This according to Marc Pritchard, global marketing and chief branding officer for Proctor & Gamble, speaking at the recent conference of the Association of National Advertisers held in Orlando, Florida.

Social Media is fueling the success of advertising.

P&G, the world’s largest marketer by spending, says the success of recent advertising campaigns has been fueled by its acceptance in social media.  Pritchard cited examples such as video clips on YouTube that had been viewed 140 million times.  He said they used consumer opinions on Facebook and Twitter to determine which commercials to run during the Winter Olympics in February.

The takeaway for small and medium size businesses is this:  you need to get comfortable with social media and begin the process of integrating it into your overall marketing strategy. You may not be able to immediately measure the ROI of social media, however, investing now will increase the likelihood of success in the future.

It’s no longer optional, and consumers expect you to have a social presence.