According to a recent Forrester survey, 59% of business executives believe businesses that do not routinely leverage social media will not survive. The survey found that 71% of the executives said companies taking social media seriously gain a competitive business advantage, and found that 41% of the executives' firms are already using social media to market products, manage staff, and optimize operations. Furthermore the survey revealed that 40% of the executives surveyed plan to start employing social media as a marketing and operations tool.

According to a study by Forrester, the number of global smartphone users will reach over 1 billion by 2016. According to the study, 350 million users will be using their devices for work purposes. Furthermore, 50% of those users will be bringing in their own devices to work. The study also revealed that global mobile spending could reach $1.3 trillion by 2016, with consumers paying somewhere around $55 billion on mobile apps only.

A new study by Forrester Research has revealed global social networking trends. According to the study, India and China are two of the most 'social' countries. The study also reveals that Italians are twice as likely to visit a social networking site as Germans, while the Japanese prefer to use a networking site called 'Mixi'.

Business 24|7 reports that digital communication consultancies are to become major employers in the media industry, as clients have grown increasing awareness of the importance of media and its impact on implementing successful marketing strategies.