Everyone has to do one of these at some point, so here's my attempt:

"Best Use of a Marsupial" - Dish. For "Hopper" their whole home DVR room-switching kangaroo. Get it? Well, if you know that you can have your main Hopper device in one room and share the same 2TB of recorded content on up to three Joeys in other rooms, you do.

"Best free carry this bag around to hold all your tchotchkes and brochures so that you can create awareness for our brand bag" - Griffin. The hands down favorite among attendees. On Day One, everyone walks around with whatever they came across first (yes, I'm looking at you Nikon). By Day Three, only the strong survive and the Griffin bag was the clear favorite among attendees.

"Best use of overhead booth space" - Audi. What do you get when you create a matrix of some 10,000 odd fluorescent tube lights and place them right above your showroom floor? About 70 bagazillion lumens.

With requesite reflections on the cars themselves.

But don't worry, the reflections didn't distract people from the ever so sexy A7. Attention was already siphoned off by the cadre of sophisticatedly styled and even more stunning Audi booth and show floor young ladies (not shown based on the Cordell Corollary that posits: keeping camera pointed toward cars equals staying married longer). Where many went trashy, Audi went classy. It's their brand, and I have to say, it worked.

"Best TV technology that has finally matured enough to create 55 inch panels from" - OLED. 4K was all the buzz (imagine the picture quality you get when you squeeze 4,000 columns of pixels into HD displays that, until now, only have about 2,000) as the technology at the leading edge of TV technology. However, for pure stopping power, there was no beating the Super OLED (organic light emitting diodes, for those playing at home) TV sets. Barely thicker than a pencil with even less bezel than that, the sets showcased by Samsung and LG (shown below) attracted the most gawkers.

"Best blurrycam shot of a celebrity" - LL Cool J ... not looking like he wants to knock me out.

Dual winner: "Most ubiquitous device of the show" and "Consistently the longest lines for a promotional activity" go to Samsung. Is it a phone? Is it a tablet? Is it a phablet? It's Galaxy Note!

And Samsung finishes strong by closing the show with the "Best accessory caption card fail reversal" (see Day 1)

So ends Day Three and my trip.

Dusk can make any photographer look good, can't it?

Day 2 started off right at the stroke of midnight when the All American Rejects took the stage for the second time. Our friends at Lenovo, along with Intel, put together a great looking and sounding party. The Mssrs Rejects played pretty well considering the environment and audience. Twice. The second set actually was just a reordering of the first.

Surrounding us throughout the Aquaknox restaurant were displays of Lenovo's current and future offerings of computers, laptops, phones and tablets. Oh, and by the way, Lenovo, I downloaded and installed the most recent system update on one of your China-only tablets. You're welcome. But for the food and drink, I thank you.

After spending yesterday almost entirely on my feet, today's schedule offered a good respite in the form of two of CES's Super Sessions. The first was a discussion with key players in mobile from HTC, Samsung, Microsoft moderated by the editor-in-chief of my favorite sites, Josh Topolsky from The Verge (or as he put it "a website that can be found on the Internet"). All in all, it was an entertaining exchange, or at least as entertaining as it gets watching a bunch of guys talk about phones, user interface design and whether hardware fragmentation is really all that necessary.

The second session featured Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn and his take on the current state and future of retail. He talked about Best Buy's philosophy both to global expansion (partner with established players in local markets who know their consumers better than they do) and how they see themselves in an increasingly online and mobile world (the number of stores and physical presence is an asset to him). In terms of the future, he sees a big role for consumer electronics in health care. He talked about how much easier it would be for his elderly mother to interact remotely with her doctor through video and her TV for routine visits, saving travel time and stress alone.

Now, how about a couple of the cooler things showcased here?

From Makerbot (just google it), an open-source 3-D printer for your home. Using an inexpensive, corn-based substrate, you can physically create any solid object that doesn't contain moving parts. Does little Johnny need a new football kicking tee or Susie want a new barrette? Just download plans off the internet or design your own and "print" one out. No longer do you need to go out and buy small plastic items. The consumer electronic device for the anti-consumer in all of us. Their mantra: don't buy it, just make it.

Probably the most striking new product at CES this year is actually from Lenovo. The "Yoga", a 13" Ultrabook slated to come out later this year is one of their initial offerings to really take advantage of the touch-friendly Windows 8, which will also launch later this year. It features a multi-touch screen (Ten points of contact for any of you who care) in a case only 17mm thick.

And it's convertible, which means it can be used like a tablet. Instead of the flimsy feeling swively hinges that current convertibles use, the screen on the Yoga is hinged to fold completely back onto itself. It feels much sturdier and strong than anything else like it. Also, the keys and trackpad are disabled when it is opened more than 180-degrees, so they thought of that too. A lesson to all of you who said done it couldn't be.

Oh, and 50 Cent (not pictured) wants you to buy his new $399 wireless headphones. Sorry Curtis. I can't help you there.

Greetings from sunny and mild Las Vegas. CES has taken over the city once again with its annual conference of what’s hot and what’s next. Part trade show, technology side show and carnival midway for geeks, CES welcomed thousands of movers, shakers and mover and shaker watchers to Vegas today.

So, you know what that means…

That’s right. Lines. And lots of them. Want to get your badge? Step right up.

Getting closer.

Ahhh. That’s better. The familiar comfort of high school hallways in between classes never goes away.

Once inside, it was easy to be wowed with expansive and impressive booths. But the magic couldn’t hide all of the flaws.

Samsung gave us the always popular “accessory name card” fail.

While Motorola took my top prize with the “we’re going to buck the trend of putting cushy carpet in our booth to ease weary feet and instead go with a raised solid platform complete with built-in trip edge but it’ll be ok because the first impression people will have of us is this helpful sign” fail.

Not to be outdone by the lines outside to get in, some booths came complete with their own lines.

This one though, had a reason. 7-time NBA Champion Robert “Big Shot Rob” Horry meet 4-time McKinney Chiclet “Big Shot Bob”.

Now, where can I find that shuttle bus? Oh yeah, that’s right.

CES by the numbers:

Guys from my freshman dorm who randomly sat down next to me on the shuttle bus: 1. Hi, Steve.

Minutes to walk the Strip from the Venetian to the Excalibur: 32

Times “Girls at your door in 20 minutes cards” offered during said promenade: at least 50

Minutes it actually took the girl to get to my door: Ummm…

Sketchy endings to CES daily recaps: 1… and counting

It certainly seems like it.   After all, Borders is freshly in the grave and old standbys like Cole's and B. Dalton are long since gone.  Filling the void left by these former institutions, upwards of 5 million people opened up a shiny new e-reader this December.

But the same, “Death of …” question has already been asked of every media outlet recently upstaged by its digital counterpart. Newspapers are disappearing. CD’s have joined VHS tapes and cassettes in the Virgin Megastore in the sky. But books? Not books…

Books are more than words. They’re notebooks, doorstops, decorations and weapons. They even-out table legs and squash spiders. And the act of reading a “real” book is such a tactile experience there’s no way a Kindle could compete, right?

Then my mother bought one.

She’s 75-years-old and has been an avid reader her entire life. She tells of being scolded for reading constantly (even at the dinner table) and of checking-out an entire bag of books from the library every week.

So I asked her, how does she feel about the transition from paper page to digital screen?

Mom:

The Kindle is my library and it doesn’t close.

I can download a book in 60 seconds without leaving the house.

It’s easier to press a sidebar than turn a page.

I don’t have to dog-ear pages because it remembers exactly where I left off.

I can take notes with the keyboard and look at other people’s notes.

I can look up words in the dictionary without switching screens or losing my place.

I can enlarge the type. (I am 75 you know.)

I think it’s fun.

As a recent e-book adopter I couldn’t agree more. Now excuse me while I go play Ziggy Stardust on vinyl.

*For one possible answer to the headline check out Isthebookdead.com

This article from Mobile Inc. is showing up all over my news feeds. I think it makes some really great points and I'm proud to be part of an agency that is engaging in this kind of thinking.

But I do have to take issue with one of the points the article makes. Murat quotes this article from Fast Company's Adam Glickman, who argues:

"If agencies want to think more like tech startups, they might focus less on clever storytelling and more on utility."

While I totally get the point -- that agencies can't think in messages any more, that people aren't going to sit around and wait to gobble up the latest message from a brand -- I take issue with the idea that storytelling and utility are mutually exclusive.

Every single product Murat references is not only a utility, but also tells an extremely powerful story:

Instagram and Hipstamatic let people turn their crappy phone pics into a story about themselves as quirky, talented photographers.

Klout is all about the stories we tell ourselves and each other about where we stand in the virtual high school popularity contest that is social media. People don't check up on their Klout score because it's handy -- they check because a rise or fall in the score tells them a story about themselves. The story we build in our heads around the Klout score is what gives the score meaning -- not the algorithm.

And Angry Birds tells the most classic story of all time -- a bunch of little guys get oppressed by shitty assholes smugly confident in their own power -- until the underdogs marshal their resources to take back what's theirs. It's basically David and Goliath with cute sound effects.

I do think we need to understand why we're making something. And I agree that we should start with the problem we're trying to solve, instead of just jumping on something new and cool. But, at the same time, dismissing the power of story is not the answer. Instead, let's talk about how storytelling has changed and work to ensure that even our most utilitarian tools tell us something about ourselves and each other.

Technology makes possible amazing things, but story gives us the soul -- the breakthroughs happen when we find news ways to combine them.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between CPM and CPA? Or even what these acronyms mean? Do you wonder if the information you put online is safe? Or what the media department in an advertising agency actually does? Here is your chance to get the answers to these questions and more.

We asked everyone at McKinney to bring us their questions and here is what they wanted to know:

Everyone knows that there is a media department, but they do not realize what exactly we do. It was not surprising when we were asked that exact question.

There are admittedly a few perks that come along with working in media, but do you know why we get them?

Now that you know what we do, it is time to utilize media to the fullest. When we work together we can make great things happen.

There are a lot of acronyms that go along with media. You might be in a meeting one day and someone might start talking about GRPs or CPMs. Do you know what these mean? If not, here is your chance to learn.

A lot of people are hesitant to put information online because they are worried about privacy issues. How do you know that the information you put online is safe?

Consumers are often able to access free content because it is subsidized by ad revenue, however sometimes these ads can be disruptive to the user experience. Is there a way to get around this?

Part of the media department’s job is paying attention to the trends of how our target audience consumes media. One recent topic has been cable cutting. Do you think that this new trend will affect marketers?

What are some of the other trends that we are starting to see or should look out for in media?

Now that you have heard some of the questions that other people have asked, I am sure that you have some of your own. Please feel free to leave them as comments or directly reach out someone in the media department. We are always happy to help.

From widespread industry job layoffs to steep decreases in circulation rates, the climate surrounding the magazine industry from 2007 to 2008 was undeniably growing stormy. There were whispers about the growing number of publications being shut down, rumors swirling regarding industry leadership and speculation that print magazines were declining to the extent that they may vanish completely. The future of magazines may have been cloudy, but one thing remained clear — the magazine industry had a plethora of challenging obstacles ahead.

In 2009 the industry experienced one of its most straining and unsuccessful years ever, and it seemed as if the suspicions and fears of years past were coming true. Magazines across the board were facing losses in revenue, declines in advertising sales and a diminution in subscription rates. Adding fuel to the fire was industry-wide uncertainty about how to tackle an issue relevant to magazines everywhere — technology.

New technological platforms, new outlets for people to connect socially and new media innovations were at seemingly every turn. These developments sparked an exciting time in the digital and Internet arena, but for print magazines, the developments were capturing the attention of consumers, which translated into a reduction of readership, decrease in advertising interest and an interruption of growth of their publications. The industry — publishers, editors, designers, writers, photographers and everyone in-between — began to wonder the same thing: how can magazines establish a successful identity in a new digital world, while remaining true and honest to their traditional roots in print? This was an immensely difficult challenge, and one with no clear-cut answers, but a challenge that if overcome, would be the key to success. The race to find the perfect strategy was on.

For some titles, this was no easy feat, as ad pages and revenue continued a downhill fall in 2009. Even famous titles like Gourmet and Vibe closed their doors later that year, and shock waves reverberated throughout the industry. Publishers and editors realized that injecting new life into their publications was not only imperative, but also intensely urgent. A slew of other magazines shut down and some continued to struggle, but as the months rolled on in 2010, something interesting began to happen — a handful of magazines were actually getting it right.

Ten magazines in particular took on the challenge and found ways to balance the new technological world swirling around them with the old world of print from which they came. For example, Rolling Stone and Cosmopolitan, both cultural icons, found ways to connect daily with readers using two new cultural icons, Twitter and Facebook. Wired was among the first to release an iPad application, and Vanity Fair’s application for the tablet gave readers an experience that is comparable to actually flipping through its print pages. Using the power of television, Marie Claire partnered with hit show “Project Runway” to engage with readers every week, and Food Network Magazine leveraged its inherent tie with the Food Network Channel to promote its specialty articles by on-air chefs. GQ and Bloomberg Businessweek found success using blogs, as both magazines provided exclusive photos, stories and interviews via blog sites. People StyleWatch integrated with the tremendously popular People.com website, and Elle Décor gained Web traffic by pointing readers to their website to learn more about decorating projects seen in their print magazine. So successful in their efforts, these 10 titles were named to Adweek’s “The Hot List,” which names the most successful and influential magazines of the year*.

Performance metrics for these titles indicated growth on a number of fronts, including ad pages, ad revenue and overall circulation. In addition, their online presence was growing, as levels of Web traffic, press impressions and search engine results all increased. The process was not without its share of difficulties, but these magazines were a reflection that there were, indeed, efficient and effective ways to align content via digital mediums while simultaneously holding strong to print traditions.

The industry overall had faced a tremendously challenging time in 2010, but the successes of these 10 titles were a truly welcome indication that brighter days may be on the horizon. While no one can predict what will happen next, the present state of the magazine is definitely one of optimism. Ever resilient and resourceful, titles far and wide are restructuring, rethinking and redefining themselves in ways to ensure their longevity far into the future.

(*Based on Adweek Magazine’s “The Hot List”)

Online anonymity: Is there such a thing?

Our lives online have become a "sharefest" of Facebook status updates, Twitter messages and Flickr album uploads. Our memories, which long ago may have been captured in shoeboxes or as keepsakes, have been transformed into virtual scrapbooks. What may have once been shared with only our closest of friends is now shared with all sorts of acquaintances: some we know, some we think we should know and others we just pretend to know. And we do this without the realization that these seemingly inconspicuous bits and pieces of our lives in fact disclose personal, self-identifying information about exactly who we are.

Now you may be asking yourself, "What qualifies as bits and pieces of self-identifying information?" Well, the answer is information that is quite frankly meaningless to most. Details such as birthday wishes, school or work mentions, preferences for movies and restaurants, even a shout-out to your favorite home team can easily help paint a profile of who you are when pieced together.

Now imagine for a second that you are a passive social user like I am. You may say to yourself, "I never update my status, share pictures or tweet, and, therefore, the online world has nothing on me, right?" Actually, the answer is a resounding WRONG. Even if you are a passive social user like I am, be aware that YOU may not even be the culprit in painting your own profile online because, lucky for you, your friends are already equipped to handle this on your behalf. By commenting, tagging, even referring to any of your interests either mentioned or implied, your friends suddenly become the research behind the missing link of who you are.

The bottom line is that patterns of social communication are very telling and you can bet that those who want to find out who you are can easily piece together a relatively comprehensive view that, in the end, may or may not fully benefit you.

Who is looking out for No. 1?

It's no secret that our societal norms have shifted, resulting in the over-sharing of one's daily life. And like everything in life, there are defined pros and cons to this type of behavior. While the pros are completely subjective to the end user, the cons are definitely more substantiated and have been validated by experts who echo a resounding refrain of "proceed with caution" when sharing details of yourself online.

The underlying problem of sharing online to keep up with friends and family is that our information could be collected, mined and reassembled by unintended readers to create a profile of exactly who we are - even as granular as our personal Social Security number. Though that is an extreme example, it has been proven possible.

As the Federal Trade Commission and advocates work to make a case for protecting privacy for a technological landscape that has surpassed the current rules, please be advised that protecting yourself online is simple and best expressed by Jon Kleinberg, professor of computer science at Cornell University: "[W]hen you're doing stuff online, you should behave as if you're doing it in public - because increasingly, it is." Assess the risk before rather than after sharing.

The implications and personal ramifications of online privacy are abundant. What are best practices for consumers and ultimately advertisers who want to leverage this information to create a satisfying online experience, created through relevancy, for the end user?

For the consumer, the best safeguard is limiting vulnerability

Ultimately, limiting vulnerability begins and ends with self-regulation. You must regulate your online activity knowing that anyone - companies, governments and, yes, criminals - may exploit what you share without your direct consent.

Additionally, understand the stance that your favorite content site takes on your privacy. Is it your publishers' sharing policies that are exposing your interests and behaviors in ways that you may not have imagined? When in doubt, it's important to inform yourself and protect your own interest.

Seek out content sites that are explicit about what happens once you enter their site. Take, for instance, Dow Jones, AllThingsD.com. They are among a handful of properties that actually call attention to tracking that may be occurring on their site, greeting users with a message and instructions for privacy protection through the removal of tracking cookies.

There isn't one service, like the do-not-call list, that exists to protect your interest online. Therefore, it is up to you to read disclosure information, to read the terms and conditions legalese, and to safeguard yourself by putting your interest first.

For the advertiser, profile data reigns supreme

As those of us predominately within the media department know, a publisher's offerings are only as good as their ability to reach our identified audience. Trivial, commonplace impressions get a makeover: they are dressed up with data to make them more appealing, targetable and, well, more expensive. But the makeover doesn't stop with just one look - it requires refinement and reinvention. Thus, the cycle of data collection begins: models are developed, profiles are captured, tests are run, results are scrutinized, more data is collected, more profiles are added...you get the picture.

So what's so wrong with publishers refining their offerings to create a better experience for advertisers to align with and ultimately for consumers to experience? Well, the answer is not necessarily the behavioral modeling. It goes a step further into the tracking behind how the behavior modeling is derived.

Third-party tracking is out of control. Tracking that was once applied to a specific publisher's site is now exploited and shared with site after site, allowing providers to develop comprehensive consumer behavior profiles that are less than anonymous.

Consider the variables: we share more, the share is leveraged and online privacy concerns are fueled. But what is the real issue at hand? Is it really that our personal privacy has been compromised, even though we have been in the driver's seat the entire time? OR is it more likely that we want to benefit from the sharing of ourselves in bigger ways than we are currently experiencing.

And, thus, we arrive at the intersection of privacy and advertising, and at the start of a newly begun conversation. Be on the lookout for a unique, animated debate about online privacy in the coming days. Until then - stay safe and regulate.

A small number of U.S. consumers remember a time when cable TV consisted of 13 channels, push-button knobs and the infamous rabbit ear antennas. Today, most TV viewers are mesmerized by an average of 119 channels in an assortment of standard, HD and the newly added 3-D option. This wide variety comes with a price. Subscribers see a 5% increase annually in their cable bill. While most consumers gladly pay to see their favorite "housewife," a small group of rebels is cutting the cord and finding alternative ways of being entertained. Dubbed "Cable Cutters," this small group, roughly 707,000 North Americans, is turning to alternative outlets in order to fulfill their "Family Guy" fix. While this minority is shifting to online streaming, cable providers are offering new ways to view content to retain subscribers.

Online Titans

Netflix has become a megapower in media streaming. As of early this year, it accounts for 22.2% of all U.S. broadband traffic. In 2000, Blockbuster had a chance to purchase Netflix for a mere $50 million. In just 10 years, it has surpassed Blockbuster, spurring Blockbuster's bankruptcy filing. In Q1 of this year, Netflix subscribers reached 23.6 million. This is a leap for Netflix from 14 million last year. At the end of 2010, Comcast's customer based reached only 22.8 million. This represents how significant the shift is for consumers shifting from traditional TV to streaming.

The immediate future of Netflix is unknown, but it's beginning to acquire more popular content. Recently, Netflix purchased the rights to stream the first season of "Mad Men" for $900,000 per episode and purchased the production rights to "House of Cards." While it's beginning to toy with the notion of creating original content, Netflix is not looking to enter into streaming live TV. In a recent interview, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said, "It would start an Armageddon battle (competing head-to-head with cable), and we would not emerge alive from that battle."

Hulu's ability to stream the newest episodes of popular shows is the reason that Cable Cutters are able to keep up with co-workers and friends on their favorite shows. According to Hulu, 26.5 million viewers spend on average three hours and 37 minutes watching content on its website. Since it began in 2007, Hulu has changed the way people watch TV. With the implementation of Hulu Plus, it has merged onto different media platforms, including Internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray players, PS3 and Xbox gaming consoles.

Hulu will continue to change the way we not only stream content online but how we use social media. It now gives viewers the ability to edit clips from their favorite TV show and post them into their newsfeeds where they can be shared and commented on. This begs for the question: When will we be able to watch TV shows and clips with friends simultaneously online?

There's an App for That

With the rising costs of cable, providers are finding new ways of featuring added content without higher costs. Both cable and satellite providers are introducing applications that give subscribers an alternative TV viewing experience. By creating apps that allow consumers to watch both live and on-demand content, providers have been met with contempt by networks and media companies.

Time Warner Cable (TWC) launched an app early March that held the promise of being one of the first apps to allow subscribers to stream live content on iPads. This service would only be available if content was streamed through authorized home broadband networks. On the day of its launch, the app crashed due to overwhelming demand. As a temporary fix, TWC decreased the available channels from 32 to 15. A day later the issue was resolve, restoring the 17 other channels. Within weeks of its launch, the 30 live cable channels began to drop off beginning with Discovery, Fox and Viacom. Fox and Discovery reluctantly came back. Viacom is still denying TWC the right to view its cable channels from tablets. Currently, TWC is in legal battles with Viacom over the validity of its claims.

Cablevision, a cable provider focused in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, is the second cable provider to expand into tablet viewing. It took it a step further than TWC. Instead of just a few popular channels, it made all channels available to its subscribers. While it has yet to be served with a cease and desist order, legal action is likely following the ruling of TWC vs. Viacom.

Satellite providers have jumped on the bandwagon as well. Dish Network and DIRECTV began with apps that only schedule DVR recording from smartphones. Now subscribers are able to schedule recordings while watching live TV from anywhere while connected to the Internet. The app is much more interactive with a customizable home screen that features favorite channels and even teams you want to follow. It also includes TV show information and parental ratings. While cable providers have been targeted for their apps to stream live TV, satellite providers have not been criticized by TV networks.

What's Next?

TV has stayed relatively the same since its inception. As consumers shift focus toward either online or tablet viewing, advertisers will need to shift their focus toward digital integrations in order to keep messaging relevant. This is not to say that the days of the "Boob Tube" are over, but advertisers will need to take into account the shift in viewership. This will create ways that consumers will be able to instantly interact more with brands beyond just watching commercials or visiting brand websites.

No one knows exactly what the future holds for TV, but there's been some speculation around second screen viewing. Mobile devices will be able to sync with live TV to provide additional content to viewers. No one has been able to implement it with live TV yet, but Disney has broken ground with "Tron: Legacy" on Blu-ray. Viewers are able to sync tablets or laptops with the movie using audio mapping via Disney Second Screen for exclusive content. While this may not be implemented in the immediate future, it shows what may be the next evolution in TV.

Evolution of Location-Based Services:

The act of checking in started as a means of updating users' friends on their physical location, but it has since shifted to sharing the content they are watching via TV or the big screen, the content they are reading and even the brands they like. These additional alternatives allow us avid "check-inners" the opportunity to publicize where we are, what we are doing and even what we are buying. We chronicle our experiences, habits, behaviors and emotions because we see it as the defining factor of how our friends depict us.

Why Check In:

There are five key reasons why we check in:

1.     Connectivity

2.     Entertainment

3.     Keeping record

4.     Sharing

5.     Gaining incentives/deals

Connectivity - We check in to share our whereabouts with the world around us in hopes of the chance to find new friends with similar interests on a platform like Foursquare. 

Entertainment - It is our human nature to want to play and compete with others. The gaming LBS applications serve as a form of entertainment to users who seek a badge or status-level acknowledgement for their completed task or accomplishment. The gaming LBS applications use mayorships, pins, badges and points as competitive incentives to encourage users to play.

Keeping record - We use LBS applications to record the places we've been and experiences we've had. It can be used as a personal diary of sorts to keep track of dates, names of vendors, restaurants and bars - just in case we want to go back and recall. When traveling, LBS applications offer an easy way to record the places you've visited along the way. 

Sharing - The social networking generation loves to share, publicize, post, tweet - whichever term you choose. We share our experiences, whereabouts and life-changing milestones, on a daily and sometimes hourly basis, with the world. We share to stay connected. We carefully document every detail of our experience to personalize the experience so our friends don't miss out. It is the best alternative to them physically being with us.

Gaining incentives/deals - We also use LBS applications to take advantage of incentives and deals offered. We carry our cell phones with us and monitor local deals because we don't want to miss out on the opportunity to earn an incentive or save money.

Growth of Location-Based Services:

With exponential growth in mobile, LBS applications are gaining popularity and opportunity in this space. Social networking is the leading driver of mobile Internet usage. In 2010, there were 223.4 million mobile Internet users. By 2014, the anticipated total is expected to reach 760.1 million. Furthermore, it is predicted that around 43% of the total global mobile Internet user population will be social networking users by 2013. The investment in LBS advertising is expected to grow consistently with this mobile Internet usage incline. In fact, awareness in LBS applications is growing, according to February 2011 survey, which shows that 56% of smartphone users know what LBS applications are and do, although only 39% admit to actually checking in. 

Key Takeaway:

Location-based services are evolving and growing, but there are still many unknowns and it will take time for this trend to go mainstream. The good news is that location-based services can help us better understand mobile users and reach them when they are close to making a decision. Users' checking in to take advantage of offers allows advertisers the opportunity to increase their customer base. Finding unique entry points using locations and other ways to connect with users is key! Facebook will likely be the driving source to help familiarize the public with the "check-in" as this trend continues to gain traction.