Despite the popularity of the iPhone, and the general touch screen mania that has been sweeping the U.S. over the past year, still very few people actually watch video on their cell phones. But the numbers are on the rise, according to a new report issued by The Nielsen Company.

Nearly two thirds of mobile Web video viewers are watching video via the mobile Web (66 percent), though paid subscription services and purchased downloads continue to account for a sizable amount of viewership.

The top Web destination for consuming mobile video, also not surprisingly, is YouTube—likely do in part to the site’s prominent anchor position on the home screen of all new iPhones.Read more at www.mediaweek.com

Four of the advertising industry’s biggest trade organizations, along with the The Council of Better Business Bureaus, have announced plans to jointly develop a set of self-regulatory guidelines for behavioral targeting ads–just a week before a new Democratic administration takes charge in Washington D.C.

The five groups say their goal is to tackle privacy concerns surrounding behavioral targeting, a widespread practice which involves using Web users’ previous surfing and/or searching activity to deliver them more relevant ad messages. In addition, the new consortium hopes to better educate consumers–some of whom are only gradually becoming aware of the controversial practice. Read more at www.mediaweek.com

Many marketers believe that social networks represent a more direct path to consumer engagement than other types of marketing. The thinking: What better environment for my brand than one where consumers are already talking and interacting with each other? Wouldn’t it be great if they also talked about my product?

When asked to choose their preferred social media site for driving brand growth, members of the Association of National Advertisers gave no single site an overwhelming vote. YouTube and Facebook topped the list, with 20% and 18%, respectively, but 32% of respondents said none of the sites made the cut. This indicates that advertisers do not necessarily see social media sites as venues for branding initiatives.

See more at totalaccess.emarketer.com

Sending out the right e-mail message with a short subject line on Monday or Tuesday is a good start.

Overall, shorter subject lines were related to higher open and click rates. However, in addition to subject line length, subject line word order, word choice, brand and audience awareness were critical success factors.

eMarketer estimates e-mail ad spending will reach $488 million in 2009, up from $472 million in 2008.

See more at www.emarketer.com