In the world of advertising, two common principles about social media have always been enforced: Social media is connecting people closer than ever and it is crucial for any advertising strategy.

Ironically, I saw no better evidence of these statements than when watching the events of the American League Championship Series game two unfold in Boston.

As the bullpen cop Steve Horgan watched the outstretched glove of Torii Hunter narrowly miss catching David Ortiz’s game tying grand slam, he reacted the same way everyone else in Fenway did: He put his hands up in triumph and went nuts because the Red Sox had just tied the game.

What Horgan could not have guessed is that this pose would become a social media sensation overnight.

After Ortiz’s grand slam, it took less than two innings for Horgan to transform from a 27-year Boston Police Department veteran into a new celebrity. The video went viral, memes were made and the hash tag “Horganing” referring to his famous pose was created on Twitter. After the game, Horgan even got his picture taken with Red Sox owner John Henry.

Then, when closer Koji Uehara delivered the final out to clinch the World Series, the Red Sox, along with Steve Horgan, ran out on the field to celebrate their first World Series win at home since 1918. As I saw Horgan popping bottles with the team, it was hard not to wonder how this man’s life had changed so quickly.

Would this man have been famous without social media?

My guess is probably not. But that is what is so great about social media. It can develop and spread a very miniscule idea. After all, social media took one man out of the 37,400 fans at Fenway and put him on a worldwide pedestal.

This power of social media is one that some of the biggest agencies and brands in the country are starting to embrace. They love it because the public essentially tells advertisers exactly what they like at the exact time it happens.

With the fans putting such enthusiasm and excitement behind the “Horganing” trend, Gillete has decided to take advantage of this phenomenon and integrate it into its advertising.

On Monday, David Ortiz, Shane Victorino and Steve Horgan, along with one lucky fan, will go into the Gillette World Shaving Headquarters lobby and shave their iconic beards, which they had been growing out since the start of the playoffs.

With this move, Gillette is able to release a brand new promotion that already has popularity and a huge following.

“Horganing” is not the first pose to be turned into a phenomenon by the public and media. First there was “Tebowing,” the pose made famous by Tim Tebow that involves getting on one knee and holding your hand to your head.

Then there was “Dufnering,” coined by PGA Tour player Jason Dufner, which essentially involves sitting on your butt and looking bored. All of these poses started as nothing more than a habit or a celebration.

For whatever reason, people found them amusing and they took off on social media and eventually were turned into promotions.

The main difference with these promotions/advertisements is that they have to be developed quickly. Advertisers do not have weeks to go through a process — they have days. The key to turning popular trends into advertisements is acting on them and releasing them before people forget.

While ad agencies have only just started to recognize the correlation between current trends and advertising, I have no doubt that this relationship will continue to increase, as it provides agencies with easy access to primary research.

With this growing practice, whether it’s “Tebowing,” “Dufnering” or “Horganing,” you can expect to see a lot more of your humor and personality become commercial sensations.

Bram Berkowitz is a senior advertising and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at [email protected].

Published on November 7, 2013 at 1:38 am