There are a lot of products and brands generating buzz for the holiday season. But this year, it's the way the buzz is being generated that's attracting considerable media and consumer scrutiny. Many of the year's hottest products and websites are employing new and creative social media tactics to reach and engage the buying public.

In September 2007, my company, Oneupweb, took a look at 12 of the most talked about products and/or retailers for the upcoming holiday shopping season to see how each was, or was not, using social media to improve holiday sales. Besides identifying effective social media tactics, the study will serve as a benchmark for future examination of evolving trends and strategies. 

Findings
Each of the "hot" products we profiled had creatively and extensively used social media, while not all of their competitors had followed suit. From blogs, podcasts, interactive video tours and consumer-generated content of all kinds to entire social networks and virtual worlds, these companies have been strategically generating and marketing their holiday buzz in creative new ways. Take a look at some examples (the complete study can be downloaded at Oneupweb.com).

Author notes: Lisa Wehr is CEO and founder of Oneupweb, an integrated online marketing firm. Read full bio.