Small businesses have embraced mobile apps, with 32% now offering one and another 42% planning to do so in the future. But 26% are unlikely to ever release an app, according to a study by Top Design Firms.

The primary objectives are to improve customer service (34%) and to boost branding efforts (32%), the study notes. 

Americans now spend an average of five hours a day to mobile devices, it adds. 

Apps allow customers to contact firms without having to send an email, says Ethan Taub, CEO of financial planning company Goalry, according to the study. 

But Laura English, lead copywriter at Sonder Digital Marketing, cautions that business owners with a limited budget “should focus on a website with perfect responsiveness,” the study says.

Top Design Firms surveyed 500 small business owners. 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette plans to eliminate one of its remaining print editions.

After Feb. 26, the newspaper will ax its Friday print version, but continue its print editions for Thursday and Sunday. The newspaper will also transfer its Local Xtra and Varsity Xtra sections, news and sports coverage of city neighborhoods, to Thursday.

The move follows the announcement in early October 2019 that the publication would only deliver print copies on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The decision is part of its transition to a digital-only newspaper.

To compensate for the loss of Friday, the Sunday edition will add more than 10 pages and new content, PPG announced. It will continue to sell a slim Saturday print edition in retail stores.

“We’ve seen over the past year increased demand for digital content,” said Kurt Franck, vice president of newspaper operations for Block Communications Inc., the Toledo, Ohio-based owner of the Post-Gazette and the Toledo Blade. "We think e-delivery is better, and we make no apologies for doing this.”

The Post-Gazette’s digital efforts include its site, a daily electronic edition and NewsSlide, a digital site accessible by mobile devices.

The newspaper claimed 101,747 paid Sunday subscribers, including 71,520 print and 30,227 digital, in Q4 2020. Paid subscribers for daily editions totaled 74,444, including 44,371 print and 30,073 digital. 

There is no word on how the move will affect staffers. The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh has remained in negotiations with Block Communications since March 2017, when its contract expired. Guild members voted to authorize a strike in August over the failure to negotiate a new contract.

Global creative brand consultancy Lippincott has appointed two new partners at its New York office--Brian Rosenberg joins the Brand Strategy practice and Mick McConnell the Design practice. 

Rosenberg joins after nearly 15 years at Prophet, where he served as an associate partner responsible for crafting brand strategies for clients including T-Mobile, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Deloitte, GE, Harrah’s Entertainment, HSN, Johnson & Johnson, MetLife and more. 

At Lippincott, Rosenberg’s responsibilities will include shaping and activating brand transformation programs. He’ll also will help build Lippincott’s capabilities in product marketing and demand generation. He reports to Michael D’Esopo, senior partner, director of brand strategy. 

Prior to joining Lippincott, McConnell was a senior vice president at WeWork and led the firm’s innovation practice. Past roles also include vice president, head of design for Samsung Electronics America’s marketing team, global head of design for Chipotle, and executive creative director at R/GA. 

At Lippincott, McConnell’s work will be focused on creating bespoke brand experiences, driven by data-driven creative, research, and strategy. He’s tasked with helping identify new opportunities for growth for Lippincott’s clients and will design products and services to that end. He reports to Rodney Abbot, Senior Partner, Design.

"It's a critical time for brands as they strive to break through and make meaningful connections with their customers,” said Rick Wise, CEO, Lippincott, adding that the two new partners will help the agency’s clients do just that.

Ford Motor Co.’s F-Series pickup trucks and the Honda Accord are the top two most popular vehicles in the country, per a study by Insurify. 

Rounding out the top 10 are the Honda Civic, Nissan Altima, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Impala, Toyota Tacoma and Honda CR-V.

The popularity of pickup trucks was widespread this year, with the vehicle type landing three out of the top 10 spots. The Ford F-Series is the most popular vehicle among car owners in 18 out of 50 states. 

Honda and Chevrolet tied for top manufacturers. Of the 10 most popular vehicles in the United States, three models each from Honda and Chevrolet made the rankings for 2021. 

Across the nation, many states share car preferences with their neighbors. Hondas tend to rule the coasts — the Honda Civic and Honda Accord are the most popular vehicles in states along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, respectively. On the other hand, Ford F-Series Pickups have a stronghold throughout middle America, from the north to the south, according to Insurify, an American insurance comparison shopping website.

All 10 of the most popular cars in America share one thing in common: they are some of the more affordable vehicles on the market. All of the cars have an MSRP that is below the national average of $37,851 by an average of $12,600.

COVID-19 has strongly informed consumer trends over the past year, including new and used car buying behavior, according to Insurify. The coronavirus pandemic has shaped how we travel, and with restrictions on and advisories against public transportation use, many Americans opted to get behind the wheel themselves. 

According to Apple Maps Mobility Trends Reports, driving patterns have leveled out to typical pre-pandemic rates as of January 2021, while transit use still lags at a 54% decrease from March 2020. 

Cars have remained a reliable necessity for many. The country’s return to normal driving patterns, when compared to the reluctance for many to get back on public transit, illustrates the resiliency of the automotive market, according to Insurify.

Despite a 15% decline in auto retail sales in 2020, this loss is projected to be less than that of the decline during the 2008 Great Recession (18%). Additionally, car retailers benefited from the demand for individual mobility, with many dealer groups reporting record profits in the third quarter of 2020.

To determine the most popular vehicle in each state, Insurify examined its database of over 2.9 million car insurance applications. Applicants must disclose their driving history and information about the make and model of their vehicle when applying for car insurance, in addition to their state of residence. 

The vehicles with the highest number of drivers in each state were named the most popular car for their respective states. The models were then ranked by the number of states in which that vehicle holds the number one spot. To round out the list to include the top 10 vehicles in the United States, the vehicle in the tenth spot is the second-most popular vehicle across the nation (but does not hold the number one spot in a particular state).