With today's 24-7 connectivity, and every traveler armed with the equipment necessary to immediately share whatever it is they are experiencing right as they are experiencing it, the question is, what are you doing to enable your current clientele to share your secret with the world?

And there you have it: both sides of the equation being taken into account when you bid for impressions. We've come a long way from blind network buys, haven't we?

When families interact with your brands today, create ways to engage the children (and help parents interact with their kids) so that you can begin a sustained dialogue in which you talk to them, educate them and excite them to forge a never-ending journey of discovery.

It comes down to the balance of hearts and minds -- consumers still want to be wooed and romanced -- this is a vacation, after all. But their hand is clenched tighter on their wallet. Yes, the economy is rebounding, and yes, people are beginning to spend again, but (and this is a big but) -- consumers are not shedding the recession mindset.

I have full faith that the newly merged United and Continental will rise to the challenge and really make things interesting for consumers like me. And either way, we should all look at this as a case study in the brand impact on loyalty programs M&A creates.

While everyone continues to ponder the continuous shift of marketing budgets from traditional media to digital (and social), I'm wondering why more marketers aren't shifting dollars to enhance their organization's ability to service guests and motivate employees.

Many people stayed home to avoid the cost of the actual travel. But now that travel is back on the menu, they will likely look to make it count more -- a renewed mindset where enjoying the journey is as important as the destination itself.

Marketers will also need to start thinking about how they can offer rich advertising experiences to consumers so that their marketing initiatives resonate and engage the viewers.

While retargeting is a great tactic to get lost leads back to your site, what the vendors won't tell you is that it's greatly biased to overemphasize conversions if evaluated on a post-impression (a/k/a view-through) attribution model.

It's starting to feel like when the going gets tough, the travel industry goes shopping. And who can blame it. Retail therapy just might be the next wave of smart marketing for those brands interested in better connecting to new and existing customers in meaningful ways.