In an astounding announcement, Facebook reveals that 65 million users now interact with the site through mobile applications:

Facebook Mobile first started as a simple mobile site in English with a few of the core site features built in, such as status updates and photo uploads. Since then, we’ve grown far beyond what was [...]]]>

In an astounding announcement, Facebook reveals that 65 million users now interact with the site through mobile applications:

Facebook Mobile first started as a simple mobile site in English with a few of the core site features built in, such as status updates and photo uploads. Since then, we’ve grown far beyond what was then a fairly basic mobile site. We have translated the mobile site into other languages, launched Facebook SMS and deployed a wide range of applications for hundreds of mobile handsets, including Facebook for Blackberry, Facebook for iPhone and Facebook for Nokia.

Those who use Facebook mobile apps remember the bare-bones features initially offered through the service (basically, you were allowed to update your status.). With the latest iPhone app, you can now access nearly every feature of the regular site through your phone. This stands in stark contrast to MySpace, whose mobile app suffers from an excess number of ads, and whose much-celebrated deal with Helio has disappointed since inception.

via Facebook | Facebook Mobile: Now Connecting 65 Million People.

In a manner similar to Starbucks’ recent efforts to establish its grassroots origins, Gap is emphasizing its heritage over innovation:

The campaign, which gets under way on [...]]]> In an effort to breathe new life into its brand, Gap Inc. is engaging in a centralized re-branding campaign in which social media will play a significant role.

In a manner similar to Starbucks’ recent efforts to establish its grassroots origins, Gap is emphasizing its heritage over innovation:

The campaign, which gets under way on Thursday, promotes the newly named 1969 Premium Jeans line with the theme “Born to fit,” which lends its name to a microsite, or special Web site (borntofit.com).

The year in the name is a tip of the hat to the 40th anniversary of Gap, which opened in 1969 selling Levi’s jeans and records. (Gap’s own jeans label arrived in 1974, and the chain sold its last denim made by Levi Strauss & Company in 1991.)

The campaign is meant to convey that Gap has “taken our heritage, denim, and re-energized it,” said Ivy Ross, executive vice president for marketing at the Gap division in San Francisco. “It’s like building a new house.”

Although the campaign features several social networking tools, including–

• Facebook fan page
• YouTube page
• iPhone application

–it is not limited to social media. The campaign will integrate traditional TV and print outlets. This holistic, integrative marketing approach is exactly what most companies fail to undertake. Instead, quick-fix efforts are greenlit in a desperate attempt to “get social”, rather than consider how social media fits into the organization’s broader marketing goals.

While the campaign is just getting underway, I’m going to stick my neck out and predict it will be a huge success for Gap.

via Advertising – Covering Many Bases for a Brand of Blue Jeans – NYTimes.com.

The surprising nugget was that a full 20% of respondents claimed they discovered apps through ads in other apps. If true, this could [...]]]> According to AdMob, iPhone and iPod Touch users discovered the 1.5 billion apps they’ve downloaded through search and browsing, which is hardly surprising. (What else could it be? Recommendation engine? Social recs?)

The surprising nugget was that a full 20% of respondents claimed they discovered apps through ads in other apps. If true, this could point the way for companies hungry to promote their brands through iPhone apps. Instead of relying upon the Field of Dreams school of product promotion (“If you build it, they will come”), they could promote their apps through targeted advertisements in current popular apps which offer the best spillover effects. (Of course, determining spillover potential is an art unto itself.)

Now, a couple of caveats:

• This was a small survey (n=190).
• AdMob has a vested interest in driving cross-app advertising sales.

So take these results with just a little grain of salt.

via CHART OF THE DAY: How Do iPhone Users Discover Apps? (AAPL).