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"Austin, Texas-based rental car service Silvercar will offer streamlined operations, a seamless smartphone user interface, and only one type of vehicle: silver 2013 Audi A4s. Customers can book reservations through a smartphone app, which will also let them manage personalized vehicle settings and preferences. They will be able to choose and unlock their rental car by scanning it with their phone."

"So, how does a Facebook mobile ad network solve this problem? Easy: Evernote allows its users to sign-up using their Facebook account.  Facebook takes this user ID, and checks the cookies the same user's browser had last time he or she logged into Facebook or visited one of the pages tracked by Facebook's data partners. Facebook then takes the anonymized data about this user (really, many similar users) and sells Evernote ad inventory to advertisers trying to reach that kind of user. If the Facebook mobile ad network works out, it is a big, positive development for several constituencies: Advertisers, who will be able to reach customers on mobile, a platform that is going to be bigger than desktop by the end of the decade. App developers, who will be able to monetize through targeted advertising. Users, who will have more and better apps to use because there will be a better financial for developers to make them."

Microsoft will roll out the new music streaming service to many customers on Tuesday as part of an update to the Xbox gaming console he service will let users stream more than 30 million tracks worldwide across Microsoft's ecosystem of Windows 8 mobile devices and PCs, as well as the Xbox. Think of it as Microsoft's in-house version of Spotify.

"More than a third (36%) of rich media full-page ads used video, and 28% of campaigns used in-banner video in Q2 and Q3. Interaction rates for custom buttons in that ad format -- for getting more information or viewing photos or video, for example -- ranged from 2.2% to 10.8%. For rich full-page ads, Rhythm says adding a mini video player boosts interaction rates for the units by 30%, to 3.8% to 12%."

"How can brands do a better job of fostering these relationships so that they're at the forefront of consumer's minds? 1. Develop a great product. Not to resuscitate the Mac vs. PC argument, but there's a reason many people aren't hesitant to recommend their MacBook or iPhone to a friend. 2. Facilitate social sharing. Brands need to be engaged with consumers via social media, and brands need product sites and marketing programs that facilitate seamless social sharing. 3. Create sampling programs to reach digital consumers. Many influential digital consumers are eager to discuss their love of specific products and brands. Marketers need to reach and engage them in innovative ways, such as via sampling programs, contests, coupons. 4. Get game. Brand can introduce game element through badges, achievements, and prizes to turn their consumers to brand ambassadors and engage them in a fun way."

""We've indexed 52 billion unique connections," says Patton, "So when you go to Atlanta it's customized to you. We can personalize everything to you as an individual user as it happens.""

" The interactive product will be based at www.bravotv.com/playlive, and on the Bravo Now app. Bravo details exactly what to expect in the official announcement: Live voting results are shown on-air, changing in real time during the broadcast as the audience reacts to what's happening in the show. Fans can cast votes, deciding who's hot, who's not, and an array of other interactive questions customized to what's happening on screen. For example, when the experience rolls out to other Bravo programming, questions such as, 'Which chef would you choose to cook dinner for you?' or 'Who will bring the most drama this season - the housewives…or their husbands!' could appear on screen."

"Facebook is now the second biggest server of online video, behind YouTube. Although Facebook is a distant second to YouTube, that's still huge progress. Facebook now shows more video than Yahoo!, Vevo, Microsoft, AOL and everyone else. Facebook has a partnership with Nielsen, to develop "Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings" (OCR), which measure the audience for Facebook ad campaigns in a similar way to how Nielsen measures TV audiences, by reach and frequency. The result is that it is now a lot easier for big advertisers to compare their TV ROI with their Facebook ROI. Facebook has a partnership with Datalogix, a consumer data company. It allows advertisers - particularly big packaged goods companies like Procter & Gamble and Unilever - to target their own customers with ads inside Facebook, and to compare those campaigns against control groups that did not see them, and thus calculate exactly how many sales any Facebook campaign created."

"The brand identified company-created and fan-created accounts. The results of that first audit: 232 Facebook pages, along with roughly 100 YouTube channels and 30 Twitter accounts. A case was made for why individual markets would gain fans and views if they eliminated local accounts in favor of global Reebok accounts. Some markets were hesitant. To get them onboard, Mr. Bahl allowed test posts on the global Facebook page and illustrated how related-video recommendations can juice views on YouTube. Markets such as Hong Kong quickly realized their customers were already gravitating toward global accounts. Some local accounts, like India's Facebook page, with nearly 1.8 million fans, remain in place. Reebok whittled its overall social presence by roughly half in that first audit as it rolled up the majority of company-created accounts to focus on three Facebook pages, two Twitter accounts and one YouTube channel. It left fan-created content untouched. The brand also established a broader communications strategy, defining who could use trademarks to create accounts and for what purpose. A second audit is now taking place, with the goal of further streamlining Reebok's social-media presence by the end of the year -- just in time for 2013 product launches."

"Walmart began recruiting top Silicon Valley talent and acquiring start-ups last year. For instance, Walmart acquired Kosmix, a company that specializes in making web design more seamless, for $300 million. That team has been working for over a year to fix Walmart's systems and improve its website.  Walmart is investing in the "social gifting" market. A year ago, Walmart launched "Shopycat," which makes gift recommendations based on friends' Facebook profiles. The site is now called "Walmart Gifts" and allows customers to log in and get personalized recommendations based on Facebook and Twitter profiles.  The retailer got a better search engine. A dozen top engineers took 10 months to build it, and while the company won't discuss sales figures, they said the new system is more user-friendly. "If you search for cotton socks now, you'll actually find them," Manjoo writes.  Walmart is trying to lead the charge in same-day shipping. Its at an advantage considering that 96 percent of Americans live within 20 miles of a Walmart.  Walmart is investing like crazy in its mobile app. "Walmart imagines that as you go through an average day, you'll remember things you need--milk, bread, a new tennis racquet, a toy truck for your nephew's birthday--and tell the voice-enabled Walmart app. The app will list each item's location inside your local Walmart and include product info; eventually, it will also learn your preferences and offer recommendations. And once you're actually in the store, you'll be able to summon an associate to help you," Manjoo says. "

"News agency Reuters reports that Staples in the U.S. agreed to install Amazon Lockers. Similar to BufferBox, Amazon's service sends customers an email with a pickup code they enter on a touchscreen to open the self-serve locker containing the package. Shoppers have three days from delivery to pick up the package."

"Facebook might have found a way to get people to use a long-neglected feature: check-ins, where you announce to your friends where you are. It is testing a new service that offers local businesses free Wi-Fi through a router. To get online, customers must either check in using Facebook or get a passcode."

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.

Zappix aims to replace voice menus with a web-based visual option that determines the best department to connect them to before initiating the call.

When the weather becomes a hot topic on Twitter, the Weather Channel will try to seize the moment with some custom content thanks to a new deal with Twitter. The idea is to draw third-party advertisers to sponsor the content. Under the ESPN deal, for instance, Ford inserted a pitch for its Fusion before replays of college football instant replays tweeted by ESPN. Here, a hurricane, for instance, might be a sponsorship opportunity for insurers like State Farm, which tried its hand at various forms of digital advertising during Hurricane Sandy last year. Other current TWC advertisers include Scott's, Jeep and L.L. Bean. **Could be something for Pennington. Sponsor good spring weather.**

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