Except for the broken hearts of a few million teenagers, the cancellation of "The O.C." elicited little surprise or anger from most folks. Industry pundits are speculating on reasons for the show's demise: its wide popularity burned itself out as it was no longer hip and cool, writing intended to spur ratings actually did the opposite, etc. etc. But, whatever the true reason is for the show's audience to leave and the axe to fall, the end of "The O.C." is a media omen we shouldn't ignore.

The hype over the high-definition DVD format war is picking up speed, according to blog buzz and news coverage. In the left corner, it's Sony's Blu-Ray, and in the right, it's Toshiba's HD-DVD! It's a juicy, high-stakes narrative that journalists and onlookers can't seem to resist: two main opposing sides, many impacted stakeholders, accusations and rumors, money and, yes, sex.

It's hard not to get caught up in the online ad market's optimistic frenzy these days. Online ad spending continues to grow at an extraordinary rate. More and more of the largest brand marketers, who were slow to the party, are embracing online campaigns. However, as well as the online ad market is generally developing, we also need to remain acutely aware of the many areas where we are not doing a very good job.

Internet TV is a dynamic landscape, but some of what we see as a viable medium now will inevitably become obsolete within the next 10 years. I foresee that while it is certainly worth our time to evaluate options within shifting devices such as TiVo as well as digital cable, I think it's safe to say that both of these are approximately five to seven years away from being an efficient place to advertise -- and 10 to 15 years away from becoming completely obsolete.

The coverage of Google's recent patent application has sparked an avalanche of speculation regarding the implications of digitizing outdoor advertising. What untapped potential will the ROI oracles of online unlock for an advertising industry starving for access to attention?

When you think about the fastest growing online businesses, what comes to mind? Chances are many of you included Netflix in your list. The company has revolutionized how we rent and watch videos.

Dave Morgan recently argued that automated auction exchanges will not replace brand advertising sales--and he's right. For one, these algorithmic models are not good at helping marketers talk to consumers. But going further up the value chain, there's an even bigger reason: branded advertising increasingly will need to differentiate and justify itself less by impressions, and more by return on investment.

The past several years have seen the extraordinary rise of automated auctions in the sale of text-format search and contextual online advertising. There is a lot of open speculation around the industry as to whether this business model will eventually pervade the rest of the online ad industry. It's an interesting vision and one that may come to pass for some significant parts of the advertising and marketing world--but not for brand advertising, I don't think. Why? Several reasons.

Mobile marketing has been on the precipice of becoming a viable medium for a number of years now, but one of the many implications of last week's Apple iPhone announcement is that the future is now rapidly approaching, and mobile will likely take a major jump forward within the next year.

Ask almost anyone to name the one device they won't leave home without, and nine times out of ten they will tell you it's their cell phone. But despite the ever-growing role of cell phones in everyday life, the so-called "third screen" has yet to deliver on its much prophesized advertising potential. This has left mobile ad networks and would-be mobile advertisers alike to ask consumers: can you see me now?