links for 2009-10-28

• Americans Want Brands that Inform - eMarketer
  The top characteristic US consumers want from brands they like is to improve their knowledge—and the least desirable one is for a brand to “only be visible in store”—according to the “Global Web Index” from Lightspeed Research. Helping consumers keep up to date on topics that were important to them was also key, followed by being entertaining, becoming part of a daily routine, and informing consumers about the product and the company. Consumers were relatively uninterested in brands that tried to act like their friends.
  (tags: marketing)
• Does Social Media Work for Small Biz? - eMarketer
  Small businesses are not hitting it off with social media, according to an August 2009 study from Citibank. More than three-quarters of US small-business executives surveyed did not find social networks helpful for generating leads or expanding their business.
  (tags: social media)