Flurble

I came across a ground-breaking new social media tool the other day that I think every marketing director and VP needs to know about right now.

Flurble combines the stickiness of Facebook, the immediacy of Twitter, the social bookmarking capabilities of del.icio.us, the searchability of Google, YouTube's instantaneous viralocity, and Digg's peer-to-peer interest group features. If you're looking for something that attracts the IM-addicted, text-savvy, iPhone app-loving emerging market, it's all about Flurble.

In fact, if I may be so bold, I would say that if your website isn't Flurblized in the next three months, you're going to miss a very big boat. If you don't believe me, I'd put money down that your competitors are implementing it (and licking their chops at the prospect of stealing your customers) as we speak.

What is Flurble? Absolutely nothing. It doesn't exist. I made it up.

Why? Two reasons: One, I'm cruel that way. Two, while I am a serious believer in (and user of) social media tools, I continue to think that marketing directors should resist the temptation to trust anyone who touts "the next best thing" on that still-developing frontier. I've been in meetings where I thought I could throw out a ridiculous word like "flurble" and make people's eyes light up.

But that would be branding malpractice. I prefer satire. :)