• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, February 28, 2011

Recommendations from family and friends are the strongest source of influence regarding purchase decisions, according to CEO Optimedia Antony Young -- but why don't this translate into increased spending on social networks, relative to mass media like TV? Part of the problem is that social media still isn't scalable enough, especially for big mainstream brands. As a result, media agencies resort to a mix of mass media and social media, hoping to drive social media activity with mass media messaging.