Consumer engagement is all about connecting with people in settings that allow advertising to break through. Advertising doesn't start out on an equal playing field, nor does it advance on one. Viewers bring their own attitudes and perceptions to the viewing experience; it's part emotional, part rational. As an industry we have become quite adept at measuring the media metrics of reach and ratings, quantitative markers of an advertising exposure. But the opportunity to enhance this exposure lies with qualitative factors that emanate from the viewers themselves.

We have noticed a resurgence of creative altruism in our industry of late: Selfless communications aiming to make a difference and help others. The highlighted campaigns - by their very participatory nature - are inspiring us to become more engaged in issues they are passionate about. The campaigns raise awareness on diverse topics and leverage the online medium to ignite people to want to change the world.

Media agencies are being challenged to effectively leverage numerous new marketing communication platforms. While many of these are digital, some represent newer, more effective ways of using traditional media. There is wide variation in what we know about media delivery and impact.

Now that the New Year is under way and final budgets are set, many companies will be initiating RFPs for their marketing effectiveness programs. I get to see many of these RFPs.

In a recent Yankelovich monitor study completed on the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of baby boomers, 60 percent said they weren't "bothered" that "advertisers don't care as much about my generation as they did when we were younger." But even if boomers don't care, advertisers should. Ignoring boomers who are 50-plus is a mistake.

I spent three weeks at the New York State Supreme Court. I was doing my civic duty as a juror and the experience was refreshing. After a while, I called it the "no-spin zone."

Living in Washington, D.C., I've become accustomed to the glee with which so many watch who's up and who's down. There's nothing like SecretarySo-and-So resigning for "family reasons," or Senator Blowhard not running for re-election due to a "change in personal situation" to send the hearts of the Beltway atwitter.

Just like your mother told you, or maybe my mother told you, what you say isn't always as important as the way you say it. This is certainly true in the world of marketing, where the greatest brand message won't resonate if an advertiser can't find the right platform(s) to deliver the news.

I recently attended an excellent discussion session that research firm hall & partners conducted on the future of communications. It was a heady topic, made all the more so by an interesting group of provocateurs. These included a number of smart people: Carl Johnson and Paul Lavoie, the heads of Anomaly and Taxi respectively, as well as Gareth Kay and George Scribner, the planning directors of Modernista and Digitas.

I didn't get much sleep last night. My mind was racing. It's 2010, during the holidays, and I'd been traveling nonstop for a month. Technology is supposed to enable us, streamline processes, and give us back our personal time, but it's actually had the opposite effect on my life. Advances in communication seem to have placed us all in a perpetual state of fast forward.