Brands can no longer ignore the fact that social media matters to their bottom line. More people are using more social media than ever before — and for longer, on an increasingly diverse array of devices.

Conversations between two or more people did not begin when social media began to bloom in recent years. In fact, we all know this has been happening since the dawn of civilization.

It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that consumers, potential clients and customers of all kinds are increasingly spending less time consuming broadcast media and more time online asking questions, starting or joining conversations and making their own decisions based on the advice, warnings and recommendations they discover within their preferred social media circles.

The age of deference has come to a screeching halt. People are talking about brands 24 hours a day, across countless social media outlets – increasingly seeking out opinions online about products and services before making purchase decisions. These are trusted more than a brand’s own website, and far more than advertising.

There is a proven link between online conversation and your company or organization’s return on investment. By helping brands engage in honest and meaningful conversations in social media, we believe they’ll earn the credibility to participate within these communities, gain advocates and increase ROI through word of mouth and good ol’ fashioned trust.

In order to succeed, brands will turn to – among other things – real-time creative and paid media to deliver well-performing content to as many people as possible, at the very moment they are most interested, to spark conversations, become a part of consumer conversations and deepen relationships with their target audience. We must remember that with today’s fast-paced social media environment, that moment of interest is fleeting; and if brands are not focused on producing real-time creative, supporting said creative with paid media campaigns or unprepared to engage in conversation at a moment’s notice, they’ll find that their precious window of opportunity for capturing new customers – and perhaps more importantly, maintaining old relationships – is here and gone in a flash.

Below, we’ve compiled a few interesting and useful social media related facts and figures into a fun infographic [because you’ve already read enough for one article] to reinforce my point. Next time, we’ll dive a little deeper into what these facts mean for your brand, what exactly ‘real-time creative’ is and how paid media can supplement your brand’s social media efforts.

Tommy has been awarded a grant from the San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation for postproduction work on his film, 1982. Although Tommy’s film-making resumé runs deep, 1982 will mark his directorial debut.

In the News:

Indiewire contributor, Tambay A. Obenson, writes:

“Semi-autobiographical and inspired by true events, 1982 tells the story of a black father whose wife succumbs to a crack cocaine addiction and his efforts to shield his young daughter from the ill effects of having a drug-addicted mother. Set at the very onset of the crack epidemic, the film is about a father doing whatever he can to protect his family.

Tommy Oliver, producer of Kinyarwanda, a film Roger Ebert named to his top 10 films of 2011, is a strong believer in the transformative power of film. As a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where he double majored in Economics and Digital Media, he developed a keen understanding for business as a whole. In addition to the 2011 Sundance World Cinema Audience Award–winning Kinyarwanda, Oliver has produced three films, including his directorial debut 1982.”

A special shout out is in order for our friend, Willie Baber for hooking us up with some industrial, die cut, polished metal signage. It’s heavier than most of our interns, indestructible and downright sexy! If anyone needs a sign after the apocalypse, it will still be hanging right here. Nice job, Willie!

Watch the Video

Graduates from the photography and graphic design programs at SCCA will be showcasing the apex of their work in June. It’s been quite a climb but the view promises to be spectacular, so mark your calendar and keep checking their site for more information! A full website will be launched on June 3rd.

Check out the shots of the creation process. Although it’s not finished, we love it already! Video to follow.