Still wondering how much weight Facebook carries in today’s marketing? Well, Vitamin Water recently turned to Facebook and its users to let them decide and vote on the next, new flavor to launch for their line of drinks. After much debate, and attention, the new flavor was recently announced. Called “Connect,” the new black cherry-lime flavor will even display the Facebook logo on the bottle. Now that’s teamwork. By actively involving Facebook users in the flavor contest, the campaign generated the excitement and hype that the folks at Vitamin Water were hoping to achieve.

With the number of users and visits on Facebook growing everyday, it’s safe to say that it has become a powerful marketing tool and medium for companies to generate buzz and excitement for their products and services and to get the attention of loyal customers and even gain new ones.

Here’s a sample of how other companies have used Facebook in their promotional efforts.

• Pepsi’s Refresh Project Uses Facebook to Award Millions to Charity
• Universal Handing Out Free Blu-Ray Movies To Facebook Fans
• 2010 Census Turns to Facebook to Maximize Impact, Reach Young Adults
• IKEA’s Genius Use of Photo Tagging in Facebook
• Mexican Government Uses Facebook to Combat Tourism Declines

With its site offering a platform where companies are reinventing the standards of marketing, Facebook clearly has become more than just a “social” network. Is your company harnessing that power?