BUT it is always nice when an outside, reputable news source points out that what we’ve been doing for over a decade makes the most sense in terms of money and effectiveness.

There was a moment during the meeting when Obama addressed the AIG bonus debacle and said the words, “Listen, I’ll take responsibility; I’m the president” to which the room erupted into… applause?

That’s right. Applause. Why? It’s not that people are excited about the fact that a bunch of fat cats are getting huge bonuses – that is for certain. No one is sitting there going, “Great job, Obama. You did amazing work on this one. We love how much of our money your administration squanders on rich people that screwed us in the first place.” No. People are PISSED. And they should be. So what to do?

Deny deny deny? Have your press secretary give non-answers at an impersonal podium? No. The only possible salve for this kind of unrestrained outrage is to go directly to the people, speak directly to the people, and take responsibility. This country is so weary of years of excuses, double speak and hypocrisy. We want honesty, authenticity and above all for someone to step up and say, “Hey, this isn’t right. I might have screwed up here. I take responsibility, and I’m taking steps to make it better.” And that is exactly what Obama did.

If you can do that and you can mean it and you can work toward solutions, you can win back the hearts and minds of a whole lot of people. Perfection is not expected. Accountability and frank communication, however, seem non-negotiable. He could have stayed quiet. He could have stayed in DC and dealt with pushing his policies forward, working within the bubble where the work gets done and decisions get made.

But he didn’t. He chose to go to the people. Because it is important to speak to your people.

This doesn’t just go for our president. This extends to every business, every brand, every website, every entity that is providing a service or value to consumers. More than fifty-five percent of consumers have stated that they want brands to interact with them. Your consumers would like a quick chat, won’t you sit down?

I stumbled upon this blog post about many companies being deathly afraid of negative blog coverage. As I spend the majority of time speaking to clients, I can vouch that this fear is very real. Negativity freaks people out. Look, no one likes to be publicly lambasted, particularly not profit-seeking entities that have a lot to lose.

I get it. No one wants their ugly warts out there for everyone to see. But unless you are an absolutely flawless business that never ever makes any mistakes, someone is going to call you out. Actually, even if you are flawless, someone will call you out anyway – they will make it up if they have to.

The truth of the matter is, trying to squash negative feedback, or pretending it doesn’t exist or (god forbid) litigating (!!) is not only not the answer, it is the waste of a fantastic opportunity to engage with your consumers. Social Media is giving us a gift – the gift of answering consumers directly and publicly. Without having to call town meetings.

Those that speak negatively about you are simply inviting you to get in the sandbox and play.

So play. Learn the rules of the game please… but play.

This is the opportunity to gain a new customer, win an old one back, or at the very least show the rest of the people watching that your brand hears, takes responsibility and cares. It can’t be overstated how important that is to the health of the brand-consumer relationship and how far that goes in generating positive word-of-mouth.

Jump in. It’s not that scary. It’s not like it’s $165 million of taxpayers’ hard earned dollars going to the undeserving. If he can do it, so can you.

With the economy in the bleak state it is currently in, people have been trying to figure any way they can to stretch their dollars to meet their needs. One side-effect of this newfound frugality is the increased use of coupons – particularly online coupons. Coupon use has surged 10% in the past four months, according to a recently published Wall Street Journal article. Online coupons have helped fuel the rise in coupon usage. Coupons.com, for example, said its users printed out 140% more coupons in 2008 as opposed to the year before. Coupon sites were the fastest-growing category at the end of 2008, according to comScore data. These coupon-aggregating sites are a fast and easy way to find the coupons and discounts that you are looking for, thus making the whole coupon process more efficient than ever. However, coupons aren’t the only way that people are looking to stretch a buck.

Loyalty cards and reward programs have helped us make it through these tight times as well. The implementation of more widespread loyalty cards and reward programs by major retailers such as Borders and Kroger (Ralphs for all you SoCal’ers) has resulted in great discounts and savings for their customers. Customers can receive the same savings satisfaction that comes along with coupons, without having to do any of the work that goes along with them. Coupons have always been a popular way to save a few bucks when shopping at a high-end retailer, but this current economic downturn has caused more people than ever to seek out coupons and discounts for basic necessities such as groceries, personal care products and gas. Nowadays, there all kinds of great ways to get more bang for your buck, and coupons have actually become much easier to use through the popularity of coupon aggregating websites such as RetailMeNot.com and CouponCabin.com.

There has always been a bit of a stigma attached to using coupons. People were afraid that they would come off as “cheap” for trying to save a few cents, or feel like the work that goes into clipping coupons out of the Sunday paper wasn’t worth saving $2.83 on your grocery store bill. New technologies, including online coupons, have made it much easier to apply coupons and discounts to things that we purchase. Obviously online shopping has opened up a whole new world where people can purchase anything they like in a discreet manner. Similarly, we can use all the online coupons we want when shopping online, far from the judging eyes of society. Loyalty cards and reward programs help to accrue credit and discounts as well. These work out for all parties involved – the companies keep current customers as well as earn new ones, and the customers receive great coupons and discounts! Though coupons and loyalty programs are far more helpful when you have less money to spend, taking advantage of them now and getting used to utilizing them as part of your shopping habits can help you save money in the long run.

Blog Networks like Glam Media, b5 Media, Buzznet, and Mom Blog Network continue to add new niche blogs and communities to their roster, and blogs are popping up just to keep track.

Could this finally be the year that media, agencies, and brands welcome the motto “less is more” with open arms? Are marketers finally learning the value of finding and targeting the right online consumers as opposed to mass audiences with multiple interests?

The shift to the “few versus many” model was inevitable, but there is no doubt that the economy sped up the process. Shelling out millions on blanket media buys to reach the largest possible audience simply isn’t fiscally possible today. The concept of marketing on a budget really forced the industry to be creative with their tactics and media to be creative with their positioning. The result? Well, real results.

Websites, blogs, and communities that some of us have never even heard of are making an impact on campaign results like never before. The industry can no longer afford to judge a site’s influence and popularity by outdated metrics like website traffic or banner impressions. Let’s rid ourselves of the knee jerk reaction to spend all of our time, effort, and budget on iVillage, Myspace, and Yahoo! and start incorporating sites like I’m An Organizing Junkie, hi5, and Just Jared into the mix.

Who’s with me?