Summary
This case study from Deutsche Telekom demonstrates the changing nature of communications with its 'Life is for sharing' campaign. It looks at how the campaign has evolved from one big memorable moment to a series of moments in a journey leading up to the latest embodiment, 'Move on'. Starring Hollywood actor Mads Mikkelsen, Move On is a road trip movie which begins in the Netherlands and journeys through Germany and Eastern Europe, with some direction and details of the storyline being decided by Deutsche Telekom customers. The campaign lasted several months from its online launch to its TV premiere. With film roll-out running into this year, the movies and associated media activity will run for almost a year. Initial results are showing total brand fit uplift was on average 10.5% across all markets with purchase intention increased up to 30%.

Summary
In this article, executives from LEGO discuss its successful Cuusoo online crowdsourcing platform, which has helped the company create several new products by successfully engaging with the community it knows as AFOLs - or "Adult Fans of Lego". Digital leaders at PepsiCo and Frito-Lay also outline their own strategies in this space, including attempts to prepare for any undesirable repercussions resulting from attempts to connect with consumers in this way.

Summary
In this article, Laura Balkovich, Google's head of social for Asia Pacific, discusses the key trends marketers must respond to, from the rise of internet users connecting in more human ways to the increasing importance of mobile internet usage. She argues that brands must now include social media in all their marketing, connect with communities based around shared interests and seek to engage super fans.

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In this article, Jon Suarez-Davis, vice president, global digital strategy and North America media, at the Kellogg Company discusses why consumer insights play the primary role in shaping its digital strategy. He argues that drawing data from relationship marketing, loyalty programs, social listening and other such channels has led to a range of "actionable brand and category opportunities", to the benefit of brands such as Cheez-Its, Special K and Rice Krispies.

Summary
Sony's announcement in February 2013 unveiling the new PlayStation 4 games console heralded the start of a new console generation. This brief article summarises its new features and the implications for marketers. With a new focus on social and a rapid increase in user generated content, branded in-game integrations will have a wider impact as they are shared with gamers' friends and the new PlayStation Cloud service may mean sharing will cover not just games, but music and video as well.

Summary
While consumer participation online has increased, the creation of original content is still scarce and it can be difficult for marketers to get online consumers to create for brands rather than around them. This article suggests that online consumers can be separated into three pools that will each interact with a brand differently: Creators (scarcest), Brand Enthusiasts and Spectators (the majority). Creators can be reached to generate novel ideas and original content, Enthusiasts play an important role in refining and spreading them, while Spectators validate and will ultimately form the largest purchase group. Included is a case study from SFR, the French telecommunications company, of how this works in practice.

Summary
There are new tools and services that marketers should become more familiar with in 2013. Crowd-sourcing tools, such as Zoopa, are going to become more popular. Samsung used Zoopa to find bloggers for its Global Blogger Olympic campaign. Also in this space is Scoopshot, a photographic community, originally used by media owners to provide front-page photos. Real-time data tools, such as Quantcast, will prosper and will allow brands to target their online advertising to niche audiences using sophisticated algorithms. And brands using real-world tools to enable consumers to customise and enhance their original products, in the way that Disney World embraced 3D printing to boost its Disney Princess doll offering.

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When trying to build brand communities, there are some characteristics that are shared by many studies on the process. In this article, Mark Bubula outlines findings to help start or restart a brand community building strategy. He highlights beliefs that the brand itself is not the main facet of the community, rather it is the consciousness of kind. Members of the community feel an important connection to the brand, but also a stronger connection toward one another. There is also the characteristic of shared rituals and beliefs, which maintain the culture of the community and finally, a sense of moral responsibility that creates a sense of duty to the community as a whole and to its individual members.

Summary
How have bloggers become essential to brand campaigns in China? One of the core features of Chinese marketing is that some of the biggest media properties happen to be bloggers or 'key opinion leaders'. Some KOLs, as they are known, can have as many as 20 million-plus followers and celebrity status - marketers have to pay to have these 'premier league' stars get behind their product. But some are relative unknowns, who act like 'big brothers' and 'big sisters', who netizens look up to give them independent guidance and opinion in a nation of state-controlled media and single children.

Summary
Crowdsourced, consumer-created content can drive perception of a brand as content is shared so quickly and widely. Customers are holding brands to account and are amplifying the experience that the brand is offering them, which can be more effective and powerful than the best-placed ads. This article highlights six things to check if a brand is to operate in the crowdsourcing arena as well as if it is to offer experiences that ultimately deliver a positive social response.