EMARKETER — Marketers going after moms on social networks such as Facebook know by now that users rarely embrace ads in environments where they are focused on socializing with friends. Data from lucid marketing and Lisa Finn shows that most mom Facebook users feel neutral about ads on the social network, compared with about 36% who actively disliked them. Only a tiny percentage of respondents reported liking ads on Facebook...

INSIDE FACEBOOK — Pharmaceutical companies have begun creating a presence on Facebook characterized by control and caution. Why? Despite unclear regulations in the U.S. governing their presence online, they may still be penalized for marketing materials on the Internet. The result is, in terms of their Facebook marketing content, a mixed bag of sometimes disingenuous Pages and Groups, fluffy applications and tightly-controlled discussions...

MASHABLE — Last year Dunkin’ Donuts’ "Create Dunkin’s Next Donut" contest was a huge success, generating more than 130,000 donut submissions and 174,000 votes. In celebration of its 60th birthday, Dunkin’ Donuts is doing it all over again. Through March 8, 2010, anyone can create their own custom virtual donut — with imagination and available ingredients being the only limitations. Donut submissions will be judged based on use of ingredients, donut name and the story behind the creation...

HUBSPOT INBOUND INTERNET MARKETING BLOG — Public relations firm Edelman recently released its 2010 Trust Barometer, which highlights some findings regarding social media marketing that may shock you. According to the latest survey, the number of people who view their friends and peers as credible sources of information about a company has dropped from 45% in 2008 to 25% in 2010, decreasing almost by half! I don't know about you, but as social media continues to be a marketing hot topic, I've seen a lot of discussion emphasizing the importance of company/product referrals and word of mouth marketing. So do these findings about the decline in peer-to-peer trust completely undermine the power of referrals?...

THREE MINDS ON DIGITAL MARKETING — Brand advocacy is a term that is thrown around a lot within the social media spectrum. Conversations usually center on finding brand advocates who will serve as a social media lightning rod and generate an avalanche of user-generated content from a community based on their actions. Marketers are just as likely to find these mythical advocates as they are to track down Big Foot riding a unicorn. Igniting a social media avalanche does benefit greatly by finding exceptional advocates; however, marketers can't simply rely on finding the right catalysts to spark success. Here are five myths brands need to free themselves from before they can deploy a successful brand advocacy program...

ALL FACEBOOK — It seems like just yesterday that upon launch of the Facebook Application Directory, the very few outspoken proponents of the new app world pondered when big brands would jump in to the space. Back then in 2007, one of the first big brand sponsorships ever announced was when HP decided to jump on board with the "Graffiti" application in late 2007. Well, they’re back again, this time with a snowboarding game. The introduction video will have you as excited as you could possibly get about a Facebook applications...

INSIDE THE MARKETERS STUDIO — My friend Jeremy Epstein, who happens do so a fair amount of marketing for authors and is a great writer in his own right at the blog Never Stop Marketing, just came out with a great, brief read a little longer than his usual entries. Go figure - weeks ago I convinced him to add it to Scribd for easily downloading and of course I then didn't have time to write it up. The overall concept is to think like a dandelion to get your message to 'go viral.' It's hardly the only analogy in here - rather than getting too literal with the floral motif, he pulls in lessons from Johanes Gutenberg, Karl von Clausewitz, Microsoft Research, and then the Cluetrain Manifesto for good measure...