And tweet has clearly made a major impact on the words compilers.

“The noun and verb tweet has just been added to the OED,” says John Simpson, chief editor, Oxford English Dictionary. “This breaks at least one OED rule, namely that a new word needs to be current for ten years before consideration for inclusion. But it seems to be catching on.”

The lineup, curated by Live Nation, features The Dirty Heads in San Francisco, Ludacris in Atlanta, Kendrick Lamar in Detroit and Chevy metal in Oklahoma City, among many others.

“Bud Light’s 50/50/1 is truly a music first,” said Russell Wallach, president of Live Nation Network. “Never before has a brand brought so many shows to so many people on one day. From Alaska to New York, this is an unrivalled opportunity for fans from every corner of the country to see both emerging and established artists, and connect with other passionate music enthusiasts.”

Mainstream brands are broadening their styles and colour palettes for males, crossing over into themes traditionally restricted to womenswear, says the report. For instance, this season there’s no shortage of retailers offering pink pants for men, from Uniqlo and Joe Fresh, to Express and Brooks Brothers. And J Crew is selling a floral silk scarf for summer, while men’s bracelets have gone mainstream, with jewellers such David Yurman offering a wide selection.

Brands need to look beyond a traditionally female target, says JWT.

“Brands have new opportunities to widen their appeal as boys and men take to activities and behaviours that haven’t been seen as stereotypically male, whether it’s a gender-neutral Easy-Bake Oven for kids, upscale kitchen gadgets or fashion accessories. This will often require redesigning the product and/or messaging (eg, many cosmetic products have evolved from a unisex packaging for men to a more masculine look and scent).”

With Millennials ignoring old presumptions about gender and bringing a more open mind to gender identity, brands can stand out by flaunting conventions. All Saints and Jean Paul Gaultier, for example, have used a female model to show men’s clothes and vice versa.

“Of course, some cultures will be more open to this than others. Brands will need to navigate the tension that cultures are experiencing as they shift away from models of hyper-masculinity (eg, the ‘bloke’ in Australia, the ‘macho man’ in Latin America).”

“We’re constantly thinking about how we translate the emotion of what we create and experience in the real world into the digital space, whether that’s capturing the energy and excitement of a live gig, the hum and buzz of anticipation before a runway show, or just the feeling you get when you pull on your trenchcoat on a rainy morning,” says Christopher Bailey, chief creative officer at Burberry.

“All the kisses being sent around the world can be seen in a real-time interactive map [using Google Earth and Street View technology] capturing the story of the world’s love,” says Google. “You don’t have to kiss and tell -all kisses are private unless you choose to share.”

“I left my record label. In doing so I owe them $20,000 for ownership of my songs and my freedom to get more music out into the world,” she says.

I need you help, she adds. Without the money I can’t release any new music and I have a full album just waiting to be recorded.

Perks for crowdfunders include a custom CD for a $25 pledge, $40 gets a limited-edition T shirt, while $500 bags a Skype music lesson and $5,000 a guitar.

“Consumers are starting to embrace new streaming technologies and services and are looking for new and easy ways to discover and enjoy new music,” says Universal Music UK’s head of e-commerce Stephen Partridge. Pure has developed an incredibly accessible and flexible way to take multi-room audio into the mainstream.