Total US mobile and social media revenues—including business and consumer content, access, and advertising and marketing—reached $45.38 billion in 2011, up 30.2% from a year earlier, according to new data from PQ Media. more

Consumers use various digital devices—smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers—at many points along the purchase path, from researching product information and pricing to finding retail outlets or completing transactions electronically, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos for Google, which explores consumers' shopping behaviors during the 2011 holiday season. more

More than one-half (55%) of social media users in the US say they are uncomfortable sharing credit card information with a known brand via secure payment on a social networking site such as Twitter or Facebook, according to a new survey from Digitas. more

You've heard it said that who you are in social media is an extension of "who" your brand is. But how do you establish a voice on platforms where your brand has never been heard? Mashable interviewed the five social media voices behind some of the most successful brands in media ... more

The Super Bowl is the one telecast that guarantees viewers will watch the commercials. So, why didn't these five Super Bowl ads increase engagement by adding mobile calls to action? more

Want to grow your SMS and email marketing lists? Your social media fans and followers—who've already demonstrated their interest in you—are the perfect targets. Learn five steps for converting your social fans to subscribers. more

Fully 40% of all US mobile subscribers, or 97.9 million people, owned a smartphone during the three months ended December 2011, as Google Android expanded its dominance in the market and Apple gained ground among handset manufacturers, according to data from the comScore MobiLens service. more

Tumblr has become a go-to spot for building social presence. Fashion brands and others are realizing it's a great medium for quickly and easily spreading content—particularly images. Might Tumblr be the engine to boost your social growth in 2012? Depends on how you answer the burning question: Is Tumblr right for ... more

QR codes can be inexpensive to implement and can provide you a measureable return on investment—if you use them correctly. Learn five invaluable tips for implementing an effective QR code campaign. more

Some 12.6% of total website traffic was generated via mobile device in the fourth quarter of 2011, up 102% from the 6.3% a year earlier, and Android was the top smartphone OS during the period, accounting for nearly half of mobile traffic to websites, according to the Walker Sands Quarterly ... more

In 2011, mobile shopping increased and iPad tablet conversion rates soared. Are you prepared for the growing mobile and tablet retail environment? Learn seven key trends that will dominate 2012. more

Only 9% of senior-level marketers say traditional ad agencies are doing a good job of evolving and extending service capabilities in the digital age, according to a study by the CMO Council. Moreover, such firms are likely to be challenged by specialized digital marketing providers in 2012. more

The integration of social media and business has come of age: 38% of CEOs now label it a high priority, and 57% of businesses plan to hike their social media spend in 2012 (Booz Allen/Buddy Media). As the use of social media advances across the business spectrum, Edelman's David Armano has ... more

Tech brands Microsoft and Motorola generated the most Twitter buzz at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held January 10-13 in Las Vegas, each accounting for 5% of #CES-tagged Twitter mentions during the annual event, according to a study by Simply Measured. more

Among the various digital shopping channels available to consumers today, when discovering new products, most online shoppers prefer to use websites via PC or laptop or browser-based mobile sites via smartphone rather than mobile apps, according to a new study by Zmags. more

"While Google has ended its Realtime Search deal with Twitter, search engines are still using social media sites for ranking purposes," says Jillian Stira at the Scholes Marketing blog. And Twitter remains a critical part of your search strategy, she notes: "Twitter has pulled ahead of many other social media platforms, ... more

Recently, Google+ granted companies the ability to launch brand pages. Its stated goal in doing so was to help users build relationships with any company they "care about." As Google's SVP-Engineering Vic Gundotra describes it, "behind every page (or storefront, or four-door sedan) is a passionate group of individuals, and ... more

Some 89.6 million Americans used their mobile phone to access email for work or personal purposes during the three-month period ended November 2011, up 28% (19.5 million) from the 70.1 million who did so a year earlier, according to comScore Data Mine. more

Despite Android's firm grip on the smartphone market, Apple's iOS is expected to reap the benefits of increasing consumer demand in smartphones over the next six months, according to a new report by Yankee Group. more

Social consumers—people who are active on various social networking sites—use mobile devices broadly in their social activities, such as checking in with social networking sites, sharing content, playing games, and finding deals, according to a study by the Pivot Conference. more

One of the best times to use mobile marketing is during a live event. But marketers often make mistakes at events that hinder their success. Here are five mobile engagement blunders to avoid at your next event. more

Over the years, personal branding has proven to be an effective technique for enabling career success. But how we build our brands is evolving. Learn six personal branding trends for 2012 that'll help keep you ahead of the pack. more

There are many ways to produce an attention-getting video, but much of it still feels like alchemy. Lucky for us, Stephanie Buck has pinned eight tricks for brands to try—ones that have made other vids big hits. "Today's consumer loves quirk, something different that he can catchphrase or hashtag," she writes. ... more

Brand managers are split on the current state of social marketing in their organizations: 50.8% say marketing via social media is already mainstream or will become so by the end of 2012, but nearly an equal proportion (49.2%) say social marketing will likely still be characterized by continued experimentation by ... more

This holiday season, leading brands are capitalizing on the mobile boom. Is your brand following suit? If your brand hasn't quite cracked the mobile code yet, learn four quick points (with takeaways) that'll help you win at the shelf. more