LinkedIn is one of those sites that I should use more than I do. It's loaded with information relevant to folks in all sorts of businesses and it's certainly the best place to network within an industry. This past week, LinkedIn got my attention when they launched the Professional Women's Network, Powered by Citi. That last part if very important and very obvious when you hit the landing page.

There's nothing like the spirit of competition to make a company jump on a new bandwagon. This time around it's social media as a customer service channel. Today we're looking at the results of a survey by two companies , thinkJar and Sword Ciboodle. First off, we must stop to appreciate how totally cool those names are. Doesn't everyone want to work for a company named Sword Ciboodle ? Amazing. Okay, now that I'm done fawning, let's get to the facts.

An icon is a symbol that evokes a visceral feeling when you see it. They're well-known images that nearly everyone can relate to and generally they represent the very best a category has to offer. All that may sound very grandiose when talking about advertising, but there are handful of brands that truly are American icons. You'll find most of them at the top of CoreBrand's 2011 PowerRanking Report. To build the list, CoreBrands surveyed 10,

Second-screen usage while watching TV is a growing trend. Thanks to smartphones and tablets, more people than ever are chatting with friends, playing games and syncing up for points while they watch their favorite shows. It's great publicity for the series and it's an excellent way to get viewers to engage with advertising content. So why not extend this idea to the movie theater?

Google's Street View is a very helpful tool when you're driving to a place you've never visited before. But what are we willing to give up in return for the convenience? No one wants to pay in cash for the service, so how about you turn over your web history and email instead? More than a year ago, the FCC began an investigation about the data collected by Google's Street View teams. It was learned that in addition to photographing an area,

If you've ever thought of advertising execs as naked, glistening, sword-wielding gladiators, then have I got a show for you. AMC's The Pitch is like Mad Men but without the cool clothes. each week, the series follows two real-life agencies as they meet, brainstorm, create and pitch their campaign concept hoping to win the big client. In the first episode, which airs tonight, April 30, at 9,

A surprising number of people are still confused about social media marketing. They know it's on trend and that it's probably good for business but logistically, it's still a bit of a mystery for most. EPiServer recently surveyed 250 UK marketing decision makers and their thoughts on social media marketing were all over the board. On the upside,

Nielsen just released their Top Web Brands stats for March 2012. The usual suspects made the list, but when you compare the charts to months back, you can see an interesting trend. YouTube's audience is growing " as it should. Facebook's audience is on the decline " no comment. Here's the newest data: Compared to August of last year: Facebook is still easily holding second place and they rule the world when it comes to time per person.

It's a typical day on Pinterest. 40 Ways to Tie a Scarf, romantic fashions from Ralph Lauren, Fun Cinco de Mayo pinata cookies, DIY baby pictures, and the Boston F$#% Celtics! Pinterest, it's not just for women anymore. Mashable says the NBA is stepping up their social media game in time for the 2012 playoffs. The expansion will include a Tumblr page and yes, a Pinterest page. They'll be asking fans to upload photos of their favorite places to shoot hoops.

Nearly half of all consumers surveyed said they've purchased from a brand that supports a cause on at least a monthly basis. This represents a 47% increase since 2010. Clearly, cause-related shopping is in. The 2012 Edelman goodpurpose study is an extensive look at the relationship between consumers, brands and causes. If you're even thinking about hitching your company's wagon to a cause, you should take the time to review all sections of the report.

A happy customer is a loyal customer. You probably already know that, but did you know that 89% of consumers who had a negative experience with a company switched to a competitor? What that means is you can't afford to make any mistakes when you're dealing with customers online. Look at this section from a new Monetate infographic: These numbers show that the online customer experience is supremely important when it comes to shopper loyalty and word of mouth.

The televised high speed pursuit has become an odd form of entertainment for those of us here in Southern California. Five TV networks, all with helicopters, ground units and a team of news anchors narrating every move made by some driver who thought he could outrun the police. You swear you won't watch for more than a minute and the next thing you know, two hours have gone by and you're still glued to the set. Makes you wonder who is crazier,

All hail the mighty click-through. It's the holy grail of display marketing. The action for which we are willing to pay a handsome sum every time it happens. Why? Because a click is just a step away from a conversion. Yes? A click on a book ad leads to my buying the book. A click on a restaurant coupon ad means I'm headed out to lunch. Or not?

How much do you spend on mobile in a year? Figure in the cost of data plans, apps and app upgrades, downloaded music and videos, maybe you even coughed up a buck for a ring tone? All together, and combined with the rest of the world, you're looking at a final bill of around $138.2 billion in 2012. That's up 13.4% from last year. The data comes from Strategy Analytics' Global Mobile Media Forecast and the numbers are pretty startling.

Millennials, those folks who are currently between the ages of 18 and 29, are the core of Facebook's audience . They were born into the social media era and as such, have become accustomed to checking Facebook for everything from world news to what their friends are up to. But where do they stand with Facebook brand pages, you ask? Keep on reading, because I've got the answer courtesy of Dr. Tina McCorkindale,

InMobi just released their Mobile Insights Report for Q1 2012 and they declared Apple the winner! Now, before you get on me about my obvious bias )yes, I've seen the comments and emails(, let's set this data straight. The report shows that iOS picked up 37% of all impressions coming in on InMobi's network. Android's no slacker though, as they pulled 34%. It's RIM who was left in the dust with only 7%. The chart to the right is a part of their Feb,

When you think about advertising aimed at men, you probably think beer, sports, cars and technology. But what about groceries, diapers and household cleaning products? New research from Ipsos MediaCT and Microsoft Advertising says that a man's role in the home is changing and advertisers would be smart not to ignore what's happening. Not only are they get involved with shopping, they're also spending more time sharing their opinions with friends. The results,

Facebook would like to thank everyone who took the time to carry on and complain about the recent proposed changes in their Privacy. . . I mean. . . Data Use policy. They've taken everyone's comments into consideration and now they'd like to make some changes to the changes, or at least re-explain the explanation of the changes they've changed. I believe this would be a good time to quote Billy Flynn in Chicago .

Do you still blog on behalf of your company? If you do, you're part of a dying breed. According to a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth report, corporate blogging is on the decline. Of the companies they surveyed, only 37% were blogging in 2011. That's down from 50% in 2010. If you look only at Fortune 500 companies, the percentage drops to 23%. Why are corporate blogs falling out of favor? USA Today says ,

Arby's hit a milestone this week, they passed 1 million fans on Facebook. To celebrate they made a Facebook header photo to thank each fan personally. Okay, so they can't list every name, but it's a clever idea for two reasons. First, it shows that Arby's appreciates every person who liked their page. This isn't a celebration of something the company did )"we sold 1 million sandwiches!"(, it's a celebration of something the fans did and that goes a long way.