MaxxoMedia Digital Media and Entertainment Trends

Via Mashable

David A. Yovanno is the CEO of Gigya, Inc., a leading social optimization platform for online business. He can be found on Twitter at @daveyovanno or e-mail dave(at)gigya(dot)com.

Now that most social networks are supporting functionality on third party sites — via Facebook Connect, Sign in with Twitter, Yahoo! Open Strategy, MySpaceID, and other similar technologies — entertainment companies are experimenting with a variety of approaches.

While movie promotions on Facebook, top sports moments on YouTube, and MySpace music pages remain key fixtures, many entertainment companies are also now actively focused on how to apply social strategies to their own sites to deepen relationships with fans and become more relevant. Here are four ways on-site social features are benefiting both fans and the entertainment industry today.

In what will be called one of the most monumental milestones in TV and broadcast media’s battle with the Internet for content, viewership, and advertising, Pepsi has decided not to join the Super Bowl's massive advertising spectacle this year, instead opting to place its money along strategically placed spots on social media sites and platforms.

This is the first time in 23 years that Pepsi’s high-production spots won't be found in the commercials for the biggest sporting event of the year. Between 1999 and 2009, Pepsi spent over $142 million on Super Bowl ads, but that number won’t be growing anymore come February, according to ABC News.

Instead, Pepsi will put over $20 million into The Pepsi Refresh Project, a social media advertising campaign set to launch in 2010. On January 13, Pepsi will begin accepting requests from the community for project proposals by which Pepsi can “make the world a better place.” The winning project by number of votes (voting starts February 1) will receive up to $20 million to make the project a reality.

Recently I have been getting more an more inquiries into how large this social media shift in communications really is – This video came out a few months ago, I think it puts it into perspective.

via Statistics Show Social Media Is Bigger Than You Think « Socialnomics – Social Media Blog.

Is Social Media a Fad or the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? Welcome to the Social Media Revolution: