Today's headlines

Marketers are increasingly incorporating different channels such as SMS, QR codes and augmented reality into their marketing efforts to drive user engagement. While mobile video was once an immediate go-to, it seems the channel has been put on the back burner.

Registration is open for the second annual Mobile FirstLook: Strategy 2013 conference Thursday, Jan. 17 featuring speakers from Coca-Cola, Sephora, Nissan, Museum of Modern Art, Citi, MillerCoors, Seamless and JetBlue. Must-attend event for brands, retailers, agencies and publishers.

Please register for the free annual webinar at 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 6: “Mobile Outlook 2013: Up, Down or Flat?” Panelists include execs from Capital One, Caesars Entertainment and Hipcricket.

Media conglomerate News Corp. is shutting down its mobile-only publication The Daily, pointing to the problems that publishers have had with gaining both scalability and revenue with their mobile initiatives.

Nonprofit (RED) and Gilt Groupe have teamed up this holiday season to support the fight against AIDS by encouraging consumers to dial **RED on their mobile device and shop products, as well as donate for the cause.

Mobile Commerce Daily today - Flash sales are retailers’ favorite mobile promotion: report; Isis’ presence grows via vending machine partnership.

News briefs - IPhone users are most engaged compared to other platforms; Mobivity acquires mobile loyalty app Stampt; Further consolidation among wireless carriers is likely.

Luxury Daily today - Swarovski boosts ecommerce via augmented reality Instagram contest; Mercedes-Benz thanks Facebook fans via social video.

By Michael Nevins

Good content can help drive higher brand recall, favorability and purchase intent, and because of this, savvy advertisers prioritize quality content when picking their advertising partners.