Mobile is BIG. In fact, mobile — with a deeper penetration than electricity and safe drinking water — is the most pervasive technology ever invented. If 2011 was the year when mobile data, specifically mobile apps and mobile Web, reached the masses, then 2012 will be the year that companies everywhere on the planet do more than merely ‘go mobile.’ ’ They will focus efforts and resources on providing people an optimized experience on mobile. Today, the same is true with a mobile website.  ways to more mobile traffic. MORE >>

Nielsen’s “Social Media Report 2012″ report revealed that 42% of the 25 million people who have downloaded the Foursquare app are using it at least once per month. Nielsen ranked Foursquare behind only Facebook (78 million) and Twitter (23 million) in terms of July mobile app users, according to AdWeek. Social Media Statistics Dennis Crowley Foursquare Nielsen Social Media Report 2012 social networking statisticsThe #RLTM Scoreboard:  Social Networking Stats for the Week. Facebook: 1 billion active users. via  Facebook. via  Twopcharts. via  Yahoo. MORE >>

As more people purchase smartphones and tablets , increasing their access to the mobile Web and applications, advertisers are clamoring to engage them there. based maker of pet care products, to show how knowing people’s offline behavior can vastly improve mobile advertising effectiveness. Mobile advertising is set to explode. Market research firm eMarketer predicts that mobile ad spending will increase 48 percent this year from $743.1 Mobile audience targeting is a hot topic and a huge opportunity. On mobile it’s not so easy. billion in 2011. MORE >>

There were several takeaways from Nielsen’s recent mobile study surrounding restaurants, travel, and the automotive industry, but the one that surprised me the most was that 43% of automotive searches on mobile devices were done to do price comparisons. The rise of mobile in our daily lives means that many of the activities that once tethered us to our desks at home or at work can now be done on the go, so I knew instinctively that the number of people comparing prices while out on the lot was probably high. simply had no idea it was THAT high. MORE >>

The new Apple iPhone dominates the news today, but will the new model allow Apple to grow its share of ad impressions and remain ‘the’ device developers and brands need to factor into their mobile strategies? New data from independent mobile ad and data platform company Millennial Media shows that Apple mobile devices certainly led the pack in Q2 2012, accounting for 31.4 Nielsen reports that two-thirds of handsets sold in Q2 2012 were smartphones, which means smartphone penetration in the U.S. It’s a tough one to call. percent of all impressions. MORE >>