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Among the US marketers surveyed: Viral online video (e.g., use of YouTube) has registered the sharpest increase of all media platforms: 80% are using the channel in 2012, compared with 64% one year earlier. Social media use has remained nearly flat, up slightly to 90% in 2012, from 89% in 2011. Mobile marketing use is also holding steady, now at 74%, compared with 75% in 2011.

Almost three-quarters (74%) of smartphone users are what the Pew terms "connected viewers," compared to just 27% of feature phone owners. The most common reason that people turned to their phones while watching TV was to occupy themselves during ad breaks, with 38% doing so. Among other activities people did in the prior 30 days: *23% used their phone to exchange text messages with someone else who was watching the same program in a different location *22% used their phone to check whether something they heard on television was true or not *20% used their phone to visit a site that was mentioned on television *11% used their phone to see what other people were saying online about a program they were watching, and 11% posted their own comments online about a program they were watching  *6% used their phone to vote for a reality show contestant

Zeebox still hasn't launched in the US, but shortly after the London-based social TV company scored a large round of funding they're launching clickable TV ads across their platform. Their press release reads, "in a world first, UK users will be able to purchase products advertised on TV through their tablet or smartphone in real time." Zeebox seems to be one of the only major players in the UK giving them the opportunity to really build a great product in their market and then come to the US with a fine-tuned model and case studies. On the other hand, Shazam, Viggle and the other US social TV startups are working with brands to finally figure out how to make ads useful.

While Shazam for TV has continued to grow, Shazam's music footprint still has a big affect on social TV. It's no surprise that many times users take out Shazam to uncover a song they're listening to on TV. Even for a recent WWE  episode there were over 1,000 tags, without any call-to-actions on TV. The most popular songs were:  "Voices," "Break the Walls Down," "Radio" and "I Came to Play," which are the entrance anthems for:  Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Zach Ryder and The Miz, respectively. Additionally Shazam has shared with Lost Remote some of the most Shazamed songs during TV from June. British dubstep band, Nero, gained 100K tags since 7 June 2012 when the record was first used in the new ad campaign for HP dm 4 Laptop. Keeping with British acts Alex Clare's 'Too Close' gained 312K tags this month thanks to the record's inclusion in Internet Explorer ads. Some of these tags have been driven by radio, but generally we've seen that big spikes in traffic for 'Too Close' coincide with TV play. So far 'Too Close' has been tagged over 2 million times worldwide! Lumineers 'Ho Hey' scored 91K tags this month thanks to the inclusion of 'Ho Hey' in the new Bing commercial. Dire Straits 'Walk Of Life' gained 31K tags thanks to its use in a Burger King ad. TV shows also drove huge engagement this month. Suits (Caught A Ghost 'Time Go' was used and scored 12K tags) and Pretty Little Liars (The Strange Familiar 'Unwanted' 4K tags) both scored highly. The Middle East 'Blood' saw a huge rise in tags when HBO broadcast the film Crazy Stupid Love which uses the track. 'Blood' scored 29K tracks in June.

Among those turning to smartphones or tablets to track the games, online browsers will trump application usage on both devices. Of those using a smartphone who will follow the Olympics, 77 percent will tune in using a browser while 63 percent will use an app for updates. Among tablet users, 80 percent will use a browser and only 58 percent will utilize apps.

use app to decode print ads outdoors, in magazines, or videos to see what is underneath the outfit. maybe use for loreal as another way to display products used in an ad.

"Here are five lessons in the art and science of storytelling I learned by studying the pros ... 1) Adopt a newsroom mentality Make content development a core part of the way you do business - just as it is in journalism. Embed it in every department. Hire journalists just as LinkedIn, Qualcomm and others have done. Curate voices like we do on edelman.com. 2) Hand-craft your content for each venue Some companies try desperately to create singular pieces of content that can be simply be dumped in different places. That no longer works. Instead, hand-craft your content for each venue. Jonah Peretti, Buzzfeed's co-founder, summed it up best when he said: "Twitter is for your head, while Facebook is for your heart." 3) Cultivate superstars who have a POV News and information, to some degree, is commodity content - it's everywhere. Deep, thoughtful analysis, however, is in high demand. Just as the New York Times has Nate Silver and ESPN has Bill SImmons, you too can grow and cultivate rock stars who create thoughtful content with unique analytical point of view. 4) Be relentlessly data driven Speaking of Mr. Silver, if there's one thing he taught us this year it's that data rules. Follow in his footsteps in not only how you use data to inform and deliver your storytelling but also in how you measure your results. Many newsrooms, for example, now have real-time dashboards that help shape their decisions. 5) Let constraints fuel creativity Finally, it's often hard to convince management to put resources behind content until there's proven ROI. However, constraints can breed creativity. The Wall Street Journal's daytime video network, for example, was challenged to cover the Olympics without footage. So instead it creatively turned to using puppetry - and with great success. Be creative to get around constraints."

In certain locations, such as public squares, smartphone owners will be able to use an augmented reality app to project a virtual store - branded as Unlimited Yihaodian - over the top of their surroundings. Using the phone's accelerometer, customers will be able to move around digital rooms, displaying products available on Yihaodian's site, reports suggest. Account holders can then order items for delivery as they would if they were using the browser version.

BizRate Insights: "Seventy percent of Pinterest users say they use the site to get shopping inspiration, and 43 percent say they use it to associate with brands/retailers. Only 17 percent of Facebook users look for buying inspiration on Facebook, and only 24 percent say they use Facebook to connect with companies they like."

"Using addressable ads, marketers can predetermine the type of consumer who will see their commercials. In this case, Allstate is taking consumer data widely available from firms such as Experian, Epsilon and Axicom, along with subscriber information from Dish and DirecTV, and using all this to pinpoint renters. In other words, if the subscriber is a homeowner, the commercial is not supposed to appear on the TV screen. By using both DirecTV and Dish, Allstate's new-technology commercials will reach about 15 million households."

Among the findings: Overall, 29% of video service customers watch paid video content via handheld device. Some 18% of customers use tablets for viewing paid video content, making them the most-often-used handheld device, up from 11% in 2011. The use of wireless phone customers has increased to 16% in 2012, up from 14% a year earlier. Viewing of paid content via desktop and laptop (PC/Mac) has declined to 39%, down from 48% in 2011.

It may seem like an odd market to tackle, but even among young kids, tablet use is growing. A Nielsen study from earlier this year found that 70 percent of children aged 12 and under who live in a household with a tablet use said tablet. At the same time, just 15 percent were said to have used them for communicating with friends and family. That low number could provide a significant opportunity, should the right product arrive that manages to make communication functions more appealing to the tween and under 12 set.

The vast majority that clicked on ads was likely to take some action, including receiving a coupon (51%), research a product (49%) or making a purchase (46%). After coupons, ads featuring specific product searching, favorite brands, and location information were most likely to entice smartphone users to interact with them. When it comes to mobile platforms, the study found iOS users trumped Android device owners in ad responsiveness. People using iPhones and iPads were more likely to make a purchase than Android-based users. The findings, presented Monday at the IAB's Mobile Marketplace conference, were based on a survey conducted by ABI Research of 552 U.S. adults who use a smartphone with data service at least once a week, and 563 corresponding tablet users. The sample was split evenly by gender and covered those18 to 65+. The study also emphasized that mobile no longer means merely "on-the-go," with virtually all tablet and smartphone owners using their devices at home-the most common place for mobile activity. Tablets are viewed mainly as media consumption devices;  smartphones are considered "mission-critical" tools that 70% won't leave home without.

Move over, Valentine. Looks like tablet owners' favorite place to snuggle up with iPads and Kindles may be the bedroom. That's according to a recent study from Publicis Groupe agency Rosetta. Sixty-eight percent of 889 respondents said they or their families regularly use tablets in their bedroom -- more than any other location. Using tablets in the "living room while doing other things" is a close second, at 63%. Just over half of respondents said they use their tablets in the living room without other distractions.

Bronx water use will be tracked in real-time using wireless water meters

Interesting take on a takeaway from a mHealth conference, that discusses how teens used the mobile devices in ways that the marketers didn't plan for.

Electronic eyeglasses to hit the US by the end of 2010 used in daily 6.21

The percentage of adult Internet users in the US who say they use any of these platforms: Facebook: 67% Twitter: 16% Pinterest: 15% Instagram: 13% Tumblr: 6% Reddit: 6%