We hope you are looking forward to a long holiday weekend! We've been watching the web for technology tips and trends to help you grow your business, and we thought the headlines below were worth a mention. In case you missed them ...

For marketers:

Gap invites parents to submit kids' photos via social networks in ad contest. http://ow.ly/AHKJw
Sonic tries all-digital campaign to launch one-day limited-time offer to millennials. http://ow.ly/AzKkf
TGI Friday's tries QR-code-enabled mobile payments. ow.ly/AirUO
Applebee's opens up its Instagram feed to diners, leveraging "fan-tographers." http://ow.ly/zv9nC
Facebook beat Google for seasonal ad effectiveness (back-to-school and holidays in particular). ow.ly/AeYZV
Facebook ads get 10% higher click-through rate on mobile than desktop and are cheaper to boot, study says. http://ow.ly/zQ3zf

For business leaders:

Need some leadership inspiration? Here's why CEOs succeed or fail. http://ow.ly/A1wKE
Seven things business leaders must understand about customer service. ow.ly/AJsb0
Developing a mobile app? Consider a soft launch strategy. http://ow.ly/Ac9vp
Vendors like eBay, PayPal and OpenTable are streamlining the mobile payments process. ow.ly/Ac8tY
The same customer experience principles apply to social media as in the real world. http://ow.ly/zQ5Cn