One thing the holiday season taught us was how wonderful it is when things come together. Be it family, friends, or that perfect new television and blue ray combo set you got on black Friday, convergence can be an amazing thing.

Years ago when the technology was new, social media lived in its own world completely detached from the physical. Tweets, Facebook posts, and the like were off in their own little world, segregated from the physical world around us. There remained a digital-physical gap.

But that gap closes more and more every day, and smart marketers are building the bridges to make it happen. For example, Facebook and Groupon offer “Nearby” apps, which allow users to find in GPS-based directories lists of services and companies nearby and receive coupons to use at these companies.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts offers a similar app called “The Preferred Guest Program.” This app allows customers to find their hotels, read comments left by past customers, and book rooms. The app also helps enhance the experience of traveling by giving customers information about recommended sights and restaurants. This generates a stronger, more intimate relationship between the customer and their hotel brand.

The bridge between the digital and physical doesn’t end with apps. Many companies these days are throwing technology-enhanced events where customers interact with technology and the real world to experience products in a whole new dimension. Audi created its first interactive technology-enhanced event, “Audi City”, where customers can create custom cars on a tablet, then view the finished product on a giant screen.

This new trend of mixing the digital and physical has also carried over into the boating industry. Boat salesmen are able to use iPads to provide customers with a whole new experience consisting of video tutorials and digital fact sheets. This helps both the salesman and the customer communicate more effectively about the products in a new, exciting way.

Has your brand created a bridge between the digital and the physical? Or do you keep these worlds separate?