Mobile is awesome and it is the future, but we seem to have a lot of mixed messages on mobile. Here are some thoughts and stats on the mysteries and misconceptions of mobile.

Remember when all you needed was a cool lunchbox and a No. 2 pencil to be ready for the new school year? Those were the days!

The hotel business used to be about location, location, location. Now it's about data, data, data. Unlike location, however, data alone might not ensure success. A strategy has to go along with it. That's the position of Michael Wilson, senior director of product strategy for Webtrends, a 20-year-old company that was early in the data game "You won't be collecting the right data if you don't have a strategy for using that data," said Wilson. "Once you have a strategy, you can use the data to optimize customer experiences. If you don't have the expertise to use data correctly then …

In the past year, I've written about the importance of Social, Mobile, and even wearables, and the role they're all playing in travel marketing today. I haven't spent much time discussing email, however - the foundation of any digital strategy that continues to deliver year after year, despite being declared dead more often than disco. Every time the bloom falls off the promise of a new, "sexier" channel or strategy, email is still there - innovating, driving tremendous revenue, and proving again and again that a smart email program can deliver results like no other.

Maybe the travel industry should take a new tact that embraces work.