Invisible. Misrepresented. Oversimplified. That's how a majority of 40 million Baby Boomer women feel when it comes to advertising. This vibrant generation no longer fits the stereotypical mold of elderly or infirm, so why do marketers treat them as such?

Affluent American consumers feel good about their pocketbooks - and conflicted about the future of America.

There are wide-ranging opinions on the overall health of the advertising industry but one thing remains certain, the lack of transparency is still a major headache for the industry as a whole. However, it's a significantly smaller problem for e-commerce buyers who use the cost of purchase/registration as their essential metric of success.

Between ad fraud, brand safety and transparency, the digital advertising industry had a tough 2017. And now that the conversation about fixing these problems and cleaning up the supply chain has hit critical mass, 2018 is sure to bring new developments and approaches to delivering greater visibility into where ad spend is going and whether or not it's working.

Forrester deems 2018 as a "year of reckoning" for the marketing world, and I can't help but agree. After reading that ad spending will be flat in 2018, I rejoiced.

On January 4, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the "Cole Memo," a policy memo in place at the Justice Department since August 2013 that effectively kept federal law enforcement from prosecuting what otherwise would be federal crimes in states that had made cannabis legal in some form.

Teens are increasingly addicted to their smartphones, and parents, psychologists and even investors are increasingly concerned about it. Last month, researchers published a study showing that a longstanding rise in teen happiness and satisfaction reversed itself in 2012, probably due to smartphones and social media reaching a critical mass around that time.

I was recently at a conference for digital marketing. Among the catchy, but ridiculous, sessions about how to work with Millennials and what you can learn from Beyonce to up your email-targeting game, I found myself listening to Peter Nitsch from Shopify talking about the future of retail.

As established brands from consumer packaged goods to apparel to electronics struggle with the idea of Amazon as a friend or foe or both, the irritation and annoyance of shopping in stores has given rise to "challenger brands," which have deftly taken advantage of the same demands for personalization and immediate gratification that has propelled Amazon and diminished traditional retail.

Speaking with someone is more effective than speaking at them. The same is true for marketing; it is always better to engage your audience by sharing useful information as opposed to simply showing a concept and hoping for a positive reaction. Ultimately, this is the main premise behind content marketing: creating a meaningful connection which serves as a foundation for a lasting relationship.