As you've probably seen, recent industry reports have pointed both government and media attention to online lead generation providers who violate consumer privacy and trust by not following industry best practices. Many unethical and irresponsible practices are being discussed and scrutinized, including the selling of consumer data to third parties, misleading promotions, disrespectful use of email and forced registration.

According to a recent OnlineMediaDaily story, some people on Capitol Hill are burning the midnight oil probing the incentivized lead-generation business, with an eye toward legislating things they aren't particularly fond of. One site mentioned in the story is http://www.pinkphone4free.com, which sounded pretty harmless. What could congressmen and senators have against free pink phones?

Those of you reading this newsletter already know that online lead generation is one of the fastest growing advertising vehicles today. You already know that capturing quality leads is the quickest way to a sale, and you probably know that selling leads is a better way to make money than selling ad space on your site. Permission to reach out to a customer is much more valuable to any business owner than simply driving traffic to his site. Google and Yahoo know this, too. Their recent acquisitions and tests in cost-per-action advertising show that they are thinking along these same …

You can't turn on the TV news or read the business section these days without reading about globalization. But it seems much of this trend has somehow gone unnoticed in the online lead generation space. In fact, time and time again, one of the main qualifiers companies use to determine appropriate prospects may be irrelevant -- that is, country of residence. As long as they want what I am selling, and have money to pay for it, they're great prospects.

The main theme of the recent AAAA CEO Conference was clear: "Digitize or die." For an Internet-only guy in a room full of traditional agency folks, this was a thunderous validation for all who have stayed the course. With so much to choose from and consumers now controlling what they want and when they want it, how do we continue to build upon the foundation that has grown faster than any other media to date? What will the future look like as we move into the second era of Web marketing?