Facebook and apps from Google like Gmail and the Android Market are the most popular smartphone apps among Android owners according to Nielsen’s latest research on smartphone usage.

While big Indian metros will remain a staple for marketers and increasing a rural footprint will be critical for volumes in the long run, there is a growth opportunity that is vastly under-rated by many marketers today, which could emerge as a key growth engine for the next 10 years.

The paper circular – whether delivered by mail, as a newspaper insert or viewed in the store – still reigns as the most popular way for shoppers to find sale items and product information, it is evolving in kind with consumers’ desire to seek deals across media.

In the U.S., 71% of those with smartphones own either an Android device or an iPhone. But when it comes to smartphone apps, iPhones and Android smartphones are even more dominant: 83 percent of app downloaders, that is, those who downloaded an app in the past 30 days, use iPhone or Android smartphones.

Ford rolled home with the 2nd annual Nielsen Automotive Green Marketer of the Year award, which was presented today at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

As Black Friday and the holiday season approaches, Apple appears to be the consumer electronics brand to beat. A recent Nielsen survey shows kids’ holiday gaming and electronics appetites are whet by a number of top-selling Apple devices – with the iPad leading the pack.

Despite an obvious affinity for mobile devices in the country, smartphone uptake in Japan has lagged compared to other parts of the world — until very recently.

With 50+ million active social media users, Indians spend more time on social media than on any other activity on the Internet, according to Nielsen.

A bold outlook of ongoing growth around the consumer was delivered by a trio of Nielsen executives to Indian business leaders in New Delhi today.

Though often stressed over money, work, and lack of free time, across ethnicities, American women exhibit optimism with regards to their future and their daughters according to a recent Nielsen report.