The Super Bowl is the one time of the year when people actually look forward to the television ads, which is what sponsors are counting on.  Over 111 million people watched the game on Sunday evening and the average amount of one 30 second Super Bowl TV spot cost sponsors $3.5 million, not to mention the hefty production costs associated with many of these commercials.  And with many advertisers booking 60 second spots for story-based ads, the big game also represents a big gamble for these mini-movies to go viral and connect with viewers.

Fun Fact:  Americans drink over 300 million gallons of beer on Super Bowl Sunday.  That amount would fill nearly 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

More than 70 ads ran during the big game this year, but corporations didn’t stop at your TV screen.  Advertisers utilized QR codes, mobile strategies as well as numerous social media campaigns in an attempt to capture your attention.

Many of the big sponsors this year came out with early YouTube teasers for their Super Bowl ads.  Volkswagen introduced their teaser for its anticipated 60 second follow-up to last year’s Super Bowl ‘The Force’ commercial.  Released on January 18^th, the promo shows dogs in Star Wars costumes barking out the Imperial March song.  Prior to the start of the game, the teaser had over 12 million views.

Fun Fact:  The average viewer will consume 1,200 calories and 50 grams of fat just from snacks – not meals – during the Super Bowl.

The Avengers movie came out with a ten second video to tease their anticipated Super Bowl commercial. In other words, they’ve released a teaser for their commercial, which is a teaser for their movie.  In contrast, the car manufacturer Kia previewed their Super Bowl ad in movie theaters.  The lines between advertising and entertainment are becoming rather blurred.

Fun Fact:  58% of Super Bowl watchers would rather take their bathroom breaks during the game, not during the commercials.

Advertisers were also seeking other ways to reach their highly prized Super Bowl audience this year.  Since nearly 2 out of every 3 smartphone, laptop and tablet owners use their device while watching TV, savvy corporations are targeting these devices (called second screens) to engage viewers while they watch the game.

For example, Chevrolet introduced a Super Bowl app for smartphones that allowed users the ability to win prizes.  Coca Cola let viewers watch their animated polar bears (one rooting for the Giants, one for the Patriots) via a microsite that showed the bears in real time and reacting to the game, the half-time show and even other commercials.  And Go Daddy featured a QR code in their ads this year (a first for a Super Bowl ad), which allowed people with smartphones to scan and take them directly to godaddy.com.

Fun Fact: About 30% of advertisers put over 10% of their annual media budget into the Super Bowl.

Watching the ads during the Super Bowl has become an event unto itself.  Nearly 99% of Super Bowl viewers stay in their seats for the commercials.  In fact, about 40% of viewers who watched the game aren’t even football fans – they just want to see the commercials.  And thanks to the rise of social media, these commercials will be Tweeted about, posted on Facebook and viewed repeatedly on video sharing websites.

As in the game itself, there are winners (like the Giants) and there are losers (sorry Pats).  So here, in Captivation Media’s opinion (and in no particular order), are the top ten Super Bowl commercials from 2012:

Audi 2012 Game Day Commercial – Vampire Party

This ad spoofing Twilight movies already had four million Youtube views before it aired during the Super Bowl.  The commercial features current pop culture with the right amount of humor and beautiful cinematography.

Fun Fact:  The cost of a Super Bowl TV spot has risen 8,333% since 1967 when a 30 second spot cost only $42,000.

It’s Reinvented! — Toyota Camry

This commercial represents a new direction for typical Toyota commercials and shows a fun, humorous side.  Although the car itself isn’t seen much here, Toyota is trying to reinvent the Camry – and this quirky ad might go a long way in achieving that goal.

Fun Fact:  The shortest Super Bowl commercial aired in 2009 by Miller High Life.  It lasted one second.

Doritos – Sling Baby — Crash the Super Bowl 2012 Finalist

This is one of the finalist in the Doritos ‘Crash the Super Bowl’ crowdsourcing campaign.  We thought this one was the clear winner and it proves once again, babies are usually a better bet than much higher priced celebrities when it comes to Super Bowl commercials.

Fun Fact:  This year, the average Super Bowl watcher spent nearly $64 on food and merchandise to watch the big game.

Official 2012 Honda CR-V Game Day Commercial – “Matthew’s Day Off”

Capitalizing on the timeless appeal of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Honda made a splash with this ambitious commercial.  The ad brings back memories and creates new smiles as Matthew Broderick takes a day off work to enjoy riding around in his CR-V (although we think it was much cooler when the car was a Ferrari).

Thinking that the teaser for this commercial was actually a teaser for a sequel to the movie, many fans were actually angry when they realized it was just an ad for a car commercial.

Fun Fact:  Super Bowl is one of the highest food consumption days of the year in the United States, second only to Thanksgiving.

“Cheetah” — Official big game ad for Hyundai Veloster Turbo

Animals are always popular in Super Bowl ads, but they don’t have to be cute and cuddly to be effective.  Hyundai has come up with a clever little commercial utilizing a cheetah, their Veloster Turbo and a very surprised animal wrangler.

Fun Fact:  Super Bowl ads featuring animals regularly perform better than commercials with well known celebrities.

The Dog Strikes Back: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial

Still riding high from last year’s hit Super Bowl commercial, Volkswagen’s ad featured a new story (featuring a cute dog, no less) but still paid tribute to the Star Wars theme from last year.  The commercial is 60 seconds long, but here you can see the extended 76 second ad.

Fun Fact:  Last year’s Super Bowl commercial for Volkswagen, The Force, has already piled up close to 50 million YouTube views.

“Transactions” Extended Version – 2012 Acura NSX Big Game Ad

Acura showed a lot of creativity with this commercial starring Jerry Seinfeld.  It left an impression, but like the Volkswagen as, it didn’t really show much of the car.  Will that gamble pay off?  Only time will tell.  You can watch the extended ad here.

Fun Fact:  Anheuser-Busch has spent over $239 million in Super Bowl ads between 2002 and 2011.  PepsiCo was second with $174 million.

Chevy Silverado “2012″ Super Bowl XLVI Ad

The end of the world may not be pleasant to think about, but Chevy made it look cool in this beautifully shot commercial.  Nice touch with the raining frogs at the end.  And hopefully they got Hostess Twinkies shared in some of the expense for this ad.

Fun Fact:  Not surprisingly, Super Bowl weekend is the slowest weekend of the year for weddings.

“A Dream Car. For Real Life.” — 2012 Kia Optima Big Game Full Commercial — Extended Version

Girls, humor, fairy dust and Motley Crue… what could be better than that?  This ad lots of creativity, a great soundtrack and more energy than most commercials.

Fun Fact:  Approx. 7 million Americans will call in sick on the Monday after the Super Bowl.

Chrysler Superbowl Commercial Clint Eastwood: Its Halftime in America

Famed actor Clint Eastwood gave a heart-felt talk about the American spirit and earned a spot on our list.  In a list dominated by funny ads, this one hit home and really stood out.

Fun Fact:  50% of Americans prefer to go to a Super Bowl party rather than a New Year’s Eve party.

What was your favorite Super Bowl ad from this year?  We look forward to hearing from you!

Fun Fact:  Cupid is the Roman god of love.  He was originally depicted as a young man that sharpened his arrows on a grindstone whetted with blood from an infant.  To make Valentine’s Day more palatable for their customers, business owners changed Cupid into a cute, chubby baby.

Whether you’re a fan of Valentine’s or not (there are plenty who are not), the commercial spending is good for our struggling economy.  The average adult will spend around $125 this year, ranking it third for holiday spending.  Is your small business capitalizing on Valentine’s Day?  If not, maybe you should rethink your marketing plan.

Fun Fact:  Valentine’s Day originally shared February 14^th with the observance of Groundhog Day.  Boyfriends who picked the wrong card to send were probably not boyfriends for long.

There’s a misconception that the holiday was created by the major greeting card companies like Hallmark.  And although roughly one billion Valentine cards are exchanged each year (second only to Christmas), the fact is, St. Valentine’s Day has been around a lot longer than that.

Fun Fact:  The oldest recorded Valentine was sent in 1415 by the English duke of Orleans from his jail cell in the Tower of London.

A BRIEF HISTORY

So how did St. Valentine’s Day become synonymous with love and romance?  The truth is no one really knows for sure.  Pope Gelasius first declared February 14^th to be St. Valentine’s Day in 498 AD, however the beginnings of the holiday started back even further.

The Catholic Church recognizes several saints named Valentine.   It’s anyone’s guess whether any of these saints were actually responsible for the romantic aspects of the day, however one of the more compelling legends centers on a third century Roman bishop with the name of Valentine.

Fun Fact:  Saint Valentine is the patron saint of engaged couples and lovers.  He’s also the patron sating of bee keepers, epilepsy and plagues.

When Emperor Claudius II decided to ban marriage for young men, thinking single men made better soldiers than married men; Valentine disagreed and wed young couples in secret.  Like most covert actions, word eventually got out and Claudius ordered the bishop to be executed.

While in prison, the legend says the bishop fell in love with the jailor’s daughter, who frequently visited him.  Just before his death, he wrote the girl a letter and signed it “from your Valentine”.  The facts of the legend may be debatable but the story has all the makings of a classic tale, including intrigue, danger, romance and a sympathetic lead character.  Whoever the real St. Valentine is, he couldn’t have ever imagined the affect he’d have on love and romance throughout the years.

Fun Fact:  March is the #1 month for sales of home pregnancy tests.

It’s also unclear if St. Valentine’s Day originated to commemorate his death (Some claim Valentine was executed on February 14^th, 270 AD) or to Christianize the pagan festival of Lupercalia which took place on February 15th.  Lupercalia was a fertility festival where young males would run around town, slapping women with strips of goat hides dipped in blood.  Thinking that the goatskins would make them more fertile, women welcomed these slaps from the boys.

Fun Fact:  These goat strips were called februa, which is how we got the word ‘February’.

Once the goatskin slap fest was over, the young women would write down their names and place them in a big urn.  The single men would then draw a name and be ‘paired’ with that woman for the coming year.  Later, this ‘lottery’ was outlawed because it was un-Christian.

In the Middle Ages, the link between Valentine’s Day and romance became stronger in countries like England and France because it was the start of the mating season for birds, which happened each year around February 14th.   St. Valentine’s wasn’t considered an official holiday until King Henry VIII of England declared it so in 1537.

By the 17^th century in countries like Great Britain and America, Valentine’s Day was gaining in popularity. The 18^th century saw notes and small gifts being exchanged by all social classes.  Esther A. Howland is credited for selling the first mass-produced Valentine’s Cards in America.  Before Henry Ford was credited for creating the assembly line, Esther created a mass production line for her handmade cards.  Her business thrived, taking in $100,000 a year, and was later sold to the Whitney Company.  She was given the moniker “The Mother of the American Valentine” after her death in 1904.

Fun Fact:  Teachers receive more Valentines than anyone else.

Now, Valentine’s Day is a multi-billion dollar business and is celebrated by many people from many different religions.  Young and old, everyone has been affected by the pressures of consumer advertising into buying cards, flowers, jewelry, chocolates and other gifts for their significant other.

Fun Fact:  About 15% of the U.S. women who receive Valentines flowers actually send the flowers to themselves.

VALENTINE’S DAY & YOUR BUSINESS

Just because your company isn’t a floral shop, jewelry store or restaurant doesn’t mean you have to miss out on opportunities created by Valentine’s Day.  There’s enough love (and money) to go around.  So this year, prepare for February 14^th by using a little creativity and marketing savvy; and fine tune your strategy this season.

Here are a few ideas to generate some creative thinking for your business:

Make it a Heart-Shaped World

Do you make pizza, donuts, burgers, etc.?  How about making your food product into the shape of a heart and offering a special?  The more non-traditional type of Valentine’s Day food it is, the more unique it will be.  Use your imagination, offer a special too good to pass up and then get the word out.  Don’t forget to let the media know as well.  You just might get on the evening news or mentioned in the features section of your local newspaper, which could make you very busy on Valentine’s Day.

This type of out-of-the-box thinking can apply to products other than food too.  How about a heart-shaped picture frame or a heart shaped box containing clothing or any other type of small product.  A heart box doesn’t have to be just for chocolates.

Use Social Media

Social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others can be used for brand awareness, but they should also be used to develop an online presence.  Valentine’s Day is a great time to make your presence known.  Consider posting some Valentine’s Day trivia or sharing articles like this one (hint, hint).  You might want to change your social avatar (profile picture) to a Valentine’s Day theme or to a charitable cause you are supporting.

You can also offer exclusive, Valentine-themed coupons to your social media followers.  Plus, depending on your business, you can build goodwill by offering Valentine shout-outs to your best customers or supporting vendors.  Everyone loves recognition and it puts you in a positive light by doing so.

Send your Customers a Valentine

You are used to getting cards from loved ones, but how many times do you get a Valentine from businesses you’ve supported?  If you’re like most of us, you probably won’t receive any at all.  As a small business owner, this is something you can take advantage of.  Send Valentines to your customers with a “We appreciate your business!” message inside.  You can include a special offer, however it should be something they will really use and want – otherwise the card will feel like an advertisement and not an appreciation card.  If in doubt, leave the offer out and just send the card.

Sell to Women

Nearly everyone focuses on marketing to men for Valentine’s Day.  Males do spend more (approx. $168) than their counterparts, but women spend money on their guys too.  In fact, on average, they’ll spend around $80.  Creating some Valentine promotions that women would love to buy for their men could wind up being profitable for your business and it’s a competitive marketplace too.

Sort Lists for Email Marketing

Valentine’s Day appeals to many, but the content of the message can differ between male and female, young and old.  Males might respond better to a humorous email, while women prefer a more sincere approach.  Men might also appreciate a reminder about the actual date while women would most likely be insulted by telling them that February 14th is Valentine’s Day.  And your tone might be different towards your young, single buyers than your married customers in their 60s.   So break down your email list and avoid sending out the same generic message to your entire customer base.

Find Strategic Partners

People think less linearly than before, so teaming up with another business to cross-market often makes good sense, even if the businesses don’t have a lot in common.  For instance, if you own a tire store, teaming up with a florist might seem like an odd marketing combo.  Your marketing ad might go something like this:  “Get ready to roll in style this February 14^th with Joe’s Wheels’ Valentine’s Day Special.  Buy four new tires to impress that special someone with and receive a floral bouquet from Sarah’s Flowers absolutely free.”

Men especially like to ‘fill two needs with one deed’.  Make their lives easier, especially on Valentine’s Day when a lot of men are lost on what to buy.

Wrap it Up

If you sell a product, offer to put it in a special Valentine’s wrapping or offer a special delivery service.  People, especially men, will appreciate the idea of a product being professionally wrapped and delivered.

Don’t Forget the Pets

This year, over nine million pet owners will buy their pet a gift for Valentine’s Day.  Don’t leave Fido out of the picture.  If you can tie in a pet theme for your Valentine promotion, your customers just might consider you the top dog.

Join the Anti-Valentine Movement

Not everyone celebrates Valentine’s Day.  Maybe your product or service lends itself to those who denounce the holiday.  Some celebrate ‘Quirkyalone Day’.  Others observe Single Awareness Day (S.A.D.).  Market to a growing anti-Valentine crowd could prove to be a hit if it’s marketed right.

Be Creative

While some people still cling to the time-honored tradition of flowers, cards & chocolates, many are looking for new, refreshing experiences.  This is a time to let your imagination run wild and think out of the box.  People enjoy giving, and receiving, creative and thoughtful gifts.  Make your brand a memorable experience and you just might create a loyal customer for life.

Is your business offering any specials or creative promotions for Valentine’s Day?  Let our readers know and promote your business by commenting below.  We want to hear from you!

In addition to creating an easily accessible landing page, Captivation also assisted in the development and promotion of a series of online cooking webisodes for More Flavor, Less Fire TV (also featured on the page).  The page also features further integration with their company Facebook Fan page to maximize sharing and exposure.

Purchase a bottle of this amazing sauce today at: SerranoSurprize.com

Realizing their website was out of date, Native Son looked to Captivation Media to “landscape” their internet business by designing and developing a new site from the ground up.  This new web presence, created with search engine optimization in mind, has resulted in a huge increase in organic traffic, as well as enhanced interaction with their company Facebook Fan Page.

Visit Native Son Landscaping online at: NativeSonLandscaping.com

This site features a WordPress content management system, as well as an interactive home page masthead and sidebar to showcase upcoming company news and promotions.  The site also features integrated elements allowing site visitors to connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for more great content being posted throughout the year.

Visit this project on the web at: HappyAndHealthy.com

Partnering with both Mars Vision Productions and Bryan Gordon Design, Captivation worked closely with SCF’s marketing department to deliver an overall experience that is not only informative, but entertaining and memorable as well.

View this project online at: SCFForSuccuss.com

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?  And while every small business owner would love to find several brand ambassadors underneath their Christmas tree, it’s not that easy.  No matter how much you beg, Santa isn’t going to wrap one up and stuff him down the chimney (that’s called kidnapping) and you can’t buy one from a catalog (that’s called human trafficking).

Brand Ambassadors, also called evangelists, don’t just show up on your doorstep and shout your small business praises like a medieval town crier, yet they are all around you – maybe even closer than you think.  And with a little work, some investment in time and a dash of patience, you can cultivate your own brand ambassadors that will serve as enthusiastic champions for your cause.

Having brand ambassadors is another way of saying there are people who are passionate about your brand.  This passion can’t be bought, sold or dictated – it must come organically from the person who is endorsing your brand.  Otherwise, the testimonial won’t be authentic and people will see straight through it like a senator’s latest excuse.  An authentic brand evangelist is more effective than paid ads, company sponsored blogs and social media business pages.

So who can be a brand ambassador?  There are three basic types.  We’ll take a look at each one, examine how to identify each and discuss how to empower them to become effective and successful brand ambassadors for your business.

1. Owner / Senior Management

If you are a small business owner, you may not have any other members of senior management in your company.  Regardless, any owner or senior manager should be, by default, a brand ambassador for their business.

Whether you’re at a seminar, conference or business meeting, people expect you to deliver a polished pitch when inquired about your business.  Can you?  If you fumble around with the words that describe your business, you won’t be taken as seriously as someone who can talk effortlessly and enthusiastically about their business.  After all, if you don’t appear excited about your company, why should anyone else?

This message may not come across to potential customers as always being authentic since you have a vested interest in your business, but you should always be ready to deliver your message to vendors, peers and heads of other companies.  They are all potential customers, and quite possibly, potential business associates.  You never know what opportunities await you.  Nor do you know what capabilities are behind every person you meet.  We have clients that have found investment funding after talking passionately about their business to someone they didn’t even know had financial clout.

Identifying Key Brand Ambassadors – Just because someone is an owner or a senior manager doesn’t make them automatic brand ambassador material.  Much of it comes down to the individual’s area of influence (clout), their level of sincerity and their passion about the business.

Even then, it is easy for a person in power to oversell and lose credibility quickly.  An overzealous owner or senior manager can easily do more harm than good if they’re not careful.  Look for those who understand these potential problems and are savvy enough to avoid them.

How to Empower – At this level, the message must be clear, concise and delivered well.  If it’s just you, practice in front of a mirror, a spouse or an associate.  If it’s several members of upper management, consider professional classes.  Make sure each brand ambassador knows and understands the power of effective communication without overselling.

If you or one of your upper management team writes a blog, be careful about the message you send.  A hard sell approach will most likely be viewed negatively.  At this level, use the blogger’s expertise to share information or enlighten, rather than be a cheerleader.

If one of your upper management members shows promise, send them out to tradeshows / conventions, mixers and other events.  Monitor them closely at first but allow them to speak in their own voice and use their energy and passion to become successful evangelists for your business.

2. Employees

Not only are employees your most valuable assets, but potential customers will view them as a more credible source than owners or senior managers.  Customers tend to believe what employees say about a business because they have less at stake than upper management.

Employees have their own networks, both online and offline.  Finding creative ways to tap into those networks can give your business a huge boost in awareness and visibility.

Turning employee into brand ambassadors can be nerve-racking at times.  It’s a leap of faith to turn an employee loose and speak about your product or service.  You can’t control what they say or write, and there’s always the potential for something to go wrong.  Many business owners feel the need to control everything.  Brand ambassadorship isn’t a perfect system and if you’re looking for perfection, you’ll always be disappointed.  You’ll need to loosen the reins with employee evangelists and give them room to speak in their own voice.  Otherwise, their credibility will be shot and the whole purpose will be defeated.

The obvious way to make sure employees are saying good things about your business is to treat them right and have solid business practices in place that all employees can believe in.  And if you take the time to properly identify the prospective brand ambassadors and empower them, the chances of something going wrong are greatly reduced.

Identifying Key Brand Ambassadors – Look for enthusiastic, motivated employees with large networks in their social media circles, clubs and other areas of influence.  Just because someone has 1,000 friends on Facebook doesn’t mean they have any sway over those people, or that their EdgeRank is soaring.  Take time to research how other people interact with the employee on his/her social media networks before you approach them about taking a more significant role.

Also, just because an employee is influential with a large network, it doesn’t mean they understand the objective of the brand.  They need to ‘get’ the brand in order to talk about it.

Since blogging and posting social media updates takes solid writing skills, make sure the employee has an adequate grasp of grammar and can clearly communicate his/her ideas.  Even the best of intentions can backfire if the written word gets misinterpreted by the reader.

How to Empower – There are many ways to motivate employees to become successful brand ambassadors.  Perks, money, promotions, titles; all of these can motivate employees to sing your praises.  Some will do it just because they believe in the company and have pride in their work.  Others will become very successful evangelists for a chance at a promotion.

Whatever means of motivation you use to get an employee to become an evangelist, you need to provide them with the tools to be effective.  Some companies allow certain employees to break new information first by leaking it through Twitter.  Others prepare guides and statistics for their employees.

Trust the employee enough to put the information in their own words.  If you try to dictate too much what they say or write, it will come across stale and calculated – then credibility will be lost.  Just make sure the information is factual, accurate and consistent with the overall brand image.

3. Customers

When customers talk to potential customers, people listen.  It’s just like when you tell your neighbor about your new barbecue grill.  Since you don’t have a stake in the company and have no reason to falsely hype the product, your view will hold much more weight than a company spokesperson, a corporate produced video or press release.

A customer endorsement of a certain product can be more effective than high paid ads or thousands of direct mail flyers.  Testimonials can make or break brands.  Look at movie companies that spend millions of dollars of advertisements for the film’s opening weekend, only to have the movie flop after the first weekend because of negative word of mouth.  In this digital age, a tweet or status update can potentially sway thousands of minds.

You may already have people who love your business and would be willing evangelists.  You just have to identify the right ones and empower them.

Identifying Key Brand Ambassadors – It’s sometimes easier to find potential brand ambassadors within your customer base than it is your own employees.  If you monitor your brand online, you can pinpoint enthusiastic customers that you may have never been aware of.  Follow them through their blogs and social media circles to find out the extent of their influence.  This is one of many benefits of subscribing to a brand monitoring/reputation awareness service.

Not all potential brand ambassadors are online though.  Many people who are not cyber geeks still have influence.  Bartenders, waiters, hairstylists and others talk to lots of people each day.  Think of the people in your life that could persuade others.  Even if they aren’t your customer yet, they may benefit from your product or service.  Give them a free sample and tell them to share their experiences if they find it beneficial.

How to Empower – The first part of this answer is easy to say, but harder to implement.  Having great products and excellent customer service will produce evangelists.  People love positive experiences and will talk about them, almost as much as they love to talk about negative experiences.   Create a wonderful experience for your customers and they’ll tell their friends, family and neighbors.  Of course, create a bad experience and they’ll tell even more people.

For your customers with larger circles of influence, devise ways to keep your brand in their thoughts.  Perhaps you can invite them occasionally to your place of business to sample the latest product.  If you have special news to announce, allow these influential customers to broadcast it to their social network first.  If you know ahead of time that a customer will be writing about your brand in a blog, offer to supply them with photos or give them a free product sample.

If one of your enthusiastic customers is a fellow business owner or manager, offer some samples that they can give away to interested prospects.  It makes it easier to talk up your product when they have a sample they can give out.

Don’t try to directly influence their words.  It’s better to be just supportive of them than to try to put words in their mouths.  If you make a product you’re proud of and have provided them with great customer service, trust them to say the right things.

Have you identified any potential brand ambassadors?  What steps do you take to empower these people to become evangelists for your service or product?  If you already are lucky to have brand ambassadors, what type of success have you had with them?  Please let us know by sharing your experience on this post’s section of our Facebook Fan Page.

Before we venture on to bigger and better things in 2012, we thought it was time for a little year-end fun.  We’ve stressed the point to many of you about adding video to your website in the past year.  Video increases search engine ranking and, depending on your business, provides information, training, entertainment, interactive opportunities, etc.  Plus, you never know when a video might go viral and take the world by storm.

YouTube has come out with their 2011 list of top videos, so we thought we’d come out with our own list.  We polled our office and came up with the videos that impressed us the most during last year.  So here is our list of the best Youtube videos of 2011…

1. “Ultimate Dog Tease”

Youtube’s top video is ours as well.  There are thousands of talking dog videos, but somehow this simple video hits the sweet spot.  With more than 79 million views, it proves even simple ideas can be very entertaining, especially when you add a talking animal.

2. “Look at Me Now”

Karmin hit a nerve with this take on hip-hop singles.  Even if you’re not a fan of this type of music, you can’t deny the entertainment value of this video.  Over 50 million views so far.

3. “The Force: Volkswagen Commercial”

This also made our Best Super Bowl Commercials list and, with over 45 million views, it’s still a fan favorite.  The ad actually went viral before it aired during the Super Bowl.

4. “Jack Sparrow”

The dudes from The Lonely Island hit viral gold with this crazy music video featuring Michael Bolton and the Pirates of the Caribbean to the tune of over 62 million views.

WARNING:  Due to the mature language used in this video, viewer discretion is strongly advised.

5. “Ojai Valley Taxidermy Commercial”

Could a TV commercial really be this bad?  Apparently so.  Over 9 million viewers have already watched this commercial and reveled in its awfulness.  That’s publicity you just can’t buy, although we haven’t heard if the increased awareness resulted in new business for the taxidermist.  Our guess… uh, probably not.

6. “Guilty Dog”

Man’s best friend always seems to appear several times on video lists, and ours is no exception.  Over 15 million views for Denver, the guilty dog.  Another video that proves our canine friends are a lot like us.

7. “Bike Lanes”

This amusing video makes its point quite effectively.  Hopefully, there weren’t too many broken bones involved in the making of this video.  Nearly 5 million views so far.

8. “Mommy’s Nose is Scary”

When in doubt, add a baby or a dog to a video and you usually wind up with something that has a chance to go viral.  This time, over 27 million views for a spastic baby and a mother with a runny nose.

9. “Japanese Tsunami”

Although many of the viral videos that made our list have humorous qualities, there is nothing funny about this video. We’ve seen many gripping videos of the catastrophe that struck Japan in early 2011.  This video gave us a bird’s eye view of the powerful and destructive force of Mother Nature and has been viewed Over 9 million times. Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to those effected by this terrible tragedy.

10. “Team Hot Wheels World Record Jump”

Any kid who played with Hot Wheels when they were a kid will appreciate this video.  So far, nearly 9 million viewers have watched this four-wheeled vehicle break the world’s record for a distance jump, soaring 332 feet through the air.

So what are your favorite Youtube videos from 2011?  Let us know in the comments section below!  Thanks for stopping by!

Once again, our movie-lovin’ staff sat down and watched enough movie trailers to make anyone’s eyes go blurry.  We did it all for the sake of science (plus it gave us an excuse to make popcorn during office hours).

Sherlock Holmes:  A Game of Shadows

The game is afoot once more as the sequel to 2009’s blockbuster hits the theaters in December.  The producers have kept the plot a closely guarded secret, but expect to see the famous detective and his trusted colleague, Dr. Watson, battle their arch nemesis, Professor Moriarity.

Why We Want to See it:  Although it doesn’t give away any story lines, the trailer looks like the movie will retain all the elements from first film; witty comedy, high gloss action and stellar art direction.  Robert Downey Jr. has been at the top of his game lately, and this looks like it won’t be a disappointment either.  A good cast, skillful direction and a big budget necessary to recreate merry ol’ England should prove to be box office gold.  Elementary, eh Watson?

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Based on a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, the movie is about a talented nine-year old boy in New York whose father died during the World Trade Center attacks on September 11^th.  He discovers a key left by his father and searches the city to find what it unlocks.

Why We Want to See it: The movie trailer has a dramatic, gripping feel to it.  It might be one of those rare movies that shed some light on our own humanity too.  With its subject matter and distinguished actors (Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow) this film clearly has Oscar nomination written all over it.

The Sitter

Jonah Hill stars as a suspended college student living with his mom.  He’s persuaded to babysit the kids next door.  Wild adventures, and plenty of comedic moments, soon follow.

Why We Want to See it:  Jonah Hill has been on a roll lately and this looks like a movie that could take his career even higher.  The trailer promises plenty of fun stuff we love, like danger, sophomoric humor, bratty kids, irresponsible adults and car chases.  Sounds like a winner to us.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

The stakes are raised in this fourth Mission Impossible movie when the IMF is shut down after being suspected of helping a terrorist plot. Instead of complying, the team goes undercover to clear their name.

Why We Want to See it:  Tom Cruise is back for another sequel, along with a huge budget, fast cars, plot twists, furious action and lots of cool special effects.  This is one of the few movies that offer all of those elements this holiday season, which means it should clean up at the box office.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Based on the 1974 novel by John Le Carre, the subject matter was also a BBC miniseries in the late 1970’s.  Now, the story of a SIS agent recalled to duty to uncover a Soviet mole is a movie starring some of the best British actors working today.

Why We Want to See it:  The trailer looks smart, tense and well acted – just the way we like our spy thrillers.  The all star cast, lead by Gary Oldman, looks fantastic.  And while this isn’t summer blockbuster movie fare with explosions and car chases, word on the street is that this film gives you something to think about and has a satisfying, well scripted story.

Hugo

An orphaned boy living in a Paris train station sets off on an adventure to unravel a mystery about his father and repair a mechanical being.  Based on the children’s novel by Brian Selznick, some are saying the movie sets new standards with its stylized look and 3-D.

Why We Want to See it:  This looks like a visually stunning film from renown director, Martin Scorsese.  Scorsese rarely makes bad films and the trailer promises a unique fantasy movie that could make it a holiday favorite for years to come on DVD.   James Cameron (Avatar) reportedly said Hugo is a masterpiece and has the best use of 3-D to date.  That’s quite an endorsement.

Arthur Christmas

A glitch in the high-tech North Pole operations results in a child not receiving a gift from Santa.  So Santa’s misfit son, Arthur, decides to make things right and deliver the present himself utilizing outdated technology – reindeer and a sleigh.

This movie is from Sony Pictures Animation which doesn’t have a track record yet of producing top notch CG animated films (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs anyone?), but this could be their first hit.

Why We Want to See it:  Our holiday list wouldn’t be complete without at least one Christmas movie on it, and this one looks like it has potential.  The CG animation looks like it will please the kids and the trailer promises enough contemporary humor to please adults.

Note:  We do suggest that you leave as soon as the end credits begin, however so you can miss Justin Bieber’s rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.  (C’mon Santa, we’ve been good all year.  Why penalize us with that?)

The Darkest Hour

American tourists find themselves stranded in Moscow after an alien attack.  The aliens destroy the electrical grid and hunt down the few remaining groups of survivors.

Why We Want to See it:  The movie trailer looks encouraging and looks like a fairly unique take on alien invasions.  The film seems to take alien invasion more seriously than some of its predecessors (Independence Day, War of the Worlds).

In a season dominated by light fare and Academy Award hopefuls, this could be a sleeper hit for those wanting more intensity and suspense.

Our only fear is that there appears to be a lot of CGI in the trailer.  More often than not, too much CGI means the movie is compensating for a weak story.  We hope not.

Which movies are you going to see this holiday season?  And which movies are you waiting to watch later on DVD?  Let us know which movie trailers you think are the best on this blog post’s entry on our Facebook page.  We want to hear from you!

Our attitude is why not?  Setting up a Google+ page won’t harm you and any added exposure for your business is good.  And if Google+ does take off, you’re already in on the ground floor of something big.  Plus, setting up a business page is quick and easy.

To show how painless it is to set up a business page, Captivation Media decided to set one up for their client, Man I Hate Mondays.  We’ll guide through each step of the process so you can have yours up and running in no time too.

Step #1

Go to http://www.google.com/+/business/ to get started.  Then click on “Create Your Google+ Page”.

Step #2

Next, pick a category for your business.  Choose from “Local Business of Place”, “Product or Brand”, “Company, Institution or Organization”, “Arts, Entertainment of Sports” or, if your business doesn’t fit neatly into one of those categories, you can choose “Other”.  In our case, since Man I Hate Mondays is a weekly webisode, we selected “Arts, Entertainment or Sports”.

Step #3

Once you select your category you will be able to add your company or brand name and website address.  Then add a sub-category.  The sub-categories differ depending on which category you initially chose.

Then check the box if you agree to Google’s terms and there’s another box to check if you want to be informed of future Page release and information.

When you are all done on this page, press the red “Create” button.

Step #4

On the next screen, you will customize your business page’s public profile.  For your tagline, Google allows you only ten words to create your message – so make those ten words count!  On this page you can also upload a profile picture.

When finished, press the blue “Continue” button.

Step #5

Now you can tell your personal Google+ circles about your new business profile.   If you decide to post news about your business here, remember the message will sent through your personal profile.

Congratulations!

You’ve just set up your Google+ business page.  On the welcome screen you’ll find a link to your business profile page as well as a Google+ button you can add to your website.

What’s Next?

Now you can start adding people to circles and posting on your wall.

We found it very easy to post the latest Man I Hate Mondays video right from Youtube.

Now that Google+ has built it, will businesses come?  Only time will tell.  Google still has an uphill climb if they are going to convert Facebook’s 800 million users to Google+, but their business pages are a step in the right direction.  Google+ isn’t perfect by any means.  Like other social media networks, upgrades will most likely coming.  Things seem a bit underdeveloped and unorganized so far.  Hopefully Google+ will add vanity URLs for their business pages soon.  For now, your URL is just a group of random characters, but there is a site which allows you to create a vanity redirect to your new page called GPlus.to – check it out!

Having the power and influence of Google’s search engine and ad tracking system makes it an instant player in the social media game.  Like many others, we’re curious to see how long it takes Google+ to move up in the rankings.

Have you set up a Google+ business page yet?  Are you planning to?  Do you think Google+ will eventually replace your Facebook page as your main social media marketing strategy?  We want to hear from you!  Tell us what you think in the comments section of this post on our Facebook Fan Page.  Thanks for reading!