• Washington Post, Adweek, San Jose Mercury News, Monday, June 28, 2010 10:37 AM

Ariana Eunjung Cha reports that digital coupons use special bar codes that are packed with information such as the dates and times they were obtained, viewed and, ultimately, redeemed; the store where they were used and, sometimes, even the search terms typed to find them. Retailers are blending this data with information discovered online and off to create customer profiles that are more detailed than ever which, of course, raises concerns about privacy and may lead to legislation to curb what information can be used.

As part of a special issue on mobile marketing, Adweek's Brain Morrissey writes that, thanks to advancements by Apple and innovations by Google, mobile has arrived as a truly effective platform for brands. He profiles three companies that are succeeding at "getting it right": PepsiCo, Best Buy and Fresh Direct.

Merc News columnist Chris O'Brien, meanwhile, cautions that as big as mobile is getting in the U.S., we're not ready for it. After years of lagging the rest of the world, smartphone innovation is not only at a fever pitch, the devices are transitioning from nice-to-have luxuries to necessities. But they've "caused such a dramatic surge in mobile data that it is creating a bottleneck in the infrastructure needed to carry the traffic," he writes.

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