Rovio announced the release of Angry Birds Blast on iOS and Android. Developed in collaboration with MYBO, the puzzle game challenges users to save the Angry Birds, who have been trapped inside balloons. Each level in Angry Birds Blast challenges users to complete a different objective before…

Looking to buy someone a book for the holidays? Facebook’s #ReadToLead campaign may be able to help. Strategic partner managers Craig Mullaney and Erin Murray Manning said in a Facebook Media blog post that the social network’s #ReadToLead campaign was aimed at connecting influencers with readers,…

Disney-ABC Television Group became the latest media giant to ink a pact with Snapchat. The programmer will create original series for the messaging application, starting with Watch Party: The Bachelor, which will debut Tuesday, Jan. 3, following the season premiere of reality-competition series The…

For brands to stay relevant in our fast-paced, mobile and multi-channel world, they must show more value, more novelty, and more values than ever before. The traditional marketing of old — TV commercials, catalogs and most importantly word of mouth, are still very relevant today. Consumer attention,…

Gardenscapes – New Acres from Playrix was named Facebook’s 2016 Game of the Year. Engineering manager Calvin Grunewald revealed the social network’s 2016 Games of the Year in a blog post , saying of Gardenscapes – New Acres: A new launch on Facebook web this year, the game combines simulation…

In the eternal fight for dominance in the application space, there is tension between communication apps and media consumption apps for mobile user attention. While users seem to consume a lot of news through social media, the reality may be more shallow than it appears . A report from Flurry…

Sometimes words just aren’t enough–thank goodness for iOS emojis . It’s hard to imagine communicating without the aid of these colorful little icons that so effortlessly convey tone and inject a little whimsy into everyday conversations. It’s no surprise, then, that nearly 37 percent of adults use…

In SEO’s never-ending evolution, algorithms are continually assessing different elements to determine where brands rank. I remember the time, “back in the day,” when you could often get ahead with only rudimentary SEO tactics like keywords stuffing, e-zine posting, and even article spinning. Oh, but…

The Dallas Cowboys continued their National Football League season-long dominance on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social marketing firm Unmetric analyzed all of the NFL teams on the three social networks from Nov. 29 through Dec. 19, using its cross-channel reports , and it found that the…

Analytics. Data science. Words and phrases like these tend to conjure up imagery of guys in thick glasses poring over stacks of spreadsheets with the smell of stale coffee permeating the office. But today’s data and analytics teams couldn’t be farther from the caricatures that we make of them. And…

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but words are still worth something to Facebook. The social network Tuesday announced the introduction of Live Audio, a way for publishers to broadcast audio-only content live. Product specialist Shirley Ip and software engineer Bhavana Radhakrishnan announced the…

Facebook added an instant-verification component for its Account Kit to its software-development kit for Android. The social network introduced Account Kit at F8 in April as a way for developers to allow users to login to their applications with their phone numbers or email addresses and to register…

Snapchat parent Snap Inc. acquired ad-tech company Flite , “multiple sources” told Kurt Wagner of Recode . Wagner reported that the deal is an acqui-hire, meaning that Snap Inc. was more focused on the Flite team than on its technology. According to Wagner, Flite focuses on content creation, such as…

Twitter quietly tweaked its tweet search results to display in order of relevance, rather than in reverse chronological order. Senior software engineer, search quality Lisa Huang announced the change in a blog post , saying that users who were part of its test group engaged more with search results…

Facebook is using the real estate atop its News Feed to encourage users to discuss events and moments, as well as to share holiday cards. Chief marketing officer Gary Briggs introduced the new features in a Newsroom post Tuesday, calling the initiative a “marketing program” and adding that 18…

Although the means of listening to music have drastically evolved–shifting from records to cassettes, CDs to streaming services–concerts have always remained a constant for fans, allowing them to connect with others and experience music in the moment. However, with the rise of social media, the…

Being swallowed into cooking shows, watching the mundane acts of chopping, slicing and prepping isn’t about watching ingredients being turned into savory high-definition meals–it’s about the hosts. It’s the difference between watching Guy Fieri , Anthony Bourdain , Rachael Ray or Martha Stewart and…

NBC reality competition show The Voice once again topped the Nielsen Social Content Ratings for TV series and specials for the week of Dec. 12. Meanwhile, it was a clean sweep for the National Football League , as NFL games accounted for the week’s entire top 10 list in the sports category, led, as…

Talk to almost any online marketer and you’d think that they held a PhD in psychology. At the drop of a hat, they can tell you all about what button colors, typeface, contrast, spacing, line of sight, hero shots, etc you should use to subconsciously drive a website visitor to convert. But do…

Facebook introduced group video chats for Messenger on Android, iOS and via Messenger.com on desktop. Vice president of messaging products David Marcus made the announcement Monday, saying that users who tap the video camera icon within a group chat can send notifications to other participants, who…

Despite what could be considered a pervasively toxic environment , women are one of the most active groups on social media. Not only do women rule social media , but they are also influential, discerning and willing to buy based on influencer recommendations. Bloglovin , a media platform that…

Nexon Korea announced the release of Pinpop VEGAS: Extreme Pinball on iOS and Android. The pinball game allows users to complete single-player story levels, as well as to compete against other players in two-player duels. In each single-player level, users are challenged to complete an objective…

It was bad enough that Prince, Leonard Cohen and Mrs. Brady checked out in 2016, but then I had to go and read David Mihm’s excellent 2017 Local Marketing Predictions , and I couldn’t find a cocktail fast enough to drown my misery. Mihm’s piece is a sober look at how Google has been leading us all…

Remember online communities? 15 years ago, it was the future of communication. Back in the day, Usenet newsgroups, IRC chat rooms and bulletin-board forums ruled. Before clickbait and News Feeds and selfies, people transcended their local communities to indulge their multiple specific passions in…

Market2Lead reports that “nurtured leads experience a 23% shorter sales cycle .” By building an active relationship with buyers, your team is equipped to guide people through the sales journey. An engaged seller can anticipate consumer needs and customize the overall experience. “With the ability to…

Oculus VR introduced a host of social features for Gear VR users, which it originally announced at its Oculus Connect 3 event in October. Oculus said in a blog post that Gear VR users can link their Facebook and Oculus accounts or search by real names or user names to connect with fellow users and…

Twitter without a retweet button? It’s actually being tested. Twitter confirmed to Ingrid Lunden and Jon Russell of TechCrunch that it is testing a tweak to its flagship mobile application in which the retweet button and reply arrow are replaced with a circular icon that brings up sharing options…

Tech pundits scream: “ The app-ocalypse is near ! The end of applications is here. Long live chat bots . The app boom is over.” Who will win the race to become the WeChat of the West? Yes, the consumer internet space is shoulder-to-shoulder. Yes, the “grow now, monetize later” pitch is a less…

Facebook will turn to third-party fact-checking organizations to help combat fake news and hoaxes . The social network is also introducing easier ways for users to report fake news and flag questionable posts as disputed, and while those stories can still be shared, they will contain warnings, and…

Talk about application retention and usage seems to be the new black as we race into 2017. For all of us who strategize around installs and retention, there is some good news. A report from IDC tells us that we can expect the number of app installs to increase from 156 billion in 2015 to 210 billion…

According to statistics from Shareaholic , social media is now the No. 1 driver of referral traffic to websites, responsible for 31.24 percent of the total. This is further corroborated by data from Parse.ly that shows that Facebook has overtaken Google as the top traffic source to news sites.…

As marketers, we all love releasing new campaigns and collateral regularly (launch days are the best days, amiright?). But despite best efforts, projects can take much longer than planned and unexpected roadblocks can stop you from shipping as often as you’d like. Even worse, you can spend weeks…

In what seemed to be an increasingly inevitable move, Facebook is in discussions to license exclusive video content. Peter Kafka of Recode reported that the social network is negotiating with television studios and other video providers to license content including scripted shows, game shows and…

Call it a case of too much of a good thing. Google Analytics puts a lot of data at your fingertips. It’s a mountain of metrics, and a deluge of dimensions. With it, you can drill deep down into your website visitors, their demographics, and their behavior. But by default, it just throws everything…

EA Mobile launched holiday-themed content updates in both Plants vs. Zombies 2 and Plants vs. Zombies Heroes on mobile devices. In Plants vs. Zombies 2, players can now purchase a holiday-themed plant called the Missile Toe for $5.99. In addition, the Sapfling plant has been re-released, and users…

Instagram finally added the ability to save posts to its iOS and Android applications. The Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing network said in a blog post that users with version 10.2 of the respective apps will see a bookmark icon beneath posts, and tapping that icon will save those posts to a…

Believe it or not, SEO is still an ultra-powerful tool in 2016. I posted recently that SEO isn’t dead —far from it. If Google is still taking it seriously after all these years, you should too. In fact, SEO might be more powerful than ever, and for one simple reason: Most sites are neglecting their…

Twitter announced Wednesday that users of its iOS and Android applications can now create and tweet Periscope -powered live videos directly via their apps. We're making it easier for you to share what's happening in your world. Now you can #GoLive on Twitter! https://t.co/frWuHaPTFJ…