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General Electric Company (GE), with digital agency Mekanism, invited its Facebook fans to participate in a photo contest that used Apple's Instagram app.

Australia's Design Royale and MTV Travel Co. launched a campaign promising to give young adults "unheard of" access to "the coolest hotels, cheapest flights and the best insider information on the top festivals, clubs, shops and hotspots" in four major international cities.

Ford Motor Company, a 106-year-old mainstay of American manufacturing that has long relied on traditional media to promote its product lines, has a fairly sophisticated approach to social media. The carmaker says its strategy hinges on a dual philosophy of both being present in the conversation and consistency in execution.