Hulu Plus Comes to Nintendo 3DS, Wii
Alex Kenney

Hulu Plus will be available on Nintendo 3DS and Wii consoles by the end of the year, and 3DS owners will also be able to record up to 10 minutes of 3-D video by the end of November. With the addition of Hulu Plus to the Wii, the subscription-only version of the popular video site is now on all three major gaming console platforms, joining PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Personalized Ads Boost Branding, But Some Categories Should Use Caution
Jill Krumsick

According to a recent study by travel site Kayak, personalized video ads can have a positive, brand-boosting effect for advertisers – a 37% lift in purchase intent, 73% lift in brand loyalty and 100% lift in favorability. While these ads were positively received, there is some skepticism about personalization online – check out this article to learn with which industries consumers feel comfortable with personalized media.

Infographic: The Most Valuable Digital Consumers
Sarah Voges

An understanding of the consumer and how they are influenced by social, mobile and local experiences online is vital to big brands looking to reach them on the Web. Nielsen and NM Incite illustrate some findings that highlight digital consumer behaviors and consumption patterns that can help advertisers understand their most valuable customers and how they’re engaging across social, local and mobile.

Following Brands on Twitter Increases Purchase Intent
Colin Hogan

People who follow brands on Twitter are more likely to both buy and recommend those brands’ products, according to a recent study of online consumer behavior. The study, conducted by Constant Contact and research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey, analyzed the behavior of 1,491 consumers ages 18 and older throughout the U.S. The study found that 60% of brand followers are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after following the brand on Twitter, and 50% of brand followers are more likely to buy from that brand.

Google Expands Mobile Ad Formats for Local Search and Apps
Scott Luther

Last week Google revealed its expanded lineup of mobile ad formats, including updates as to how it will handle local search and several new ways to monetize the growing amount of time people spend with mobile apps. Google search marketers can now purchase in-app display ads for apps featuring a search function and, further, app developers can now direct paid search results to open a page in a previously downloaded app.

Don’t Change the Dial, Check Your Email Instead
Brian Kress

No surprise that people watch TV at the same time as they play with their iPhones and iPads. A new study from Nielsen says that 40% of couch potatoes are simultaneously multiscreening every day – and the interesting thing is what people are doing. The most likely behavior isn’t looking up products in ads or checking on where you’ve seen that one actor before; instead, the most likely behavior is totally unrelated to the programming: checking email.

Online Music Listeners Still Prefer to Own Their Music
Scott Luther

More than half of music listeners prefer to buy digital or physical copies of their music, narrowly edging out free streaming options for preferred method in a September 2011 survey. Free online streaming services were seen as a music discovery tool, allowing users to sample new music without having to buy, rather than a replacement for digital downloads.

BlackBerry Outage a New Threat to RIM’s Smartphone Brand
Colin Hogan

The longest BlackBerry outage in many years left customers outraged last week, threatening to cost the granddaddy of all smartphones more business when it’s already struggling to keep up in a crowded marketplace. The three-day blackout interrupted email and Internet services for tens of millions of frustrated users and inflicted more damage on an already tarnished brand.

Microsoft Announces Formal Completion of Skype Deal
Alex Kenney

Announced back in May, the deal for Microsoft to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion is finally completed. Skype’s current products will continue to be offered, and Microsoft plans to integrate Skype’s technology into its services such as Xbox Live and VideoKinect. Skype Chief Executive Tony Bates will now be president of the new business division of Skype within Microsoft, reporting to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

What Role Will Mobile Play this Holiday Season
Sarah Voges

Because of increasing numbers of smartphone users – eMarketer forecasts a 50% increase in penetration for 2011 – this could be the year that mobile makes a dent in holiday sales. The growing popularity of tablets, which can approximate browsing a catalog, appears to be an influence.

What Do Facebook Fans Want from a Brand Page?
Jill Krumsick

They want exclusive content! A new study from ExactTarget shows both positive and negative consumer expectations of liking a brand page, and while fans don’t want to share their personal information, 58% of fans expect exclusive content and discounts for liking a brand page.

Sprint to Cover 120 Million People with 4G LTE Next Year
Alex Kenney

Sprint Nextel plans to cover more than 120 million people with its own 4G LTE network by the end of 2012 and more than 250 million people a year later, according to a CNET report. Sprint plans to launch its first LTE device by midsummer 2012.

Netflix Abandons Plan to Split DVD Services
Colin Hogan

Netflix Inc. announced Monday that it was reversing a plan announced only weeks ago to split its DVD-by-mail and streaming video services. CEO Reed Hastings announced on September 18 that the company’s movies-by-mail service would be rebranded as Qwikster and would add video games to its catalog, while the Netflix brand would be dedicated to streaming video.

Facebook Bolsters Page Insights, Unveils New Ad Unit
Sarah Voges

Facebook today is unveiling an overhaul of its Page Insights product as well as a new ad unit called “Premium Ad Product,” which is designed to promote certain page posts.

Amazon Enters the Tablet Market
Colin Hogan

Amazon unveiled three new products at a press event in New York on Wednesday, including its much-anticipated first tablet computer, the Kindle Fire. The 7-inch touchscreen utilizes the power of Amazon’s cloud for faster web browsing and multimedia. It’s based on the Android OS, but doesn’t look or feel like an Android device. It’s an Amazon device, with its own app store and a radically cheap $199 price tag.

Couch Commerce Changing Black Friday
Luke Lancaster

Kicking off the highly anticipated U.S. holiday shopping season will be “couch commerce,” whereby tablet and smartphone users will be able to shop on their couches from their post-turkey-induced comas. A recent ZDNet survey shows the changing trends of Black Friday with 46% of consumers planning to make mobile purchases this holiday season.

Google Analytics Adds Real-Time Data
Scott Luther

For the first time, users will be able to view real-time analytics about site performance through Google Analytics. This tool will allow marketers to identify site traffic sources in real time to help determine a post’s or campaign’s performance. Additionally, Google announced the availability of a paid analytics service, Google Analytics Premium, granting users access to additional processing power and advanced analysis for $150,000 a year.

Facebook Revamps Profiles with “Timeline”
Colin Hogan

At the 2011 f8 Conference last week, Facebook announced major revisions to the aesthetic of the site. This new version is based around the idea of a personal “timeline” rather than the standard profile pages that users have become used to.

Google+ Open to Public, Experiences Massive Growth
Scott Luther

Despite Facebook stealing most headlines this week, Google+ made strides by becoming available to the public without the need for an invite. Promoting this change, Google’s social network placed animated ads on the Google home page to drive users to check out Google+. Third-party analytics show that Google+ now has 43.5 million users, growing 30% a day in the days leading up to Facebook’s announcement.

Marketers, Agencies and Publishers Working on New Standards for Web Measurement
Brian Kress

The ANA, IAB and 4As are working together to fix the broken online measurement structure. In launching a new effort titled “3MS,” short for “Making Measurement Make Sense,” the collection of trade organizations is aiming to create new standards for how digital advertising is measured, bought and sold to better align it in ways comparable with other media.

iPad Still Rules, Android Stumbles
Alex Kenney

According to a new Gartner forecast, the iPad will remain king of the tablet market, projected to account for nearly three-quarters of tablet sales this year and more than half through 2014. The forecast also lowers its estimate for Android tablets this year, because of high prices and a lack of compelling models. Besides Apple’s iOS, no other platform will claim more than 5% of tablet sales in 2011.

Facebook Creates New Relationship Opportunities with “Subscribe”
Luke Lancaster

Facebook users now can “subscribe” to follow the public updates of others, regardless of whether they’re Facebook friends. While this Twitter-style asymmetrical relationship isn’t available for brands yet, it allows people to use their profiles to build a following outside their personal connections.

Netflix Renames DVD-by-Mail Service, Adds Video Games
Colin Hogan

Netflix is rebranding its 12-year-old movies-by-mail service as Qwikster and adding video games to its catalog, Reed Hastings, the company’s CEO, announced Sunday night. The web-streaming portion will continue to be called Netflix.

Google Opens Up Plus with First API Release
Scott Luther

Google has announced the first API access for Google+ this week, allowing developers to include data from the search giant’s social platform in third-party applications. While this release is acknowledged as the first of several, currently only publicly available data will be accessible. The strict controls over user information reflect Google’s position of protecting privacy rights across Google+.

Affluents Cautious on Luxury Spending
Alex Kenney

While most forecasters expect solid growth in online sales this holiday season, luxury researcher Unity Marketing reports that Q2 2011 consumer confidence levels were down, with the firm’s “Luxury Consumption Index” at its lowest point in two years. Looking to reach this target? Try mobile and online video. Affluent U.S. consumers also increased the amount of time they spend on the Internet each week by five hours between 2010 and 2011, to 30.3 hours.

How the Media Used Digital Technology to Tell the Story of 9/11
Sarah Voges

With the growth of digital and mobile technology and social media, how we respond to national events has evolved significantly in the past 10 years. This past weekend, we saw how that same digital evolution has changed how we continue to process and remember the events of September 11, 2001.

Despite Downloading Many, Tablet Users Only Use a Few Apps
Brian Kress

Recent research from GfK on the MRI panel shows that increased tablet app downloads do not necessarily result in greater consumer app usage. In fact, among the iPanel respondents who own a tablet and have downloaded between one and nine apps on their device, 95% say they regularly use those apps. In contrast, only 37% of owners who have 10 or more apps on their device regularly use this many apps, while only 16% who have 20 or more apps on their device regularly use this many.

Google Buys Restaurant Review Service Zagat
Colin Hogan

Google is throwing significant muscle into its new focus on local businesses: It has acquired reviews behemoth Zagat for an undisclosed sum, the company said Thursday. “[Zagat's] iconic pocket-sized guides…were ‘mobile’ before ‘mobile’ involved electronics,” Marissa Mayer, Google’s head of local and location services, wrote in a blog post announcing the deal. “Zagat will be a cornerstone of our local offering,” Mayer said, adding that Zagat content will enhance Google search and Google Maps.

Daily Deals Infographic by the Numbers: Who’s Using What and How
Alex Kenney

According to recent research by Lab42, there are 660 online deals sites, but some doubt the sustainability of the business model. Click through for a full infographic on how 500 daily deals users surveyed are currently using deals. One interesting stat? 61% have let a deal expire before redeeming it.

Tumblr Dominates Posterous in Blogging Traffic
Scott Luther

ReadWriteWeb analysis shows that the light blogging service Tumblr has extended its lead over the more traditional Posterous to new heights. Tumblr’s traffic has grown over the last year from 100 million monthly visits to over 300 million, while Posterous currently has around 11 million visits per month. Although the two services feature different formats and have experienced different growth patterns, both services are enormously popular and still growing.

Breaking Down Demographics for Social Media Power Users
Scott Luther

Pew Internet and American Life Project has released new data that show 65% of online adults are active on social networks, and unsurprisingly show that among Internet users, social networking sites are most popular with women and young adults under age 30. Young adult women ages 18-29 are the power users of social networking; 89% of those who are online use social networking sites and 69% do so daily.

Pandora Represents 3.6% of All Radio Listening in the U.S.
Colin Hogan

In its first earnings announcement as a publicly traded company, Pandora revealed that its Internet radio service now accounts for approximately 3.6% of all radio listening in the U.S. That’s based on the roughly 1.8 billion hours its 100+ million users spent listening to the service during the second quarter, which was up 125% from the same period in the previous year.

Facebook Launches Ad Targeting by Topic
Sarah Voges

Facebook recently added the ability to target advertisements by topic. Rather than targeting users that like a specific page, advertisers can simultaneously target all users that like any variation of a word or phrase. For example, rather than just targeting fans of Lady Gaga, by selecting the #Lady Gaga topic, an ad will also be shown to fans of any unofficial pages for the musician, such as “I heart Lady Gaga.”

Apple’s Most Popular Ad on the Web Isn’t “1984″
Brian Kress

Apple’s most-watched ad of all time is not the iconic “1984″ Super Bowl commercial, as most people would guess. Instead, it’s the six-minute video that introduced FaceTime for the iPhone 4. According to Visible Measures, which tracks total viewership of online videos, the video for Apple’s iPhone 4 FaceTime has 17.3 million total views across different sites, while the “1984″ ad comes in second at 10.3 million views.