The World Federation of Advertisers has issued its eight "principles for partnership" in a Global Media Charter published last week . In it, the WFA outlines some ways to improve (rebuild?) the relationship between marketers and media agencies.

Are big media companies ready for another big wave of disruption? They'd better be. The direct-brand revolution is starting, and it might not be pretty for large incumbent players in the media industry.

n case you haven't noticed, voice is everywhere. It is quickly going to become the dominant way we interact with computers in the coming years, and is going to have a massive impact -- in some ways, devastatingly so -- on the world of advertising and marketing.

Edificial industries tend to foster appropriately representative events. If you're in the business of running the world, Davos is the place to be. If you're in advertising, it's Cannes. Or it was. This year, the cracks -- even from my vantage point far, far away -- were more apparent than ever.

The current state of conversation on the web is a wild and discordant mess, with name-calling, threats, humiliation So how did this happen? Is conversation on the web dead forever, or just resting?

Several months ago, I decided to take steps to reclaim my own attention.

Two weeks ago I attended Nielsen's annual Consumer 360 conference in D.C. and it was unlike any industry conference I've ever attended. It opened with high-profile stars from the entertainment world talking candidly about a number of very "uncomfortable" issues weighing on the media and entertainment industries today, from MeToo and diversity and inclusion to alternative facts and attacks on the news media.

Do you know where your data came from, where it is and what it's doing?

We're rapidly approaching summer vacation season. This time of year - perhaps more than any other - encourages us to unplug and drop off the grid. Summer seems to justify a little more distance from our daily to-do list. I, myself, am writing this while I'm on my way to Nova Scotia to do one of my "bucket list" bike rides, Cape Breton's famed Cabot Trail. Today, having spent several years looking for my own exit from the grid, I wanted to lay out some strategies for unplugging and unwinding in these lazy hazy days of summer.

Let's start with a confession. I sometimes feel guilty when I'm wearing my Apple AirPods. Wait, strike that. I often feel guilty when I'm wearing my AirPods. Why? Because I've created a private, portable, personal bubble of sound. It blocks out traffic noise -- which is delightful -- but it also blocks out lots of basic, human, polite interaction.