On the off-chance you've somehow missed the news: social media have taken the advertising and business world by storm.

This year, Pepsi has actually elected to forego its usual multi-million-dollar SuperBowl advertising campaign to focus its efforts on Facebook.

Who ever would have guessed this day would come?

In a media-saturated world, it's getting harder and harder to be heard over the cacophany of voices competing for the consumer's attention. More than ever, we need to find our audiences where they already are. We need to be up-to-the-minute in our communications with them, and to interact with them in a way that resonates with their interests and values.

Consumers have grown weary of (and numb to) the same old spiels advertisers have been spouting since God was in short pants. There are simply too many more compelling communications and marketing tools available today. In the new media environment, we have to reach people on a new level, and give them the opportunity to speak back to us.

The answer, at least for the time being, is to make social media a must-have part your business plan. How this trend will evolve over the next decade is anyone's guess, but if you're not tuned in to the world of new media, we can guarantee you're not reaching the people you need to. Just ask Pepsi.