The cable television industry in the United States has been growing by leaps and bounds in the last decade. They’re currently expanding their reach into the mobile and tablet space. We thought it would be interesting to take a look at their social efforts. Click on the infographic to zoom in. 

 - Ely Rosenstock, Director of Social Media

Anyone with a smart phone can post an instant rating of just about every hotel, restaurant, museum, airport or building in the western world. If you’re an entrepreneur who looks for undiscovered ground in the social media universe, you may be thinking it’s time to put away your Y-Combinator application. There aren’t any more lands to discover out there. All the good ones are taken.

But there’s a next wave of web services that don’t concern themselves much with new ground, and instead go deeper into territory that’s already firmly established. Take Kevin Rose’s Oink, which brings the everyday restaurant rating to a deeper level by rating the individual dishes. You don’t just rate the restaurant or the dining experience, but any individual item on the menu—in other words, the actual food.

Similarly, a new addition to Google Maps allows you to view the inside of selected buildings. For now: airports.  

We’re seeing the Deeper trend in marketing as well. While some companies are experimenting with Instagram and Pinterest, two niche social networks, most brands are diving deeper into their Facebook accounts and looking for opportunities to increase engagement there, rather than expanding out to uncharted waters.

Expect to see more of this trend as consumers and businesses stop looking for more ground to cover and start looking for greater depth in areas already well-established and reassuringly familiar.

- Ely Rosenstock, Director of Social Media

Not long ago, there was a clear distinction between online and offline retailers. Online sites like Amazon were considered the inevitable next stage in the evolution of holiday shopping—if only because they promised a way to buy stress-free, without the insane crowds and the seasonal crush. 

Now past assumptions about the future of retail seem simplistic. Consumers want both mediums, and the smart retail brands have already interconnected their online and offline offerings. Major superstores have expanded their presence beyond just the physical store. The results are evidenced in data from a recent press release via Comscore.

Walmart, Best Buy and Target - companies that built their brands on their retail presence - are now leaders in the online holiday shopping market. 

This is a teaching moment for companies that define themselves as mobile or social. It’s not the Consumer who’s stuck in the mindset that a brand has to live in a particular medium. Buyers don’t silo brands to a medium. Businesses do. 

Ely Rosenstock - Director of Social Media