The latest in new media marketing strategy and tactics:

Building the Agency of Now « Threeminds ^[1]

Love this voice-of-reason POV on the industry.

The Top 10 Marketing Sites For Social Media Marketing Trends | Fast Company ^[2]

According to a recent survey by Effie and Mashable, 87% of marketers said social media was “important” or “very important” to achieving their biggest marketing goal this year. So we know social is a key marketing activity for many leading brands. So where are marketers getting their social media information? From this survey, it’s not primarily the traditional advertising publishers, although a few of them did make the list.

Report: Amazon To Use Two-Finger Touchscreen To Keep Table Competitive With The iPad | TechCrunch ^[3]

The battle to grab market share from Apple, be it from the iPad or iPhone, is going to be an interesting story over the next couple of years, and should offer interesting insights into the power of a brand versus a low price competitor.

Milk Campaign Withdrawn Amid Charges of Sexism – NYTimes.com ^[4]

Perhaps the most interesting comment is the last line. A seasoned ad exec surprised but the uproar speaks to how much has changed since 2005. That rate of change doesn’t happen in other media platforms.

Judge dismisses Winklevoss case against Facebook – latimes.com ^[5]

Read the comments on this article. Another example of how the public can be a brand’s best spokesperson.

Sidestepping Apple: From Amazon to Condé Nast, Companies Rethink App Strategies | Wired.com ^[6]

Even brands as powerful as Apple can only push their will on developers and partners so far. Eventually, they’ll just go somewhere else.

Microsoft Apologizes for Amy Winehouse Tweet ^[7]

While I can see the protesters points, this is a pretty blurry line. Magazines have always written cover story articles about dead celebrities, and obviously they’re trying to sell magazines. Of all these examples of companies who combined tribute with commerce, the Amazon example is probably the most sincere, and seems to have ruffled the fewest feathers.

15 Creative QR Codes [PICS] ^[8]

I’m still not convinced QR codes are ready for prime time just yet, but if you’re going to do them, these examples of creative looking QR code designs would be a great start. At least these make me want to use them.

Social Media Platform For Hotels Offers Web Site Visitors Incentives ^[9]

There’s been a lot of talk of loyalty programs of recent, and the merger between that and social media is obvious. Hospitality businesses are well-suited candidates for this type of program, and this is one of the offerings in the hotel business.

How Blogging Can Get You More Social Fundraisers | Inspiring Generosity ^[10]

I think this goes way deeper than just non-profits. Blogging can create perceived value and expertise for a brand, even if it’s primarily for search and inbound traffic.