The luxury goods industry isn’t looking too shabby these days, having benefited from serious growth in emerging markets and the buying power of vacationing Chinese. In fact, appealing to Chinese tourists has swiftly become top priority for brands like Burberry and Tiffany, both of which staffed their biggest shops with Mandarin-speaking salespeople. Chinese tourists are being treated, too, to private cocktail parties, fashion shows and personal tours. Why? Luxury items are about a third cheaper in the U.S., where a record number of Chinese are traveling. And once they’ve arrived, Chinese visitors tend to drop $6,000 each (compared to $4,000 spent by visitors from other countries) in the States. One of the last digital marketing holdouts, the luxury market is at last looking to technology to move product. The rub: Experts say that special offers and sales don’t appeal to the luxury consumer, who craves V.I.P. access instead. That’s why Burberry and Stella McCartney grant behind-the-scenes glimpses of catwalk showings via iPad apps, both with click-to-shop options. And luxury U.K. department store Harrods has rolled out a snazzy iPad version of its catalog. In line with the “real-tail” trend @erwwpr predicted in its 2012 trendspotting roundup, Neiman Marcus is going tech to appeal to its customers personally, notifying them via smartphone when their favorite clerks are at work on the store floor. The time is right: Some 60 percent of high-net-worth individuals—think baby boomers—now own smartphones, and of those, 67 percent have used them to shop. One more luxury trend we’ve spotted is the downsizing of retail outlets to maximize profits. See Hugo Boss in Delhi, which reduced its retail shop by 7,000 square feet to great results. Let’s get this equation straight: Small spaces + big thinking = bigger profit?

QR (quick response) codes aren’t new (they’ve been used for years to track car parts in the auto industry), but they’re relatively new to most of us and their use is evolving quickly. After engineers realized that smartphones can serve as barcode readers, they encouraged marketers to rethink the phone as a means of instant entree to a brand’s website or social media site. Proven to increase conversion rates, QR codes, which look like pixelated black and white square mazes, are now integrated in print and TV ads, on storefronts and on bathroom flyers everywhere. Beloved by marketers because they’re so versatile, QR codes link to sites that can be updated frequently and can entice consumers with “scan to win” scenarios. And here’s the best part: They’re working. In June of 2011, 14 million Americans scanned a QR code; 33 percent of Americans report interacting with a QR code via their TV. And the technology is being applied far beyond the marketing world; an Indiana tombstone company is installing the codes on some grave sites as a way for loved ones to grieve on a shared memorial site; an English police force has included them on billboards to encourage passersby to review a list of “wanted” people; and real estate companies use them to share information and photos about a property. Though QR codes are touted for their small stature, the world’s largest QR code—10,000 square feet—was just installed on a roof in North Carolina in order to be visible from Google Earth and Google Maps. We wonder: Might this also qualify for a world record regarding the lengths people will go to drive up Web traffic?

Over the next two years, some 200 new or updated car models will hit the road, but many of them got their first turn in the spotlight during the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition last month. Scheduled to introduce 15 new vehicles into the Chinese market by 2015, Ford debuted several models, including three SUVs intended to accommodate China’s new fondness for roomy second cars. So-called Tiger Moms are reportedly going gaga over sport-utility vehicles, perfect for herding their hyper-scheduled kids from Kung Fu practice to English lessons. SUV demand is at an unprecedented high in China—up 20 percent in 2011—heralding the introduction of a slew of new SUV models. Meanwhile in the U.S., where SUVs were all the rage a decade ago, cars are outselling trucks by 54 to 46 percent and the used-car market is seeing an abundance of SUVs, now being swapped for more fuel-efficient cars. But those traded-in SUVs are being snatched up as quickly as they’re placed on the lot by drivers who still need—or want—the extra room. Car and SUV owners can unite to support the newest car-care trend: the waterless car wash, touted for conserving water, costing less and protecting against rust. Next up: Something to protect resale value? We can only hope.

Last month marked 100 years since the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the middle of a moonless night. The anniversary kicked off something of a revival: Historians and engineers are analyzing anew what caused the ship’s demise; still others are marveling at the survival stories. And, of course, the much-hyped 3-D re-release of the 1997 namesake film made an, ahem, splash around the world. In China, the film earned $7 million during opening weekend alone. (Kate Winslet’s breasts were not shown, because Chinese officials said that “considering the vivid 3D effects, we fear that viewers may reach out their hands for a touch and thus interrupt other people’s viewing.” That’s an actual quote.) And a ticket stub left over from the Titanic’s launch sold for $56,000 while a menu from the ship went for $31,000 at a New York auction. Liverpool played host to a Titanic-themed gigantic puppet show, and the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., opened its “Titanic: 100 Year Obsession” exhibit through July. We’re even seeing a tourism boom for Belfast, where the Titanic was constructed and where a new landmark—the Titanic Belfast building—opened this year. And tidbits of news continue to intrigue, e.g., the first-ever release of photos taken in 2004 that seem to show human remains among Titanic debris on the seabed. Let this serve as a reminder to marketers that sometimes the past can be perfect for capturing imaginations.

Recent studies show, alarmingly, evidence of widespread “precocious puberty” among daughters all over the world. The average age of breast budding has fallen significantly since the 1970s, and 7 is now considered within the normal range for pubic-hair growth. As if to prove out those reports comes news of a 10-year-old girl giving birth in Colombia to a healthy daughter. Parents around the globe have good reason for concern: Not only are early periods associated with an increased risk for breast cancer, but children whose bodies mature sooner are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors. (Though we can take some comfort in this: The teen birth rate is at a 70-year low.) And because traditional puberty includes a final growth spurt that’s abbreviated during early puberty, early bloomers are typically shorter than their peers. Not limited to girls, the trend has even changed the face of boys’ choirs; as boys retire their sopranos much earlier these days, choir directors are taking in boys at a younger age to ensure a full range of voices. Though doctors haven’t yet pinpointed why some children are more likely than others to enter early puberty, they have identified risk factors—things like obesity, family stress and exposure to some environmental chemicals (of particular concern are xenoestrogens). A question that parents (and marketers) may want to ponder is how this phenomenon might affect a teen’s developing brain, considering that it matures in harmony with the body during puberty.

Taking a lesson from the established popularity of fashionable food trucks, the retail industry is going mobile as well—with quirky clothing and accessories stores in vehicles as varied as rehabbed double-decker buses, school buses, Airstreams and Winnebagos. See Wanderlust, which sells vintage and handmade goods in Portland, Ore., from a 1969 converted travel trailer or the Styleliner, peddling luxury accessories in a former potato chip truck and embarking on “tour dates” around the United States. These mobile fashion trucks are catching on as a way for entrepreneurs to launch businesses in lean economic times and to embed themselves in all corners of a community. (A group of mobile retailers in Los Angeles have even formed the West Coast Retail Association to unite the many mobile operations in the area, which range from fashion-focused to florists to a barbershop on wheels.) Most mobile boutiques utilize social media to trumpet their whereabouts for the day, speaking to the natural intertwining of mobile and social. By the way, the U.S. mobile and social markets are expected to explode while the e-commerce market is projected to grow more moderately. That’s why L’Oréal USA recently tested its “mobile taxi shops,” which appealed to New York City taxi passengers to instantly buy the brand’s beauty products via m-commerce-enabled Taxi Shops. In short, it may be smart for marketers to plan a road trip for their next campaign.

Lots of us remember grade school for the notes we passed under desks and the secrets we whispered on the playground … to best friends. But some English schools are adopting “best friend bans” to save their students from the pain of “breaking up” with a friend later on. This kind of practice is redolent of the modern day helicopter parent’s fixation with protecting their children from harm—physical, psychological or otherwise. And not everyone agrees with the policy. Opponents argue that banning BFFs will “rob children of their childhood” and prevent them from gleaning precious lessons from friendships. And unlike most courtships, friendships don’t have to have a beginning, middle or an end. Though technology has sliced and diced the natural flow of dialogue between friends, psychologists report that teens are still closest to those they see and talk to in person every day, but allow that text messaging and social media have helped give a voice to teens who would previously have been outcasts. Parents—and marketers—already knew that.

It’s no secret that a pretty face can give job seekers a leg up during the hiring process, but new studies suggest that attractive men have the greatest advantage of all. Possibly that’s because HR departments are staffed predominately by women, who want to filter out potential competition, but even when it’s men making the decision, attractive men are selected over other candidates. Attractive women are actually at a disadvantage at the hiring stage—they’re less likely to get a callback than Plain Jane counterparts with very similar résumés. However, pretty ladies are more likely to be promoted once they’ve already secured the job. We wonder: Doesn’t including a photo of yourself along with your résumé whiff of narcissism? Perhaps that’s the point: A new study found that people with narcissistic qualities usually outperform more modest job candidates. How do we measure attractiveness? Psychologists in China and Toronto found that most kids stop being so unbearably cute at age 4 1/2, as their noses and mouths catch up with their big eyes and heads. For adults, perceived beauty all comes down to symmetry. Men and women both rate the opposite sex as healthier and more attractive when they lay claim to symmetrical faces and bodies. As the “average” American grows curvier and is more likely to be multiracial, what does the All-American beauty even look like these days? Like Angelina Jolie, says one magazine editor. So, you know, just as attainable as ever—for marketing purposes, we mean.

Even though cell phone bills have always been notoriously—many would say infuriatingly—high, we may all want to check that mysterious charges haven’t been tacked on recently. Enter a deceptive practice called “cramming,” whereby a customer is enrolled in a short-message service (SMS) that delivers, without consent, texts about, say, celebrities, horoscopes, dating and weather. The FCC estimates that 20 million cell users are crammed each year, and have vowed to crack down on cramming by holding service providers accountable for protecting and warning their customers. Crammed fees normally hover around $9 per month but can be as little as $1.99 and listed sneakily as “service fee” or “monthly charge.” So why are smartphone owners standing for the abuse? One in 20 don’t realize it’s happening; others are willing to put up with the headache as a byproduct of their smartphone addiction. After all, a Harvard Business School poll found that 40 percent of us would give up brushing our teeth rather than give up our smartphones. And in 2014 global smartphone annual sales will cross the billion-unit mark. There is, however, a small but stubborn contingent of “dumphone” owners who are proudly hanging on to their more primitive cells. Note to marketers: Both “smart” and “dumb” phone users would likely respond positively to a brand that took a stand against this noxious practice.

The late Amy Winehouse started the movement in 2006, but Adele, and now Lana Del Rey, confirmed it: The torch song is back. You know the torch song; it’s a love song that smolders with things too long left unsaid, unruly and messy around the edges. For Winehouse, it came in the form of Back to Black, her second album, which was on its way to becoming the best-selling album of the decade until Adele upstaged it with the wounded songs of 21 and broke more records that we can keep track of. Adele’s slice of the spotlight has been barely dimmed by recent vocal chord problems, but the break has made room for even more belters. In Britain, there’s Laura Marling, Eliza Doolittle, Lisa Hannigan, Ellie Goulding and Paloma Faith. Sweden has Lykke Li; Norway, Ane Brun; and Austria has Soap&Skin. Del Rey, the sad-eyed American crooner whose DIY videos have led to millions of records sold, looks to tortured icons like Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley for inspiration. And though Adele proclaims she’s “done being a bitter witch,” unhappiness and heartbreak are in the midst of a lyrical comeback—and sounding very different from the maudlin ballad du jour of a decade ago, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” (now seeing its own comeback). Why does music speak to us so deeply, crossing cultural and generational boundaries? As in the viral video of an unresponsive Alzheimer’s patient who appears to “come alive” when brought an iPod full of his favorite songs—seeming proof that music touches us in ways we don’t understand. Let that serve as a reminder to marketers of the importance of aural communication.