This blog is going to take the high road and will avoid joining the masses in evaluating the best and worst Superbowl ads. In this post, we’re not even going to review the publicity rewards and pitfalls of “Undercover Boss,” which aired for the first time last night.

Instead, today’s lesson will focus on the timeless act of reporting the TV news. At a time when social media is king and companies like Twitter and Facebook are rapidly expanding their fiefdoms, TV reporters have become more fixed in their ways then ever before. This statement rings true when you watch British comedian Charlie Brooker’s mock delivery of the TV news (warning: video contains some profanity). So maybe we’re not taking the high road after all, but the video is worth a look:

First, we had the Coors Light Twins. Now, we have the Contact Lens Twins. They’re blonde, twin models. They touch. They hold hands.

In 2004, then-33-year-old twins, Diane and Elaine Klimaszewski were hired to be the Coors Light Twins    And they made an instant hit. Their careers have skyrocketed and they’re now successful models and entrepreneurs.

They weren’t the first buxom blondes to hawk products. Nor was Coors the first to use sex to sell. Scantily clad women (and men) have appeared in print, online and on TV for as long as each media type has existed. They’ve sold shower gel, vodka, coffee beans, rum , and subs.  Basically, anything and everything.

But, contact lenses? Acuvue hired twin models, Kelly and Sabrina Aldridge  to film a 30-second TV ad for their product Acuvue Advanced. The 23-year-old models from St. Petersburg, Florida are actresses on the TV show “8th and Ocean.” Take a look and see if you notice anything: Acuvue TV Commercial

Okay, now let’s begin.

At 0:03, they touch; At 0:16, they hold hands; and at 0:18, they are close enough to kiss:

Sex sells, and surely this isn’t a novel concept.  What’s novel is that this marketing tactic is now being applied to a product as seemingly innocent as a contact lens.   Will it work?  Is it too much of a stretch?  Or is this a sign of things to come?  In my opinion, just like TV crews can’t get enough of babies and puppies, the general public can’t turn away from good old fashion sex-appeal.

Apple’s much hyped tablet computer is set to be unveiled tomorrow and everyone’s speculating on how it will change the world. The NY Times on the other hand wonders aloud how it will change the world of media.

The media industry is still struggling to find the secret sauce for driving revenue in the digital age. Apple’s new offering could either be the straw the breaks the camel’s back or a much needed boost the industry needs to regain its financial strength. If you look at Apple’s history I wouldn’t count on the latter.

The iPod revolutionized the way people consume music, but at the same time it changed the pricing structure and drained the profits of the music industry at a time when that business could ill afford it. The only difference here is that the media industry has already undergone a shift and for many organizations there is no where to go but up. 

According to some experts, the tablet will be something between Amazon’s Kindle, a laptop, and an iPhone. Does that translate into new revenue for traditional publishers? Maybe. The bigger question might be will the tablet be as successful as the iPhone?  If it’s not widely adopted then the impact on the media world will likely be moot.

If I were the world’s largest media companies I wouldn’t bet against Steve Jobs though. I would be ready to capitalize on this new device or be ready to write my organization’s obituary. Either way, tomorrow will be a life changing moment.

Twitter has been the It Thing for much of the last year and while marketers, athletes, and celebrities in particular have embraced it, Twitter still hasn’t really achieved mainstream acceptance. That acceptance, however, is fast approaching as evidenced by the entry of two heavyweights into the Twitter arena earlier this week:

First, President Obama sent his first tweet on Monday. (There’s an @BarackObama account with 3+ million followers, but the President has a ghost tweeter for it.)

And then, on Tuesday another heavyweight joined the party – Bill Gates. The Philanthropist and King of Microsoft is following 40 Twitter accounts – mostly some philanthropic foundations and some leftish political folks. Oh, and uh…Ashley Tisdale. His first tweet – “Hello World.”

This gives me reason to believe we’ve reached the Tipping (Tweeting?) Point in terms of mainstream social media use. Maybe now businesses – not just consumer brands but B2B firms and professional services firms, etc. – will realize that the Big Boys are playing this game too.

A new report from Forrester Research shows social media is growing up, as is its audience: one third of adults report posting to social media sites at least once a week and more than half of them maintain a profile on a social media site. Still, many businesses continue to struggle with the business value of social media and how they can tap into it. They still view it as “something the kids do.” Of course, many of them haven’t tried it for themselves. With the President and Gates jumping in, perhaps they’ll be convinced that it’s here to stay and that, increasingly, that’s where their customers are.

The cocktail party that is social media is well underway. Don’t be late.

Guest blog from spring intern Annie:

Recently emarketer.com explored the burgeoning expansion of Social Media, and concluded that marketers have become more accustomed to using Social Media then ever before, moving from the trial phase of their marketing efforts toward strategic use of the channel.   While the majority of marketers are still somewhere in between infancy and adulthood in regards to their social media prowess, about one-quarter of social media marketers have made it to the strategic phase of their efforts. Increasingly, these strategic efforts are incorporating the use of social media to push socially responsible causes.

Look no further than Seventh Generation, a brand of household and personal-care products marketed to be healthy and safe for your home.  For the first time in their 21 year history, the eco-friendly champion of house products is looking to engage consumers by launching their first national advertising campaign with a goal to educate consumers about protecting the planet. Central to the campaign is – you guessed it – the use of social media. Not only will you see their ads on television, print and online, but you’ll find the company spreading their green messages via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. They’re also trying to engage the online community through user-generated discussion forums on relevant topics.

And as further proof that marketing is increasingly going mobile, Seventh Generation has developed a downloadable Label Reading Guide application for the iPhone and mobile devices.  Who knows, this just might be the first company to prompt us to say: Social Responsibility? Yep, there’s an app for that.