Fans Invited to Style Elle Photo Shoot

For most of us the fashion world can feel so exclusive and an elite league of its own that it is almost impossible to imagine being a part of it. However, social media appears to be changing that - helping  bring us into this world as we start to see elusive luxury brands taking us behind the scenes, offering exclusive looks at the seasons hottest trends before they hit the runway and engaging our thoughts on it all. 

Fashion magazine Elle is taking its Facebook fans a step further into their world, by inviting them to help style a photo shoot for their December issue. The Facebook app created by Elle and Milyoni features videos of Joe Zee, the magazine's creative director discussing elements of the fashion shoot, including theme, model, clothing and accessories. Fans can then select their preferred options and the one receiving the most votes will be featured in the photo shoot. Before the shoot wraps, fans will be encouraged to create their own Pinterest boards inspired by the shoot or stage their own photo shoots and post them to Instagram. 

By synthesizing their fans feedback online and incorporating it into a major offline showcase, Elle has just become one of my favourite fashion sources on the social media scene. Who are your favourites? Source: AllFacebook

Volkswagen Street Quest: Pin it to Win it

When you were a kid did you ever play that game where whoever saw a Volkswagen Beetle first got to suprise their driving companion with a punch in the arm, shouting "Punch buggy"? It appears that the guys at Ogilvy Cape Town might have taken some inspiration from this never tiring game with their Volkswagen 'Street Quest' advergame - a Facebook challenge to find and PIN as many Volkswagens as possible on South African roads using a customised Google Street View interface.

The game ran over 4 weeks with each week producing a winner for the most pins. Winners are then set to meet for a real-life Pin-Off at the Grand Final in Cape Town next week. Source: DigitalBuzzBlog

Mandela's Story As Told Through Social Media

What would it have looked like if social media existed during the times of Mandela's fight for freedom in South Africa? As tribute to the inspirational leader on his 94th birthday today Prenzence Digital have put together a well-executed, creative piece of work with this video on Mandela's story as told by social media - "a language we all understand today".

Which asks the question: how could the power of this medium's reach and connectivity have changed the course of South Africa's story? 

Inspired? Leave your mark on Nelson Mandela Day here #MandelaStory

The Thank You Economy: How Business Must Adapt to Social Media

Gary Vaynerchuk aka 'the king of social media' has over 900,000 Twitter followers. Had you ever heard of him before today? I'm going to guess probably not. But if you have 8 minutes to spare today and would like to own the topic on 'how brands can get the most out of their social media strategy' then you should watch this, because in Gary's words "marketing is about to get really f***ing hard"

Starbucks, you Social Media Rebel, you!

Would you like some controversy with that coffee? It seems Starbucks is leading the social media strategy of personifying its brand into a real person. And like people, it takes its side on a range of controversial topics, from gay marriage to gun rights. Read More socialmediatoday