For years, the travel industry has buttered their bread by catering to the Baby Boomers. It makes sense that people who are retired and have plenty of free time would travel more than average. But over time, Gen Y has grown up and now represents a massive opportunity for the travel sector with around 70 million people in the 18-34 age bracket.

Social media has transformed the way customers speak with brands. Among its many benefits, social media has created a place for customers and clients to reach brands easily and quickly at any time of the day.

Every day you learn about new software, emerging social media channels and burgeoning review sites. And every day you wonder how you will ever manage it all.

'Tis the season of sharing and a good time to talk about the importance of having your marketing messages shared on social media. A timely gift comes from the folks at ShareThis, a company that tracks and analyzes social media sharing. Their research shows that travel, not surprisingly, is a highly shared subject, and they have some interesting numbers to share, including:

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to talk with the CEO of a major low-cost airline. As we were discussing their in-flight customer experience, he stopped for a second and bemoaned the fact that the airline had spent so much on seat-back entertainment (the headrest video screens that some carriers provide on flights). "I've been on so many flights in the last several months," he said, "but I haven't seen a single person watching them. They're all watching their laptops instead."

If you ever want to play a good party game, try the one where you have people attempt to guess a name or word that still has its .com address available. There's nothing more exciting than checking on GoDaddy, Network Solutions or similar sites and having that "Congratulations" pop up to salute your ability to find a name that can still be registered. It's not easy.

Hotel guests no longer need to leave their best friends at home, as traveling with pets is becoming more popular and widely accepted among many hotel brands. Today, a multitude of national hotel companies and smaller independent properties across the country are realizing the value of being truly "pet friendly" and rolling out the red carpet for Fido and Fluffy. More than just a marketing ploy, many hotels are debuting elaborate, carefully crafted programs, converting rooms to designated "pet friendly" spaces, and actively promoting to a pet-loving crowd.

Nobody wants to be a serial hotel brander but sometimes it just happens because of economic reasons or the decision of a new owner. A brand is a promise to deliver on a set of standards but what happens if a hotel or resort shuffles through multiple brands in a short time? How does the public - or travel planners - keep up with that kind of change?

Marketing can be a fierce competition around the holidays, but for some companies the holiday season brings out their more humanitarian sides as well. As consumers start planning get-togethers with family and friends over long weekends, marketers tap into their customers' sentimental feelings and bring their chosen causes to the forefront of their campaigns (those marketers who have causes, anyway).

Tomorrow is Election Day, and if you've been following the polls and listening to the pundits, you're keenly aware of the increasing impact minorities will have on the outcome. Whether it's the African-American, Asian or Hispanic vote, the power being displayed by these electorates should serve to remind all of us in marketing to pay close attention to the growing clout of these audiences.