Companies are now becoming more innovative in these tight economic downturns, as well as giving more leadership opportunities to young executives in the workplace, who are savvy with social media.

A recent example is a small group of eight staffers within Porter Novelli, a global PR firm, averaging 26 years old, who developed the concept of Jack + Bill, an agency within an agency focusing on smaller, innovative and creative clientele. They took a 9-to-5 job and turned it into a 3-to-11 new business venture.

To select its clients, the agency held a casting call to search for talented up-and-coming New York based fashion and jewelry designers, stylists and models and selected winners to receive free representation, which includes publicity, branding, and viral marketing services leading up to New York Fashion Week. 

To promote the casting call, they used all types of social media networks and documented the process on their blog- including visits from Gossip Girl stars Penn Badgley

I recently introduced a new website that lists and honors breakthrough technology and innovative thinking: http://www.jumpintotomorrow.com. Everyday the site is updated, and everyday we hand out an award for the "Technology of the Day."  There are over 100 different technologies and innovations on the site spanning 24 different categories, from aerospace to fitness, business technology to nanotechnology with lots and lots in between. Visitors can group their interests from products they want to see and buy, to companies they can invest in to causes they want to join and more.  Because we're incredibly discerning about that which we put on the site, we hope that what's there feels more objective than subjective.  In the end, we're just trying to bring some more attention to companies and individuals doing really amazing things.