Though news of major store closings feels frequent these days, we must remember that 90% of all retail sales still take place in person.

"People just don't know how to write anymore."

For consumer goods companies, it's not just about having the most innovative products or services, it's about talking - and listening - to consumers in a way that really resonates.

Marketers are hearing about artificial intelligence everywhere, and many technology providers are claiming some form of AI capability in their products - and for good reason. AI algorithms can churn through incredible amounts of data about customers, their behavior, and a business, ultimately determining the best course of action at a scale and pace that humans cannot.

There's a strange phenomenon in sports media in which the larger the ball, the younger the audience. That's one explanation why the NBA is killing it right now.

Faced with rising costs and accustomed to shopping for the best deals online, today's patients are behaving exactly like the savvy and discerning consumers they've become, expecting providers to deliver personalized content, greater cost transparency and access to convenient self-service options available from any device.

Imagine if your credit-card provider called to say your account was used for a $10,000 shopping spree, and the money was irretrievable. You'd probably go ballistic. Our expectation today is for our provider to prevent these things from ever happening, not report them after the damage has been done.

Brands used to sit at the nexus of power, functioning as trust engines that could brainwash and cajole people into believing not only in what they said, but, more importantly, what they represented.

While generational research is inherently messy, with older generations studying "the kids" to figure them out, says the report, much of the recent research is awash in normative preconceptions, biases, and stereotypes.

The recent convergence of data and brand safety concerns has put marketers today into a deeply reactive state. On one hand, marketers are having to completely rethink their approaches to audience data, particularly as it relates to third-party sources. Those without solid first-party data strategies have been caught flat-footed not only by GDPR, but also by recent moves at Google and Facebook to further restrict third-party data use and visibility.