I must confess that when we landed a project for Space Farms Zoo & Museum I behaved a bit childishly. “Yay! Space Farms. Llamas,” I exclaimed while jumping up and down.

Let me explain.

As a kid growing up in suburban New Jersey I’d heard about Space Farms and had always longed to visit. Friends who’d trekked to rural Sussex – which is 90 minutes from NYC – talked about the bears, snakes, tigers, and llamas that they’d seen and in some cases touched. (Llamas were and are my most favorite animal thanks to the book “Is Your Mama a Llama?”) Though I never actually made it to Space Farms as a child, I did get my chance when we won the business, as you can see. (That’s me + Tiny Tim.)

What we immediately learned about the brand is that my reaction’s not unique. Lots of people who grew up in the area know the name and have positive memories of the place, which was founded by Ralph and Elizabeth Space during the Great Depression, and is now being run by the fourth generation of family members.

In our work for Space Farms over the last couple months we’ve aimed to tap into these good feelings, and re-introduce old visitors to the attraction as adults so they’ll come back. We’re encouraging these folks and other influencers to spread the word about the unique rustic charm of the experience through traditional media and social media – Space Farms has an active Facebook page with thousands of followers and we’ve done targeted blogger outreach.

There are a lot of brands – Radio Flyer, Stride Rite, and Colorforms – that have strong connections to fans who grew up with them. It’s a good position to be in since those fans, who now have children of their own, are typically eager to share the experiences of their youth with their kids – a point made in this recent New York Times article.

The key for brands like these is they need to remind old loyalists they’re still around and make themselves relevant again – sometimes by embracing fans through new platforms, or by injecting new life into a vintage product. Colorforms, for example, is re-releasing an old favorite: a Michael Jackson dress up set; while Stride Rite has cultivated more than 90,000 fans on Facebook.

Nostalgia’s a strong motivator. As a child, I always wanted to kiss a llama. Check.

BlogHer’s influence has exploded since I last attended in 2006. We went to BlogHer ‘06 in San Jose when our client Weight Watchers Online agreed to be an event sponsor. That year, there were 750 attendees and the sponsors sat at small, skirted tables under a pavilion smaller than my apartment. Other than General Motors, we were really the only major consumer brand represented. This year,  there were more than 2,400 attendees and the sponsor “expo” comprised two large rooms filled with brands like Jimmy Dean, P&G, Walmart, Pepsi, McDonalds, Stride Rite and Earth’s Best, among dozens of others.

Recent BlogHer research shows blogs are growing faster than traditional websites as online destinations. Three quarters of the population are active (once a week or more) social media users vs. half of the population in 2009. Three quarters of the population are active (once a week or more) social media users vs. half of the population in 2009. Facebook is #1 among the top then media destinations, but Twitter didn’t make the cut. Twenty seven percent rely on blogs when making a purchasing decision and 34 percent rely on social media channels. Here’s a link to the full survey.

Female bloggers are making a major impact on people’s lives and even influencing legislation. Sure there are a lot of mommy bloggers out there talking about playgroups, the carpool and kid products they love (all issues that matter to me, btw). But the blogosphere is about way more than that. I went to a panel about how to build a community for a cause. The room was filled with women who are dealing with tremendous challenges and engaging with and helping others though their blogs. The panelists included voices from www.gimpgirl.com and www.violenceunsilenced.com. A few members of the audience received applause when they introduced themselves. It’s quite moving when a previously anonymous blogger introduces herself and realizes how many fans she has – like Anita Jackson from www.momsrising.com.

The jury is out on whether bloggers should criticize products or companies. I went to a panel on fashion blogging and much of the conversation was about how to work with sponsors. Interestingly, all three bloggers talked about how they sometimes approach potential sponsors with ideas, much like a traditional publication would do with advertisers. They also encouraged sponsors to approach bloggers with an open-ended conversation (i.e. “I would love to connect with you to figure out how we might work together.”) But they weren’t in agreement about how honest they should be when they don’t like a particular brand. Two felt it was better to focus on the positive so they didn’t alienate would-be sponsors. The other clearly felt her honesty is what makes her audience keep coming back. They did all agree, though, that criticizing with a diplomatic and professional voice was the only way to go.

Bloggers will consider giving editorial exposure for free products they receive, but they want to get paid by their sponsors. If a brand “mandates” the inclusion of links or a specific number of Tweets, they’d better be ready pay for it. One audience member in a brand session I attended asked the blogger panel how she could encourage bloggers to participate in a video project she was hosting. They asked if she offered to pay them. You can imagine the reaction of the room when she answered, “It’s a journalistic opportunity.” Don’t forget journalists do get paid a salary that’s funded, in part, by advertising.