"Using" Social Tools. They Dont Give You Something To Say.

Yep, that's right. You still have to think of good ideas.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube provide distribution and the technology to link to people. It does not provide a brand with the magical idea.

Tips:

Study The Community
You are going to play in "their" territory. So spend more time thinking about whether you are "on value to them" and less about whether you are "on brand". Always be wary of people who say "on brand" all the time. They would rather something be boring and safe and rely on expensive repetitive advertising media to get a point across.

Constantly Ask Yourself This
"Will people reeeaally do this?" Ideas can sound good in a boardroom but remember that you need people to actively pass this idea on or adopt it in someway. Pass on and adoption are just not in the future of safe, easy and lazy ideas.

People Dont Really Care About Brands
There is a lot more interesting stuff going in people's lives than your product. Sure, they may use it. But they do not live for it. So just keep a check on reality when you say "People would love to pass around our commercial."

The takeaway ? You cannot fake this. You have to spend time in these communities. You actually have to be a funny or entertaining person or work with an agency or people who are.