EMARKETER BLOG — We recently spoke with Jeremy Lockhorn, the director of emerging media and video innovation at Razorfish, about best practices for approaching mobile app development and the importance of thinking about apps as part of a larger mobile marketing ecosystem. Here’s a snippet from the full interview...

WALL STREET JOURNAL — The vessel was one of about just 600 sold in 2009 by Folbot Inc., a small retailer in Charleston, S.C. " You can't buy that exposure," says the firm's co-owner, David AvRutick, who claims the incident speaks to the value of using social media for marketing. But Mr. AvRutick's experience may be the exception, rather than the norm. In its short lifetime, social media -- services like Facebook and Twitter -- have become popular marketing tools for small firms due to the low cost and easy-to-use format. Some entrepreneurs say they're highly effective, but new evidence suggests otherwise...

JUNTA42 BLOG — Two success factors: 1) Content Marketing Cannot Be About You and 2) Ship. Although this Inc. article from Joel Spolksy is geared toward entrepreneurs, it's worth the read. While I disagree with Joel's decision to discontinue his popular blog (the one that helped him launch and grow his business), the key to his commentary is this point...

IDG KNOWLEDGE HUB — I have just returned from the Bay Area where last week I moderated a panel of senior marketers on the topic of Social Media within the complex B2B marketing mix. The more I think through the potential for this area, the more excited I become about the contributions that Social Media will eventually make to marketing. What is most promising is that "Social" will help to transform marketing communications into what it should be: a two-way interaction between buyer and seller. Presently, much of our marketing communications is just the opposite: a one-way push of the vendor’s voice. But Social Media is not Marketing...Yet. Mostly, it’s a jumbled mass of dialogue with a lot of static to sort through...

PR 2.0 — One of the greatest challenges I encounter today is not the willingness of a brand to engage, but its ability to create. When blueprinting social architecture and the engineering that connects people to other people strategically, enthusiasm and support typically derail when examining the resources and the commitment required to rhythmically produce, distribute, and support content. Indeed, we are programming the social web around our brand hub and as such, we’re required to capture attention and also hold it through the introduction of engaging dialogue, interaction, and the introduction of relevant information packaged and published as social objects...