, which means another firestorm of social media marketing, digital branding and viral content headlines have probably passed you by. But before you get all Mister Pouty Pants on us, read our Five Things You Might Have Missed List and instantly feel better!

1.) Facebook Flavor: Lots of restaurants are using Facebook to show off menu items by enlisting the help of followers, and Subway’s Flavorizer is a fun one you might have missed. With 9 million-plus likes, Subway has called on its massive fan following to show off the ways they accessorize Subway breakfast sandwiches. The Flavorizer has a gallery of custom-made sandwiches with specialized ingredients, user-created menu names and photos of the Facebook fan who came up with the culinary creation. Yummy and innovative.

2.) Relationships? There’s an App for That: Just in time for Valentine’s Day, TheIceBreaker is a social media app for those couples who can’t stop texting or talking to each other. This “appdorable” tool works like a private Facebook wall with prompts and questions for couples to answer and comment on. While cute and buzzworthy, TheIceBreaker is also the first in many popular relationship- and friendship-based apps that are on the verge of becoming the next hottest trend in the genre.

3.) OMG D&G: The Italian-based fashion retailer Dolce & Gabbana faced a Facebook firing squad when news of discrimination came from the brand’s store in Hong Kong. Apparently security guards were instructed to forbid Hong Kongers from taking pictures while inside the store, but mainland Chinese tourists were give the okay to snap away. While this mainly sounds like the old turf war between Hong Kong and China, D&G didn’t make matters any better by ignoring the criticism and turning up its nose to the allegations.

4.) Google+ Games are on the Map: This February, Google+ throws its hat into the social gaming ring with Play Your World. The game smartly capitalizes on Google’s deeply-popular Goggle Maps and turns it into a fun globe-hopping game. It’s another cool product developed for Google+ that uses the company’s branding and, we’ll admit it… we can’t wait to play it.

5.) Boomerang Pizza: Finally, every so often we like to close out this list we a “so wrong, it’s right” type of viral ad and this Boomerang Pizza commercial from Spain certainly fits the bill. Just be warned: This beyond bizarre spot is NSFW/maybe anywhere else. Watch and discuss.

Many people get paid many millions to analyze, deconstruct and inspect viral ads and videos all in the name of online marketing. We, sadly, are not those people — but having produced video content and campaigns of our own, we’d like to think of ourselves as amateur authorities in viral video analysis. So when a vacuum cleaner video raked in 1.6 million YouTube views in under a month, we were dying to pick it apart and understand why.

Australia’s LG vacuums may not be the go-to brand here in the States, but there’s no questioning the popularity of its latest online ad. Cleverly entitled “Fashion industry EXPOSED!”, the video starts with a photographer shooting a gorgeous blonde model in a bikini while what looks like an assistant swiftly moves a vacuum hose from behind the model. As the director yells cut, the vacuum handler pulls away the hose to reveal a lovely but plus-sized model.

So why do so many people like this ad? First the obvious: chick in a bikini. Never underestimate the T and A factor in advertising — and with viral this is doubly true. Hot chick-centric videos are always heat-seeking missiles that never fail to hit YouTube’s massive young male audience. The second reason folks seems to be responding to this ad is the funny surprise ending. The twist at the end is a trick even older than girls in bikinis and works just as well. Third, it’s short — just 30 seconds — meaning viewers can watch it multiple times. Although 30 seconds is standard for television spots, the average smash viral clip is over 1:30. So short clips that hit their mark in less time are bound to watched and re-watched. Lastly, the spot has gone viral thanks to good digital PR. Within less than a month, LG’s ad has been featured on dozens and dozens of blogs, meaning more interest and, you guessed it, more views.

So let’s turn the analysis over to you: Why is this goofy vacuum ad such a hit? Give us the what for in the comments section below!

Here’s Lesson Numero Uno from Social Media Marketing 101: Followers might not always tell you when they’re happy, but expect your Facebook page and Twitter account to light up like a Christmas tree when they’re unhappy. East coast grocery store chain Wegmans is the latest brand to experience this lesson in real life — and at the center of the brouhaha is actor Alec Baldwin.

Back in December, 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin raised more than a couple of eyebrows after refusing to shut off his smartphone aboard an American Airlines flight. Señor Baldwin was in the middle of a Words with Friends game and told flight attendants that he simply wasn’t going to turn his device off. The flight crew booted Baldwin off and “planegate” was born.

Days after the event, Wegmans quietly pulled its holiday ads featuring Baldwin and his mother, a vocal Wegmans devotee and shopper. Wegmans would later say the spots were yanked because a “couple dozen” of people complained about them, but that was nothing compared to the couple hundred of folks who angrily wanted Baldwin back on the air. Facebook petitions as well as postings on Wegmans’ wall were quickly set into motion to get the final commercials aired. Imagine! People actually wanting to see a commercial? And with Alec Baldwin, who can already be seen in a quartet of omnipresent ads for Captial One?

Nevertheless, Wegmans listened and last week announced they would be airing the commercials in the response to the “numerous” complaints they had received. The family-owned chain worked quickly to make the whole mess disappear and released a statement saying, “Clearly, many more people support Alec, as evidenced by the hundreds and hundreds of tweets, emails and phone calls we have received. We enjoyed working with Alec Baldwin and his mom, Carol, and would do it again. We appreciate all the kind things they have said about Wegmans and respect the good work they do for communities.”

All’s well that ends well, and it seems neither Baldwin nor Wegmans is the worse for wear. But our question is this, dear readers: When do you respond to a social media backlash and when do you stick to your guns? Sound off below!