Next, we explain the new metric released by Facebook last week. “People are talking about this” is still a mystery for many because of its algorithm, but the social network’s intentions for this tool are much clearer. 

Are you a Smartphone user? If so, you are probably a smart consumer. At least, that is what Deloitte tries to tell us in its new report: “Will smarter phones make for smarter shoppers?”

Finally, recent statistics and forecasts from eMarketer show increased advertising investment destined for social media in 2011 and the following years.

Last Wednesday, the world learned of the sad death of Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple. Undoubtedly, Jobs was a person who marked the last several decades with revolutionary technological innovation, changing forever the way we relate to technology. 

After his death, numberless tributes were paid, with one image becoming the symbol of his legacy at Apple.

Jonathan Mak Long, a 19-year-old designer who lives in Hong Kong, was the author of this minimalist illustration that shows Steve Jobs’ silhouette simulating the bite in the traditional Apple icon. 

Although the design was created in August, after Jobs resigned his CEO position at Apple, the image achieved recent success being used in the profiles of thousands of users paying tribute to Jobs. 

Facebook released its new metric for the fan page: “People are talking about this.” The result comes from an algorithm Facebook uses that is based on the degree of interaction or “conversation” that a fan page generates. Although Facebook has not revealed how it calculates “People are talking about this,” the concept takes account of factors such as number of comments published, shared links, number who “Like it,” labeled photos, responses to Facebook Questions, mentions, and check-ins, among others.

This statistic can be seen under the number of followers for each page.

The idea behind this number is to ensure that users understand the importance of interaction, giving a higher value to pages that promote participation and publish interesting content. 

Meanwhile, Facebook plans to improve the analysis of organizations’ pages with deeper results and the use of new measurement tools. 

According to the Deloitte report: “Will smarter phones make for smarter shoppers?” mobile device technology, together with demographic changes, modifies the purchasing process. There are three essential steps in purchasing: 1. Previous planning, 2. Experience at the time of purchasing, and 3. Interaction between customers and vendor after purchasing.

This means that the smart consumer counts on more information than in the past and knows better what to expect from a product or service. Mobile devices are viewed as a means of access to the information needed to carry out a “smart” purchase. Companies therefore must adjust their marketing strategies if they hope to cultivate the loyalty of this kind of consumer.

Smartphones and their applications allow consumers to carry out a significant amount of commercial activity—generating shopping lists, obtaining coupons and receiving offers, comparing prices, reviewing comments, paying electronically, purchasing online, connecting through social networks or games, and accessing information by scanning QR codes.

You can download the report from Deloitte’s corporate page.

Social networks are an increasingly attractive channel for marketers and advertisers. Some of their most important benefits are the million-user database, lower costs than traditional media, and advanced targeting capability. 

The trend is confirmed by the new eMarketer report, “Worldwide Social Network Ad Spending: 2011 Outlook.”

The company announced an annual income of $5.54 billion for advertising on social networks for 2011, an amount that will grow gradually until it peaks in 2013 with estimated total investments of $10 billon.

Advertisers’ preferred social network is Facebook. According to eMarketer predictions, the 800-million-user network will end the fiscal year with an income of $4 billion. Twitter will place a distant second, with $150 million. 

Meanwhile, “social games” are moving to center stage, with marketing expenditures in virtual goods expected to reach some $274 million for 2011, reaching $417 million in 2012.

You can find more data and trends on the article published by eMarketer.