In a recent report, Nielsen says Google got 40% of the smartphone market, while Apple captured approximately 28% up only .01 percentage point from 2010. A comScore report also said Google has 41.8% market share and Apple 27%. Nielsen found that around 33% of people planning to buy a smartphone in the next year want an iPhone, while another 33% would prefer an Android. Among early adopters, 40% said they would like a phone on Google's OS, while 32% would take Apple. Twenty-eight percent of tech-savvy early adopters would look elsewhere, either at BlackBerry or Windows Phone.

Twitter launched a video commercial touting itself last week but it got razzed for playing on the earthquake that hit the Washington, D.C./New York area earlier in August. The new ad is a big change from one it ran last year in which Twitter was a virtual friend, helping a young man make choices for his date that night. That ad has 4 million views. In the new ad, "a smug New Yorker receives a tweet notifying him that a quake has struck D.C. He lifts his coffee mug off the table and a few seconds later his office …

Facebook is outsourcing to independent partners to build an advertising sector. The company this year is an online advertising force and its IPO could be worth more than $100 billion next year. The company is using independent partners like Redwood City, Calif.-based Wildfire Interactive and London-based TBG Digital to build out its advertising platform. The number of brand advertising campaigns on Facebook grew by 104% from the first to second quarters of 2011, according to TBG Digital, which also has offices in San Francisco and was one of the initial ad data partners that joined the trial to …

Sears Holdings Corp. has agreed to sell its Craftsman tool line through Costco clubs nationwide. This is Sears' biggest effort to distribute in-house brands outside its namesake stores. Costco will sell Craftsman hand tools, power tools and tool storage units starting as early as this weekend. The products will be in Costco's 430 U.S. stores this year, with the assortment varying by location. For Sears, the effort is a way to attract new customers to Craftsman as many Costco shoppers don't shop at Sears or Kmart, said Kris Malkoski, VP and general manager of the Craftsman brand at Sears …

Groupon's VP of global communications has left after just two months on the job. Bradford Williams left because of the way the company has responded to its critics during the "quiet period" ahead of its initial public offering, according to a source. Williams formal statement: "We mutually decided it wasn't a fit." In the weeks since filing with the SEC for an IPO, the press has questioned Groupon's accounting, and observers have said the company is low on cash. Last week, a memo from the company's CEO, Andrew Mason, was leaked online. The source said Williams walked away …

The Spiridellis brothers, who run the e-card website JibJab, have launched a line of JibJab Jr. children's books in the Apple iTunes App Store. JibJab online e-cards have been sent more than 800 million times, and the book app for kids takes the same approach as their popular cards that let you use your face. Your child and family become the stars of the book, via iPad 2's built-in camera. Children's books are dominated by independents Callaway Digital Arts and Oceanhouse Media, as well as stalwarts Nickelodeon and Disney.

America's growing do-it-yourself mentality is extending into gardening, with shoppers' interest in food gardening increasing. Americans spent $3 billion on food gardening last year, according to the National Gardening Association (NGA). "The lion's share of that, over half of that, is spent on vegetable gardening," said Bruce Butterfield, market research director at the NGA. Participation in food gardening has increased by 20% during the past two years, with the biggest increase in 2009, according to the organization.

When auto sales come out today, it's likely there won't be a big rebound, as confidence sank and prospects dimmed for faster economic growth. Fourteen analysts surveyed by Bloomberg said the pace of 12.5 million in the first half slowed to 12.2 million in July. The August 2010 rate was 11.5 million, according to Autodata Corp. A data analysis by California-based Edmunds.com said gas prices are seeing an uptick in compact cars. Edmunds.com's data shows that consumers paid about 10% more for used three-year-old compact cars in July than in January. But used three-year-old large traditional SUVs saw …

GM is looking to reinvigorate "Chevy Runs Deep" because some of the creative work has not resonated strongly with consumers and some ads don't explain what the slogan means, according to global marketing chief Joel Ewanick. He said the company will retool both Chevrolet and Cadillac creative. The "Chevy Runs Deep" campaign is intended to emphasize the brand's U.S. heritage and make an emotional connection with consumers, Ewanick said. Chevy will air the ads that have worked the best for the fall U.S. television season, he said. "Where we fall down is, we have not done a good …

The new season of "Dancing With the Stars" premiers Sept. 19. The show's cast has benefited from endorsement deals: Brooke Burke, Jennie Garth, Apolo Ohno, Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Julianne Hough, Chelsea Kane, and Tom Bergeron, have gotten a jump-start on marketing deals from being on the show. But the show has moved away from well-known and -liked celebrities. Octagon First Call's David Schwab, who gauges the value of celebrities for ad campaigns, weighs in on the potential of the upcoming cast of season 13.