It seems that everything in New York has its own week – Fashion Week, Restaurant Week among others. So why should the ever-developing field of social media not have its own designated seven days?

 New York wasn’t the only city that jumped on the bandwagon. February 7th-11th was designated Social Media Week in more than nine cities including Rome, Hong Kong, Istanbul and more. This global event was attended by 30,000 people.

This conference is overarching, covering almost every aspect of technology and emerging trends by presenting panel discussions on a variety of social media subjects. Due to my responsibilities with the entertainment department here at Hunter Public Relations, I decided to check out a panel called “Celebrity Spokespeople in the Digital Age.”

Moderated by Kate White, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, the panel featured participants like actress Denise Richards and bloggers Rob Shuter (PopEater) and Bryanboy (Bryanboy.com, fashion). The discussion shed some insight on how to leverage celebrities, who themselves have become brands. Outlets like Twitter provide stars with a direct channel to engage with their fans to promote their projects, charitable initiatives and their own public image.

The panel gave the example of the Kardashians, specifically Kim Kardashian.  According to The Hollywood Reporter the clan brought in over $65 million dollars last year, all because of their smart branding. The family has a collective 13 million Twitter followers which Kim Kardashian took advantage of during the designing and launching of her fragrance. She gave her fans a direct say in her product by posting two options for her perfume packaging and let them decide which one would be produced. Check out the panel to learn more!

Although Social Media Week may be over, don’t fret! Thanks to LiveStream.com, you can check out many of the over 200 events and panels online. Happy browsing!

Paulina