Creativity can be a powerful force, particularly in the world of cause-related marketing. But can so-called “good creative” motivate us to change our rigid ways? What if it’s to make the world a better place?

No, we’re not talking about this page. Ford Motor Co. has been running the ultimate give-away promotion in the run-up to the relaunch of the 2011 Ford Explorer. If enough people click “Like” on the official Ford Explorer Facebook page then one of those fans earns the chance to win the brand new SUV. We’ve seen other “Like” give-aways before, including for fancy lingerie that succeeds in amassing a quick surge of bargain-hunting fans. But what could the chance to drive home a brand new $30,000 car bring in in terms of new Facebook fans?

In the growing list of social media marketing #fails, Coca-Cola’s recently pulled Dr. Pepper Facebook campaign marks a new twist on an old marketing axiom: never underestimate your most influential market — moms. Mommy bloggers trump all in influence. That much we know. The Dr. Pepper campaign also proves they even understand raunchy porn references that get giggles from the guys in creative, but go over the heads of the starched shirts in marketing. Busted!

Many of you have commented on the one-on-one interview we did recently with Alexandra Wheeler, director of digital strategy at Starbucks. We thought we would also point you to her full SMI keynote presentation where she details how Starbucks built arguably the most successful social media brand marketing strategy. A hint: “it’s about relationships, not marketing,” she says.

Can the publishing industry be saved by the apps revolution? Will it be in the form of subscriptions or heavy-trafficked free apps? Bernhard Warner, editor of SMI, had a chance to speak to put these questions to Jonathon Moore, Mobile Product Manager for the Guardian, in a one-on-one interview at Social Media Influence conference 2010

The London 2012 Olympic website is expecting an astonishing 10 billion page visits by the end of the games, making it one of the most visited web sites ever in the world of sport. But there’s one fickle group that still must be won over: videogame-obsessed teens.

Long abandoned marketing campaigns and defunct products are still visible across much of Facebook, turning the social network into an eerie graveyard of yesterday’s brilliant marketing ideas gone stale. We look here at the most visible ones, and offer a suggestion or two on how to clean them up.

How do you keep track of the hundreds, even thousands, of daily discussions involving your brand? Focus on the conversations that matter, says PepsiCo’s head of digital and social media, B. Bonin Bough. From this discourse, you will gain invaluable insight into how consumers truly feel about you.

Is Twitter adding a new pay-for-followers scheme to boost sagging brands and would-be celebs? What about a new real-time analytics tool to make sense of up-to-the-minute conversation streams?

We were lucky to be able to call upon the expertise and insight of a number of top social media thinkers at this year’s Social Media Influence conference. Adam Brown was one such expert.