Several trends are putting increasing financial pressure on mobile advertising vendors, resulting in layoffs, bankruptcies and consolidation.

Although Apple's brand loyalty remains relatively high, an opportunity for Samsung to more aggressively target female iPhone users is breaking out as sales plateau.

Registration is open for the 3rd annual Mobile FirstLook: Strategy 2014 conference Jan. 15-16 featuring speakers from Macy's, eBay, Coca-Cola, Office Depot, Lowe's, Amazon's Zappos, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Rue La La, Citi, REI, Campbell Soup, Omni Hotels, Forrester, Yahoo, NYT, USA Today and Cumberland Farms. 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. 5: "Mobile Outlook 2014: Up, Down or Flat?" Panelists include execs from BIA/Kelsey and Hipcricket.

Procter & Gamble's Olay and Herbal Essences lines have rolled out new mobile campaigns within Apple's iTunes Radio that plug social media-driven initiatives from both brands.

Tic Tac saw a 7.94 percent engagement rate with its October Shake, Share and Care rich media campaign, pointing to the importance of targeting a correct audience with an engaging unit.

Today in mobile marketing - Disney struggles to make its free gaming apps pay; China Mobile courts overseas users with mobile app; T-Mobile looks to raise money to buy spectrum; Asus hopes new Chromebooks, smartphones, and wearables will turn fortunes around.

Mobile Commerce Daily today - Mobile banking growth drives reduction in banks' physical presence; Are retail apps losing relevancy as the mobile Web gains?

Luxury Daily today - Ritz-Carlton brings augmented reality to Arabic magazine Sayidaty; LVMH consolidates beauty research to affirm authenticity, boost innovations.

By Shuli Lowy

Women make up more than 50 percent of the population - but less than 20 percent of the digital ad-tech workforce. This drops to the single digits when talking about senior roles at companies.

By Dan Hodges

Intel cofounder Andy Grove describes an inflection point as "an event that changes the way we think and act." Inflection points can be the result of action taken by a company, government or invention. But how do we know when we are truly at an inflection point?