Here is a look at some standout brand-building and communications stories that caught our attention this week – as well as some macro trends and themes we’re tracking.

Strategies & Shifts Reshaping Planning, Branding & Advertising (and Business)

• The Viral Me (& why we want to share ourselves)
• The Tyranny of Choice
• The Neuroscience of Prediction
• Why Your Smartphone Will Replace Your Wallet
• Strategy, Business Model & Who’s Your Customer
• In 500 Billion Words, New Window on Culture
• Infographic: The World of Data (as we consume it daily)
• Data Journalism and Visualization: The Guardian’s New Site
• Why All Good Marketing Has Utility
• The Future of Online Shopping
• Unlocking the Mayor Badge of Meaningfulness
• Why People Might Save Ads for Later

Innovation, Creativity

• Why Successful Innovators Have to Learn How to Fail
• TED Names 2011 Fellows, Senior Fellows
• NYT: The Year in Ideas
• Top 10 Internet of Things Developments 2010
• Foursquare Door Guys May Sell DIY Kits
• YouTube: Filmography 2010
• Introducing Word Lens (Real Time Translation)
• Pummelvision: turning your photos into instant videos
• MoMA: Andy Warhol Screen Tests
• Google Earth for the Human Body
• Robyn: We Dance to the Beat

Brand Content (for better and sometimes worse)

• Etsy Taste Test (New Recommendation Engine)
• Start Advertising: Twitter for Business
• Chrome for a Cause
• Epic Google Docs Animation (from Demo Slam)

Digital Media, Tech & Marketing News & Resources

• Most Influential Media Outlets
• Twitter’s US Growth Has Stalled
• Top Twitter Trends 2010
• New Facebook Features Exposed
• Facial Recognition on Facebook
• Five Ways to Monetize Social Media
• Groupon Clones in Europe Say They Offer Better Deals and Treatment of Merchants
• Apple’s Mac App Store Launches January 6th
• How Flipboard Turned Web Noise into Online Gold