1. Consoles become the "smartest" household appliance. With the emergence of day-and-date downloadable content, multiplayer networks, social features, media connectivity, virtual marketplaces - heck, even a virtual world - consoles are going to be plugging into the network.

1. The industry needs to evolve from measuring video streams to tracking branded entertainment, too, says Cameron Death, vice president of digital content at NBC Universal.

1. The three screens will become one. "Understanding how people consume media across these three channels, what the best ad models for each of them are, and defining the metrics that work from both a buyer's and a seller's perspective will be critical," says Mainak Mazumdar, senior vice president for measurement science and development at Nielsen Online.

1. Sure, the evil corporate overlords just destroyed your plan to invest in all sorts of listening technologies. Your customers don't care and will expect you to hear their concerns, anyway. According to new data from Forrester Research, in the second quarter of 2007, 25 percent of the online audience called themselves "critics" who contribute to the social media discussion; in the second quarter of 2008, 37 percent did.

1. Tough economic times make companies cut budgets to the bones. Any money they do spend has to work harder. This is good news for search advertising, the most measurable of direct-response advertising - and agencies keep reminding advertisers that a bad economy is the best time to advertise. JupiterResearch analyst Evan Andrews predicts the search marketing industry will continue to thrive, with a 13 percent compound annual growth rate through 2013. He says, "Agencies see search as a safe haven for their marketing investments. You can track every click and conversion, down to the penny."

The much-touted location-based services (LBS) that marketers dream of leveraging for laser-geo-targeted promotions have not found their own way yet. A small percentage of U.S. phones have GPS built in, and while many more will come to market this year, carriers can't figure out how to price and promote them.

1. "Each primary category," says Cory Treffiletti, president and managing general partner of Catalyst SF, "has its leaders and there is little room for competition. Meanwhile, the existing leaders will grow slowly."

1. "While most see behavioral targeting as a great way to improve conversion rates at the bottom of the funnel, it's also a great way to optimize your spend at the top of the funnel by excluding impressions that leak outside your target audience," says JJ Richards, general manager of platform services for Microsoft Advertising.

1. The regulatory ripple effect of the financial crisis will lead to increased government oversight throughout corporate America. That means you, online advertising. "The regulatory environment is going to change significantly," says Adonis Hoffman, senior vice president and legal counsel of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and adjunct professor of marketing, advertising and public policy at Georgetown University.

1. The recession and credit crisis that abruptly halted media deals in 2008 will yield mostly distress sales and opportunity buys with lower prices and more rigid financing over the next 18 months. Essential media roll-ups and consolidations are mostly on hold - the casualty of ravaged financial institutions, a three-month dearth of public offerings, and billions in sidelined private equity. Asset sales to raise liquidity are backlogged as buyers and financers either can't or won't budge in markets gone amuck. President-elect Barack Obama and a Democratic-controlled Congress are charged with getting liquidity, deal-making and the overall economy back on …