Not so long ago, most agencies offered an integrated service that covered both media and creative services. Then, as clients pushed for greater buying efficiency and more strategic decision making, (and holding companies smelled opportunities to grab larger pieces of the pie) the disciplines became decoupled.

Millennials have been ruining everything for the past five years. From the workplace to grocery stores, Millennials have been blamed for every marketers' woes imaginable in the past decade. However, there's a new disruptor in town, and they're older: Boomers. Millennials have blamed them for almost everything as well but let's not get into that.

The transparency movement in digital advertising is well underway. But if we've learned anything in recent months, it's that uncovering the truth doesn't magically drive better outcomes for buyers or expel bad actors from the ecosystem. It's what you do with the truth that drives lasting change.

Sales and marketing departments have a reputation for not playing together. Although they recognize they're on the same team, each department focuses on its own piece of the business rather than working together to achieve shared goals.

One of the biggest challenges brands face is meeting customer expectations. Brands face increasing competition in the marketplace and must create a sense of uniqueness since a "one-size-fits-all" marketing approach no longer works.

Historically, diagnosing a disease was a human's job-the physician's. Today, it's become a hybrid of man plus machine. And while it sounds rather cold and lacking empathy, one has to argue that where the world of diagnosis is going, it's a matter of necessity. With more and more rare diseases and rare forms of cancer emerging, the journey to diagnosis is never smooth.

Fake news, rigged elections, identity theft - these are all outcomes of compromised consumer data. In each case, individual digital users are exposed, and in every instance the need for a stronger model of protecting personal data is clear. Even more disconcerting for consumers, while they have tools that allow them to keep their own virus and malware defenses updated on their own personal devices, they remain vulnerable when it comes to how their digital footprints are protected by the brands and agents with which they engage.

From communications activations to delivering a simple message, ambassadors can boost brand engagement - and it starts with the right contract.

In the last few years, top brands like Pepsi, H&M and Dove have faced backlash for their tone-deaf advertisements that offended multicultural communities across the world. With many racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States growing faster than whites, brands must be cognizant of the messages targeting various demographics. Recognizing that "multiculturalism" is here to stay, brands should think of cross-cultural marketing not as an option but as a must.

Within B2B, even the biggest industries are typically small communities. Meaning, there are only so many decision makers when it comes to choosing a vendor, and everyone within the industry knows each other. Within such an environment, it's vital to think of creative ways to pull customers from the competition and gain that needed edge.