MEDIAPOST — Contests in which consumers help design or contribute to special product labeling -- closely tied in with digital/social media and larger marketing missions, of course -- seem to be popping up with increasing frequency among food manufacturers these days. Two recent examples include Chiquita Brands International and Knorr, Unilever's largest brand...

MEDIAPOST — Location-based services from Foursquare and Loopt to the new Shopkick app have generated lots of buzz and interest among marketers and investors. But how much spending will they lead to? According to a new report from ABI Research, location-based marketing will increase from only about $43 million this year to $1.8 billion by 1015 as part of overall mobile marketing budgets. "It's still early days and there's no single 'right' approach to location-based advertising," said Neil Strother, practice director for mobile marketing strategies at ABI. "This remains a very fragmented market that is full of experimentation"...

MEDIAPOST — According to a study presented at a Pivot Conference (in partnership with Extra Mile Research) entitled "Marketers' Current and Future Use of Social Media," 63% of marketers are already investing in social media marketing, and of the 37% that are not currently investing in social media marketing, 62% are planning to invest, including 46% who plan to do so within one year. Other key findings include:...

MEDIAPOST — Red Vines is looking to spread a little goodwill, one licorice strand at a time, with a new social media campaign that encourages people to write enough positive affirmations to circle the globe. The campaign, "Red Vines World of Sharing," plays off the company's tagline, "The World Could Use a Bit More Red Vines," encouraging people to write a positive affirmation, which takes the form of a Red Vine candy on a Google Maps-enabled globe. Each strand is intended to represent one mile, meaning it will take 24,000 statements to make it around the world. (The chain starts at the company's Union City, Calif. plant on the virtual globe.)...

MEDIAPOST — You've joined the conversation. Now what? It's time to start fueling it. We got a unique glimpse into fueling conversation yesterday when Groupon launched its first-ever nationwide deal to the Gap and created a buying frenzy by offering a $50 gift card for $25. At the peak of the day, the site was selling 10 Groupons per second and having trouble keeping up with the traffic. Last month, it was the Old Spice Guy. The highly interactive YouTube video campaign drew audiences in not only because the content was clever, but also because we were all in awe that it was being published in near-real time without sacrificing quality. On the surface, these two examples look nothing alike...