Lynne d. Johnson on social media and digital content

From Social Times, an interview with Lynne d. Johnson, Senior Vice President at the Advertising Research Foundation and a beloved member of my blog family.

The interview begins with a look back at Johnson’s career and ends with some of her insights about social media marketing. For example:

Even more than social media, digital content gives consumers a platform to have a megaphone and talk about anything they want. But the truth is that they are talking about brands. I recently read that 20% of tweets are about brands. We see it now as people use tools like Brightkite and Foursquare to mention the restaurants they’re in on Twitter and other social networking sites. Are people going to be a friend with your brand? That’s the part that’s funny and fishy. But if brands make content that’s relevant to people’s interests and passions then it’s a win-win.

It’s weird seeing someone you know on a somewhat personal level getting some industry-wide recognition and praise. But Johnson has been in the game for awhile, so it’s well deserved.

Bonus? The accompanying photo was captured by another blog family member, Cecily. [Via j. brotherlove]