There's no better place to learn about teen girls than the Miss Teen USA pageant. During the last weekend of July, I had the honor of serving on the judging panel for this year's competition in the Bahamas. The hardest part? Picking a winner among so many amazing young women. The best part? Getting to know these fun, talented teens better and picking up a few insights on what matters to them most.

If you're a teen, there's some good news in this otherwise sluggish economy-your chances of landing a summer job are better today than they were just a year ago.

I remember the days when watching something containing suggestive material was considered a privilege, not a right. Many of my preteen years consisted of begging my parents to let me watch Eric Cartman run his mouth on "South Park" or Stewie Griffin try to kill his mother on "Family Guy." Eventually, if I was persistent enough, they would give in and let me bask in the warming glow of profanity, sexual innuendo and violence.

Now that school's out for summer-if not technically out for forever, as noted American philosopher Vincent Damon Furnier (a.k.a. Alice Cooper) once opined-it's worthwhile to consider the media consumption habits of teens during the dog days of the season.

"Showrooming" has become common vernacular in the retail environment as consumers trot down retail aisles comparing prices, looking up reviews and sometimes purchasing directly on mobile devices. Brands and retailers alike must recognize mobile screens as a complementary channel to educate and win a consumer's business in the digital and physical retail environments. Millennial women are a segment leading the trends around mobile devices as the ubiquitous shopping companion to inform every step along her journey to find that season's pair of shoes, a new computer or the perfect Father's Day gift.

When teens want to post pictures and connect with friends, they'll go to Facebook. When they want to find out what new promotions Starbucks is having, or get a quick snapshot of what is going on in the world, they'll scan through Twitter. When they want to establish a professional network, they turn to LinkedIn. Identifying which channel your brand will be most accepted on and will provide you with the best ROI is only half the battle in advertising. In 2009, a study conducted by the e-mail marketing firm eROI showed that "83% of college students use Facebook, 65% …

Plenty has been written about the value of word of mouth in the marketing communications mix. McKinsey, for example, reports that 67% of purchase decisions are influenced primarily by word of mouth. All well and good. Brands need to account for word of mouth in their communications plans. Check.

Less than 50% of Millennials are well informed on skin cancer and its causes. That's according to a recent study we conducted in support of May's Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

There are very few minds more complicated than those of the American teenager's. The next two months will bring with them the biggest moment in the short, fragile lives of millions of high school students around the country - graduation day. Whether they downplay it or not, even teenagers realize that the steps they take after leaving high school are some of the most important decisions of their lives. With that said, it leaves colleges responsible for some of the most clever and attention-grabbing branding of any product out there. Let's face it, a college is just that: a product. …

How marketers are contributing to widespread teen pop-fanaticism.