POPstick is a Boston-based new media communication agency that utilizes digital technology to build creative solutions for new marketing opportunities and challenges.

I picked up POPstick newest idea, POPstick Outburst, because nonetheless its very corporate and impersonal communication strategy (quite at the opposite of very model it is proposing), it is showing to have understood in which direction some of the new online marketing opportunities are going to be built upon.

The company's interdisciplinary approach breaks new ground by bringing together personal publishing and sharing, with real-time communication and social networking technologies.

Recently, I have been repeatedly advising my close contacts to look further into prototyping tools that would allow a much more smooth and personalized access to RSS while integrating strong viral marketing components and RTC (rea-time-collaboration) in it. I have also hinted at understanding the potential that integrating Flash-based real-time communication facilities, could have dramatically enhanced the potential of information filtering around specific niche topics (or products/brands), word-of-mouth recommendations, sharing and learning among like-minded groups and more.

POPstick Outburst is a specialized practice focused on delivering Social Network Marketing solutions to brand marketers. "POPstick Outburst has a vision for applying this 'vetted community' concept to vendor brands."

Inside the Outburst personal communication tool, you find a rich and varied online dashboard which integrates a true blog-like direct publishing facility, the us of pocumentaries which are home made personal videos that end users can upload easily to the Outburst platform, a Thread facility which provides a public discussion forum and a lot more.

Social Network Marketing is a truly novel marketing technique whose time has come. It emphasizes interactive communities centered on a company's brand. POPstick Outburst strongly promotes peer-to-peer communications and incorporates:

a) content provided by individual members through personal blogs,

b) subject matter experts,

c) proprietary Live Audience technology

d) uploading and sharing of videos

e) interactive social networking map

f) relationship viewing dynamic, interactive maps which allow the serendipitous discovery of like-minded people

g) participating in contests and surveys, and

h) joining topical chats sponsored by the vendor

i) accessing threaded forums relating to products features and support needs

l) the sponsoring vendor own ocmmunications.

The newest part of all this, is that a company is finally using all these communication tools in a synergistic way to facilitate and favour true conversations between its marketing staff and its own customers.

These virtual communities inspire customers to interact with vendors' marketing teams in the same way they would communicate in social networking sites such as Friendster or LinkedIn.

Leading this uniquely innovative project is advertising giant Steve Dworin, now named President of "POPstick Outburst". If you don't know who Mr Dworin is, here a few facts: Steve Dworin has been labeled "The Most Wanted Man in Advertising" by industry trade publication AdWeek and has just joined as president of POPstick New York-based practice. Mr Dworin helped convert EURO RSCG from a fragmented holding company into a single, cohesive worldwide agency with billings exceeding $8B. He was once named the youngest CEO in the history of N.W. Ayer & Partners, the world's oldest advertising agency (and the only without an easy-to-find web site). His professional pedigree also includes officer-level positions at J. Walter Thompson and Ogilvy & Mather, partnernship position at Deutsch/Dworin, now Deutsch, Inc..

To be closely followed.