Social media success, and its golden unicorn “going viral”, is not based on luck, on a throw of the dice, or on a beneficial line up of some obscure stars and planetary constellations. It is based on careful planning, iron metrics, dazzling creativity, and a perfect understanding of the sociologic –and technical semantics of the social web.

It requires hybrid people capable to find seamless interaction between on- and offline components of a campaign, it requires access to influencers and amplifiers who can give the initiative enough boost to give it enough velocity. It requires specialized analytical brains to sift through data, and to translate these figures into actionable intelligence.  It requires people ahead of the curve.

Success does not happen overnight, it’s not based on luck. As with most pieces of a business, success is directly linked to skill, empowerment and passion.  Brands and agencies capable of harnessing the best talent, and setting up a suitable multi-lingual cross border operational structure see their initial investment returned in tangible results.  It starts with investment, it ends with the harvest. As every farmer knows: What you do not sow, you cannot reap…

All too often, the wishful thinking is that social media can be bolted on as an afterthought. Reality is that it is a hard fought métier, requiring deep empathetic skills, innovative thinking and an uncanny ability to spot the right touch points within the target audience.

Olivier Blanchard (@thebrandbuilder)wrote all you’ll ever need to know on the possibilities to drive real ROI through social media in his book Social Media ROI. But before the cash machines will spit mountains of 4 digit bills, before sales will skyrock, before reputations will turn around… investments will have to be made in the very bone structures of brands and agencies. Going to war without modifying your army profoundly, without new weapon systems, without strategic experts that have insight knowledge on how the other side operates, you’re in for a certain Waterloo.

The first prize is a fancy car (well, a hybrid one with limited impact on the environment that is), the second prize is a set of steak knives. The third prize is simple: you’re out of business.  Darwin was right: evolve, or die…

Today’s kids go on Bacardi Breezer and Vodka Red Bull. They eat fat free, lactose free, sugar free, meat free, healthy, responsible, bio-degradable food. They prefer Beyoncé’s derrière to Olivia’s spandex. They do listen to i-Music on a plethora of i-Machines. They do skateboards and electric bikes.

But… they did listen to the teacher with the banana. Farrokh Bulsara, also known as Freddy Mercury did not.  They speak more languages, they learn faster. I’ll go all Jezza Clarkson on this: stupid generation. Let’s hate them (a bit).

Infograph found on MediaBistro

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So, for the 13 man strong team of Instagram, to say no to the whopping 1.000.000.000 dollar cash pile that Facebook’s Marc Zuckerberg slammed on the table would have been very difficult. 1 billion dollars is a lot of reasons.  1 billion offers the Instagram people a golden future where they will not have to work, and can dream of white sanded beaches and chilled long drinks a-go-go. On a super yacht.

For us all, it just means that one of the favorite picture sharing tools together with the 1 billion pictures we jointly posted on it, became Facebook’s property. It solidifies Facebook’s position as the social network that is weaving a very tight web around your social life, and your social data. It strengthens Facebook’s position as the leading social stack on the web. It also patches one of Facebook’s Achilles Tendons: a good picture sharing platform.

Personally, I look at this a bit weary eyed. Remember Facebook buying Gowalla in December? It killed the service in March, buried the technology, the platform and its users in the darkest dungeon of Facebook Towers. I hope Zuckerberg will keep the good of Instagram alive. I loved the simple technology, the slightly cheesy filters, and the buzzing sharing community. I hope the buy was not a capitalist hostile takeover version of cease and desist. I sincerely hope to be spared the sad duty of having to write an in memoriam for Instagram over the next couple of months. I hate eulogies.

But I do not share the crazy-panicking Internet frenzy on the new acquisition by Facebook. If Facebook kills Instagram, other picture sharing networks will pop up. Zuckerberg bought Instagram because he wanted it, Zuckerberg bought Instagram because he can.

He can, because we all allow him to… don’t we?

Take Pinerly. They are new, unknown. Maybe they are good, and the biggest thing since remote controls and sliced bread. Or maybe they are rubbish, nowhere, and with more issues than an alcoholic in Iraq. There is no way for me to know, as I could not try their service –yet-.

Here is the catch: to be able to beta test their service, I need to seduce friends to use their service. Excuse me? I am a digital dinosaur: before I recommend something, I want to see the goodies. I want to test them. Form an opinion, you know?

I get the strategy: create a need, create a hype, create an artificial long waiting line, create a viral snowball of desperate people wanting to try your service.

The thing is, dear @Pinerly: I can probably live my online life perfectly well without you. Anyway, that is what I will try. All the best.

His grandfather and father laid the foundations of the iconic sports car brand, but when the Porsche 550  (remember James Dean) started to age, a new line was needed. Ferdinand Alexander’s answer was the stunning 911 that was presented in 1964. An air-cooled flat V6 with more power than a horny bull on steroids, a fantastic line, and heroic performance. The model hardly changed over the last 50 years, and is now in its seventh edition.

I have a 1983 911 SC convertible, by far my favorite car of all times. You drive a 911 by the seat of your pants. It’s fast, loud, with a touchy mind of its own that reminds you in every corner who’s the boss. Not for the faint of hearted, it requires dedication, guts, skill and love of pure sensations. It turns heads, generates envying looks.

I met Ferdinand Alexander once, when I was a journalist, 20 years ago. His dedication to pure lines, his adagio that if you create something solely in the search for optimized functionality you will automatically achieve head turning design appealed to me. I fell in love with the car when I was a kid; I admired the creator for his Spartan discipline and his unbelievable kindness and humbleness. A car that is timeless, created by a man that just joined the immortals.

Let’s rev up those engines, let’s heat some rubber. So long Butzi, thanks for the 911!

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