Social media is the latest stampede for marketers, but what overheats is never sustainable, and what rockets up crashes down (a lesson we too often learn the hard way).

African-American and Hispanic consumers are texting on average 100% more than Asians, and 40% more than the general market. When it comes to voice, the African-American audience is doubling that of the general market. So what does that mean for ethnic shops?

What happens when you type one letter into Google's revamped search engine?

Marketing strategy is not altogether different from fantasy drafts, where humans predict what other humans will do in the future, by looking at past behavior to help us decide what we believe future consumer behavior will be.

Giving out free stuff is a time-honored marketing technique. It can also be very expensive, and is not necessarily effective.