Imagine walking into a restaurant, creating and naming your own meal using an online application, ordering it on an iPad and then sharing it with your entire social network.  I came across this story in the Wall Street Journal about a new restaurant chain that plans to do just that and had to share.

On July 6th, the New York City burger chain, 4food, will open its first of 11 planned locations where they will leverage the use of social media and web-based technologies to engage customers on a whole new level.  The restaurant describes themselves as the new socially networked counter culture.  And I think the idea is ingenious!

Customers have the option to receive personalized meal recommendations based on lifestyle and health goals entered into an online application. Or they can create custom meals, name and brand their creation and market it to their friends on Facebook and Twitter, right from the restaurant. When ordering from home, customers can create commercials on YouTube as well.

The custom meal creations and commercials will then be featured on a 240-square-foot media wall at the restaurant that will also stream Foursquare check-ins and tweets.  Every time someone else orders one of the custom made creations, the creator receives a 25-cent store credit in their 4food account to be use toward future purchases.

The restaurant itself looks quite a bit like an Apple store and seating resembles bleachers and communal tables, emphasizing the idea of social networks and staff will take orders on iPads. Below are a couple of renderings to give you a look inside:

4Food is banking on the idea that by engaging customers through social media and getting them involved in the product development process, they will be inclined to spread positive word of mouth about the restaurant and about their own creations as they market them to friends in their social networks.  The concept is a great one and if their food tastes as good, I believe they will have a winning combination.

Can you measure the value of a Facebook fan?  More and more companies are developing Facebook “fan” pages and encouraging customers or potential customers to connect and become part of their community, but what are those fans actually worth?

The value of a fan can mean many things, but just recently a social media measurement firm called Syncapse took a stab at determining an actual dollar amount.  In a study conducted with market research firm Hotspex they identified and calculated several areas that make a Facebook fan a valuable consumer in the eyes of a marketer. These include product spending, loyalty to the brand, tendency to recommend it, and the emotional connection or affinity to the brand.

Syncapse asked 4,000 fans of 20 of the top brands on Facebook why they were fans of those companies or brands, and about their past and future purchasing behavior and feeling regarding the product. They then tried to estimate what the value of each fan’s spending would be to a company, as well as the value of continuing to have that fan as a customer over time.

So just what exactly is a Facebook fan worth?  Well, according to this study… $136.38.

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I am on a mission.  A mission to become the mayor of my neighborhood Starbucks!  The mayor?  Yep, that’s right.

I recently downloaded an up-and-coming mobile application on my phone called Foursquare.  Although you may not have heard of Foursquare yet (they are an early stage start-up), you are sure to soon. They are growing at a tremendous rate, so much so, they just hired a number of staffers to keep up with the landslide of inquiries from marketers interested in participating.  And for good reason, it’s a unique and exciting application, with many potential marketing opportunities.

Foursquare defines their mobile application as a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide, and a game that encourages users to explore their neighborhoods and rewards them for doing so.   Users can search for nearby businesses, earn points for checking in (telling Foursquare where they are) when they visit each location, win mayorships, unlock badges and access specials for trying new places and revisiting their favorites.

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Every month I receive an email from one of my favorite local deli’s introducing their latest sandwich or salad. In each of these emails they include a link to their Facebook page, with the statement “Join us on Facebook”. Although I receive this email monthly and read it in its entirety, I’ve never clicked through to their Facebook page… until today. Why now?  Because this time next to their Facebook link was the statement “Join us on Facebook, the first 500 people to become a fan and post a comment will receive a free cookie”.  I love their cookies, how can I resist!?

I clicked through, signed up and made a comment about their wonderful wheat germ chocolate chip cookies and minutes later received a message with a certificate for a free cookie on my next visit.  Can’t wait! Not only am I a happy camper, but the deli gained a new Facebook fan (along with at least 499 others today) and another way to stay in touch and build a relationship with their customers.

The greatest reason by far that people friend a company on Facebook is to receive special offers and promotions, I am certainly one of those people.  According to eMarketer, almost two-thirds of those friending a brand are looking for promotions and special offers. Coupons remain a leading driver of brand interactions in social networks and learning about sales and new products is also a strong motivator for people to interact with companies in social media.

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Think back to the last time someone did something nice for you.  How did it make you feel?  Maybe it brightened your day, made you want to return the favor, tell someone about it, or pay it forward and do something nice for someone else.  When we reach out and make an effort to help another, we leave our mark, set a great example and can truly make an impact.

The same can be said in business and developing a positive brand image.  Goodwill is an invaluable asset that can define a company’s reputation and market position.  Statistics show that today’s consumers would much rather associate themselves and do business with companies whose values match their own and those that are truly looking out for the common good.

Of course, as consumers, we all know that companies are in business to make money.  But it’s those that go the extra mile, take that extra step to connect with their customers values that we are drawn to.  Customers are attracted to companies that can demonstrate that they are in it for more than just meeting monthly sales goals.  They want to align themselves with companies that stand for something they believe in and feel good about.

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The good news?

After the decline in ad placements that came with the downturn in the economy, it appears that online advertising is beginning to pick up speed.  Marketers are predicting strong growth and increasing expenditure for their online ad programs for 2010.   During the first quarter of 2010 US Internet users received a record 1.1 trillion display ads, up 15% from a year earlier, according to the ComScore ad metrix.

But with this influx of online banner ads, each vying for the consumers eye, how will you make your company’s banner ad stand apart, unique and capture the readers attention?

Incorporating your Twitter feed into your online banner ad could be just the thing!  If you are an active Twitter user, you know that Twitter allows you to post mini-messages called tweets, quickly and easily sharing real time information.  Consider the power of designing a banner ad to include your Twitter updates.  Twitter offers instant communication, real time interaction and can bring a personal, human touch to an ad.  This personalization helps to increase the relevancy of your ad, allowing readers to better relate to and connect with your message.

The latest updates are pulled into the banner as an RSS feed from your Twitter account in real time, as you tweet.  Users can scroll to see previous updates or you can rotate through the last several tweets.

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Imagine what used to be your traditional print ad… moving, growing, talking and interacting with your customer.

With the development and growth of Apple’s iPad, traditional print publishers have been rushing to develop an app version of their publication that will allow them to offer issue downloads and digital subscriptions via the iPad.  The iPad has created some new and exciting opportunities for traditional book, magazine and newspaper publishers, which in turn is opening the door for advertisers in these publications to offer a completely new level of customer interaction with the content in their ad.

The iPad gives marketers some creative and unique opportunities for engaging consumers and developing meaningful experiences through advertising.  The ads are embedded in the publications app, which allows marketers to really focus their efforts and provide content rich, interactive ads, enhancing the consumer experience with animated graphics, 360° product images, video, music and games.

However, to fully take advantage of the new platform, new ad formats will need to be designed, developed and customized specific for the iPad.  It will not be enough to simply make existing ads larger. It’s leveraging the rich media capabilities of the iPad that makes this a truly unique opportunity.

Just last week, Wired magazine announced the launch of their first digital edition of the magazine, specific for the iPad.  The result of this yearlong effort is a pretty amazing interactive consumer experience.  You can catch a glimpse into the power and possibility of this form of multi-dimensional interaction here for yourself in Wired’s video about their new iPad digital edition:

As print publishers begin to move into this arena, advertising opportunities will grow.  Now is the time to begin thinking about and planning for interactive content that can be incorporated into the iPad platform.  By doing so, you will be prepared and ready to take advantage of the opportunities as they arise.