Back in the late summer, BusinessWeek's Felix Galette took a closer look at the hit-factory that YouTube has been creating and why old-guard media are lining up to take ownership. His take was focused on how these snack-sized content networks that have been growing for more than a few years are gaining legitimacy in the media community. In fact, the media industry frenzy around this new generation of digital entertainment and content has led to a flurry of attention to the market.

With Marriott's recent announcement that they are launching a global creative and content marketing studio, they have taken a very bold step forward in the art of storytelling.

Marketing haunted houses and things that go bump in the night.

Just as we are approaching a moment where the term "digital media" is pleonastic, we may also be arriving at a place where social media is just as redundant. And we're certainly at the point where second screen is an archaism. Most people most of the time are online on their phones, and the experience of the Internet is through the little portals: apps that also have social capability. I was using Waze recently to find out about a horrific traffic jam (wasn't driving) and was able to "speak" with drivers also on Waze in my relative vicinity.

It used to be that people eagerly awaited TV Guide to see what they should tune into for fall, but now major networks compete for attention with on-demand TV, Netflix binging, and of course, the internet, so cutting through the clutter to attract an audience is harder than ever. With just one chance to make a first impression, fall TV shows are a great case study for how to run your marketing today: you have to think about capturing attention quickly and inspiring action.