With libraries reporting waiting lists in the thousands and retailers reporting over 10 million copies sold in just a month and a half, the popularity of 50 Shades of Grey and its siblings 50 Shades Darker and 50 Shades Freed has not only dominated The Hunger Games trilogy but (mercy!) "ripped through the virginity" of America's familiarity with, and openess to, BDSM.

Much to the delight of its publisher, the trilogy by E.L. James is being banned in libraries across the nation, where "pornography," not "literature," is used to describe the tome. And the only thing nearly as popular as reading the book is writing about how terrible it is as a book. (True fact: The books started as fan fiction featuring characters from the Twilight series — now it's inspiring fan fiction.)

Capitalizing on the new craze for "mommy porn" is "leading fetish company" Stockroom.com, which reports a "a remarkable surge in inquiries."Continue reading...

Tired of "planking" and "occupying"? TIME's top buzzwords of 2011 also include "leading from behind," "haboob," "99 percent," "manscape," "mantyhose," "mankini," "cone of uncertainty," and "Arab Spring."

The latest vocabulary blacklist by Michigan's Lake Superior State University, meanwhile, singles out coined words and phrases to banish from our collective vocabulary including "occupy," "ginormous," "shared sacrifice," "win the future," "blowback," "man cave" and "the new normal."

Lexicographer Grant Barrett commented in Sunday's New York Times that at least one of the words that defined 2011 ("occupy") won't disappear any time soon:

"In 10 years, some of last year’s words will be relics. We’ll think of them the way we now think of the decades-old phrase “gag me with a spoon.” Others have already proved their staying power. Who could argue that the new sense of “occupy” isn’t already a keeper, even starting as it did late in the third quarter of 2011? A movement so well labeled, if not cohesive in thought and action, that its name instantly lent itself to variation and satire."

America’s love affair with tablets is growing. 

According to a just released study commissioned by the Online Publishers Association, 12% of the U.S. population between ages 8-64 now own or use a tablet, and that number is projected to rise to 23% by early 2012, representing 54 million people.

The study — “A Portrait of Today’s Tablet User” — was commissioned by the OPA to gain fresh understanding of consumers' usage of tablets, content preferences and implications for advertising.Continue reading...

Even though Google just hit an astounding benchmark of one billion monthly unique users, a milestone the search giant passed in May, another tipping point in the US is worth noting: consumers are now spending more time on mobile apps than on the web.

Underlying this behavioral shift to mobile is a platform shift, as the number of smartphones and tablets shipped in 2011 exceeded those of desktops and notebooks.Continue reading...

The times they are a-changing in Australia. A new report has it that Aussies are more likely to stay home than go out at night, are less interested in beer-drinking (awesome beer ads notwithstanding) than in the recent past, and are much more interested in recreational activities such as sporting equipment or television.

“The conventional wisdom is that Australians spend like there’s no tomorrow, are reluctant to save, put purchases on the credit card and love a beer, smoke and flutter (gambling). But the stereotype is outdated,” said CommSec chief economist Craig James, author of The New Aussie Consumer, according to StartupSmart.Continue reading...

School is out, the mortarboards have been tossed, and the degrees all handed out (once the gowns were returned with no damage, of course). Suddenly there are a slew of recent graduates trying to figure out what they’re going to do for the rest of their lives. Branded freebies from recruiters may be helping them make the decision.

The U.S. Labor Department reported earlier in May that the U.S. economy added 244,000 jobs in April, the most in one month in the last five years.  College grads are surely hoping that kind of hiring pace continues.

And it looks like being young and inexperienced isn’t the worst place to be on the job spectrum right now. Bloomberg reports that there is a sea change occurring in corporate hiring as companies are seeking younger employees.Continue reading...

Even as President Obama gives his State of the Union address this evening, consumer product marketers are evaluating the state of the economy.

After pulling back the last few years, U.S. product marketers actually introduced almost 41,000 new products in 2010 — an increase from just under 39,000 in 2009, according to research firm Mintel.

So what does the marketplace look like in 2011 — and what product trends are we likely to see?Continue reading...

Pricey grocery stores (such as Whole Foods' lifestyle ethos) attract skinnier customers.

Other trends we're watching:

How smart luxury brands master Facebook, where 30+ brands have 1M+ fans.

Redesigned logos - the best of the year, so far.

Global hotel brands line up in India.

Social media ad spending lags.Continue reading...