2013 was jam-packed with digital marketing news. From the launch of Vine to the most tweeted-about VMAs ever,

there was plenty to talk (and blog!) about. Take a look back at the highlights in this year-end recap.

Did MySpace make it into your top eight channels of 2013? MySpace launches a new layout and tries to make a comeback.

Twitter unveils Vine, and the 140-character approach to conciseness comes to video.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

Burger King’s Twitter account gets hacked, and the hacker replaces BK’s profile image with the golden arches.

Oreo shines bright during the Super Bowl blackout with a news-jacking tweet and viral image.

FEBRUARY

Microsoft converts Hotmail to Outlook.com, using the same name of Microsoft’s popular workplace email software.

Google Reader retires due to declining usage, despite a loyal following that wasn’t pleased with the discontinuation.

“Keep a thing seven years, and you’ll always find a use for it,” goes the old English saying. Plenty have found a use for Twitter (where would @aplusk be without it?) as Twitter celebrates its 7th birthday.

MARch

Boston police use Twitter to update residents on the search for the Boston Marathon bombers; thousands turn to Twitter and Facebook for news and to express condolences.

Facebook marketers saw the launch of News Feed retargeting ads and Facebook Home, a replacement for select Android devices’ home screens.

ApRil

#Boston

Gmail introduces the new tabbed inbox that email marketers are still talking about.

Twitter launches lead generation cards for an impressive new take on brand-to-follower advertising.

MAY

Instagram introduces video and joins Vine in the micro-video space.

Yahoo completes Tumblr acquisition.

JUNE

salesforce.com completes acquisition of ExactTarget, marking salesforce’s largest acquisition to date.

Publicis and Omnicom merge to form the world’s largest ad firm.

JUlY

Yahoo’s email service closes in China after a gradual phase-out, with Yahoo recommending users turn to Alibaba’s Aliyun instead.

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, purchases The Washington Post for $250 million.

AUGUST

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke’s performance at the VMAs garners over 300,000 tweets per minute.

AUGUST

Apple releases iPhone 5s and 5c and launches iOS 7, the new iPhone operating system that overtakes iOS 6 in just 72 hours.

Connections 2013 hosts more than 5,000 marketers in Indianapolis, and features Condoleezza Rice, Walter Isaacson, and Jim Collins.

SEpTEMBER

Mobile email opens hit record high of 47%.1

Pinterest takes its first steps toward monetization, announcing sponsored pins.

SEpTEMBER

47%

Searching for a new Google algorithm? Look no further than Hummingbird, which includes increased focus on social engagement and natural language search.

SEpTEMBER

New TCPA guidelines require marketers to obtain express written consent before sending SMS/text marketing messages.

Instagram announces that photo and video ads are coming to the Instagram feed.

OcTOBER

OcTOBER

Nielsen unveils Twitter TV ratings, further cementing the relationship between real-time tweeting and TV viewership.

Jeff Rohrs’ book Audience is released, igniting conversations about audience development in digital marketing.

Marissa Mayer, Marc Benioff, Green Day, Deepak Chopra, and Sheryl Sandberg join over 120,000 Dreamforce attendees in San Francisco.

NOvEMBER

DEcEMBER

Happening in December this year, Cyber Monday online sales grew by 20% over 2012.2

Sources: 1litmus.com/blog/mobile-opens-hit-record-high-of-47, 2IBM Cyber Monday Report 2013, China image: FreeVectorMaps.com

This recap only scratches the surface of the many marketing happenings that graced our Twitter feeds, Flipboards, news tickers, and blog posts in 2013. Follow exacttarget.com/blog for the latest in digital marketing,

no matter what 2014 brings.