I’ve seen that a lot of companies are looking to get their customers more directly involved with their product launches and identification with their products in general. Pepsi for instance decided against running Superbowl ads in favor of online marketing of their socially concience “Pepsi Refresh” ad campaign in which Pepsi will pay at least $20 million for projects people create to “refresh” communities. It’s an idea that brings the customer into a relationship with the company and incentives as well as brands Pepsi with the idea of a socially conscience movement. Ford on the other hand has been using online resources such as Facebook to gauge customer satisfaction, earn innovation points, and brand up its offerings through the use of viral videos and advertising. Both companies have been underdogs to larger big deal companies such as Coke or Toyota and are banking on their consumer constituents to grow their businesses for them. Social media is a good outlet for this, and its pretty obvious that it has become a mainstay of our culture, especially with the younger generation.