While it may be kind of fun to receive a Facebook virtual gift, when you think about it, what is your friend really going to do with a virtual  or   ?  And this  is definitely not going to kill the burn of any tequila shot I’ve ever tried. While it may be cool to see that one of your friends sent you   ,  the novelty wears off after a few seconds, and knowing that they paid actual money for it kind of seems like a waste.  $10 million dollars in waste to be exact.  That’s how much Facebook users spent on virtual gifts in 2009.

This is where some savvy businesses have stepped in and realized that these virtual gifts just weren’t cutting it.

An entrepreneur in San Francisco definitely had the right idea when he invented Bartab- a Facebook and mobile phone service that allows users to send real drinks to friends.  For only $1, a Bartab user can buy a drink for a friend, redeemable at a participating bar.  The recipient gets a message with a drink ticket via text or iPhone app, which they then show to the bartender to receive their cocktail.

Not only does this idea tie in social networking, mobile, and real life, but it also brings much needed business to the participating bars.   And P.S., how cool would it be to get an actual beer from a friend as opposed to a picture of one ?! Bartab had a successful test run so is moving forward with an official SF release, and will be quickly expanding to LA and NY.  I’m just hoping it makes its way to OC…

Even big brands are getting in on the action of integrating social media with ‘real life.’   Coldstone Creamery, best know for it’s delicious customizable ice cream creations, now has a Facebook app that lets users purchase ‘virtual’ ice creams redeemable for a real like it, love it, or gotta have it cup at any store.  When someone sends the gift, it is published to their FB wall.  This way, hundreds of friends can see it and hopefully decide to send an ice cream of their own.

In a world where people are so consumed with their online networks, use their mobile phones for everything, and spend hours per day on Facebook, brands that can connect with them on all levels have a real advantage.  And tying in the social networking aspect gives it that human touch that nothing can replace.

Now, I have no idea how much ice cream the Latino market consumes, or how many mojitos they are going to be sending to one another, but the sheer numbers of Latinos online and especially in mobile should make brands stop and think about what more they could be doing.  Since Latinos are already so prevalent on social sites such as Facebook, new, innovative ideas that allow them to take social networking to the next level should be very promising.

Increasingly, brands can no longer just be

It’s becoming more and more important to have a clear and presence in both spaces, and make sure that everything works together seamlessly.

Brands that have recognized the need to establish a continual and integrated connection with their consumers both online, offline, and everything in between, will continue to stay relevant.