For years, advertising research was perceived on Madison Avenue as a staid, even quaint, field with little practical relevance. Now, as clients increasingly hold agencies accountable for effective ads, the researchers are being eagerly sought out.

After nearly two years as chairman-CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands and its troubled Y&R advertising network, Ann Fudge is being replaced as head of the Y&R network, according to a company statement.

The kids advertising upfront is expected to move within the next few weeks, but media buyers are predicting that it will be softer--and move a bit slower--than last year, when close to $900 million was spent at a relatively brisk pace. It's a far cry from a few years back when buyers rushed to get their ad dollars down with the networks right after the early February Toy Fair, and the upfront usually wrapped in a day or two. Today, kids' advertisers are choosing to be more strategic in how and when they reach their target audience.

President Bush yesterday said he favored some form of content decency standards for subscriber cable and satellite networks, but said he still believed in the marketplace setting the standard.

Hundreds of men and women who edit newspapers across the USA are here this week at the annual convention of ASNE (American Society of Newspaper Editors). Next week, their publisher bosses will meet in San Francisco at NAA (Newspaper Association of America). Most of the talk here is about the future of newspapers. How can they thrive, or even survive, in this age of the Internet and 24/7 highly specialized cable TV news and entertainment?

Universal Music Group is free to rock - on its own cable TV network. Following a court victory, the record giant is set to launch IMF: The International Music Feed, the first 24-hour cable channel launched by a music company.

Fueled by recent ratings increases, Lifetime announced on Thursday it would ramp up production of original programming by one-third during the 2005-2006 season, including premieres of the network's first miniseries and limited series. The news was part of Lifetime's upfront presentation to advertisers and the press in New York.

Meet George Jetson, circa 2020. He doesn't have a personal hovercraft or a food computer, but the rest of the future is more futuristic than he thought. Spacely Sprockets and Cogswell Cogs are out of business. Digits are the new widgets.

The crowd at the National Magazine Awards buzzed with surprise yesterday when Martha Stewart Weddings won an award for the first time, besting rivals like The Atlantic Monthly and the revamped New York magazine. But the ballroom burst into applause, and a few cheers, when Ms. Stewart herself emerged to accept the honor.

So what are the common denominators for successful marketers in today's rapidly changing environment? How can leaders best respond to the challenges of putting consumers in charge ... and for making marketing investments more accountable? I see six distinct platforms that are the foundation for consistent, top notch marketing performance in any industry: