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With sales of furniture and other home furnishings falling nearly nine percent last year by some industry analyst estimates, retailers in the category have turned to sponsorship to boost store traffic and sales. Much of that activity has been on behalf of national and regional value-based retailers, including purveyors of low-price products and rent-to-own chains.

Toyota might be telling Capitol Hill it wants to regain the public trust, but judging from Facebook, it may not have lost it. According to Doug Frisbie, Toyota Motor Sales USA's national social media and marketing integration manager, the automaker has actually grown its Facebook fan base more than 10% since late January, around the time of the marketer's Jan. 21 recall announcement and its Jan. 26 stop-sale date.

After more than a year of not spending money on their homes, consumers have begun refurbishing their kitchens and painting their living rooms in what appears to be the early stages of a comeback for the home improvement industry.

According to a survey recently announced by Ruder Finn, Americans are spending an average of 2.7 hours on the mobile Internet, connecting socially, managing their personal finances, and even as a means for advocacy. Ninety-one percent of mobile phone users go online to socialize compared to only 79% of traditional desktop users. Mobile phone users are 1.6 times more likely to manage finances compared to traditional desktop users, and mobile phone users are 1.4 times more likely than traditional desktop users to rally support for a cause.