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The hot topic among many marketers these days are QR codes, or quick response codes. In a relatively short time span, they've leapt onto the marketing scene and, as recent stats suggest, they're starting to catch on.

Chances are the cell phone that's burning a hole in your pocket at this very moment is a smartphone. If that's the case, you're one of the growing number of people worldwide who own a Blackberry, iPhone, HTC or Droid.

When banner ads were first introduced by Global Network Navigator in 1993, few people understood the impact this would have on the advertising industry. To sum things up - it was a preeeeetty big deal. Think wildfire on a desiccated prairie.

Have you heard of Google Caffeine? We're not talking about a brand new premium coffee product that will power super geeks for hours at a time. No, Google Caffeine is the new search index that was launched by Google at the beginning of June.

In our digital world, online product reviews, forums, video demos, and instant price comparisons are only a click away. It's not surprising then, that very few of us are willing to fork over any cash before first conducting some online research.

There's been a powerful shift in control over the past eight years or so. Marketers used to be in control. They would shape advertising campaigns to influence how consumers viewed their products or services.