In my very first marketing class at Syracuse U., I learned that marketing is futile if you don't have your message ironed out. It's a simple idea: if you're going to broadcast something, be sure you can explain it succinctly and clearly. If you can't, then you risk missing the opportunity, or in the worst possible case completely imploding. Netflix was the worst possible case, when a company decides to broadcast a message without thinking it through, and it literally imploded as a result.

There is one phrase -- one mindset -- that holds back more progress, creative thinking and innovation than any other. It promotes complacency and sends a clear message that stifles curiosity and experimentation. Unfortunately, it is also a fairly common saying within organizations: "That's not how things are done around here."

I was recently asked what next year has in store for the media advertising industry. Predicting the future is a fool's errand, but my gut is telling me that if 2011 was the year of mobile, then next year may be the year when television gets the limelight. Here's why:

Dear Tim: I don't envy you. You are following in the footsteps of a man revered by millions, hailed as a genius, a visionary, a modern-day Edison. You are building on a string of product launches that revolutionized music, laptops, mobile, and telephony.. To say that Steve Jobs is a tough act to follow is like saying Everest is a tough mountain to climb. It is the toughest. But the toughest scenarios house our greatest opportunities to shine -- and such an opportunity lies before you.

Ad stewardships companies Donovan Data Systems and MediaBank recently announced plans to merge into a combined company to be called MediaOcean. How should we think about it? I will start with this premise: the advertising and media industry needs better and truly open and neutral multiplatform advertising management, stewardship and billing.

Where do you think the future of social media lies? Is it in the world of branding, or is it the world of direct response, lead-gen, cost-per-acquisition-type marketing?

Data is not the Holy Grail. Data does not trump solid strategic thinking and planning. Data is not the magic cure for all your marketing woes. Data is, however, a tool that, when used properly, can help provide insights to drive marketing performance, reduce guesswork and assumptions, and provide an advantage over your competitors. So when does data fail you?

There are not many CEOs whose deaths can evoke a grief similar to that of a rock star or a royal, but Steve Jobs was so much more than a CEO. Directly or indirectly, he changed the everyday lives of millions. If you listen to an mp3 player; if you use a smartphone; if you access a computer via a graphical user interface, Jobs has been a part of your life. It doesn't even matter if your devices come from Apple. The impact of the company's products on the landscape has created its own gravity field, warping the space/time of …

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that its Xbox 360 would now carry free and subscription services in most major markets around the globe. Beyond gaming and Netflix and Hulu, which have been part of Xbox for some time, the connected gaming console will now carry channels like ESPN, HBO, Bravo, Syfy, BBC and services like Comcast Xfinity, Verizon FIOS and TT&T and previously Web-based content like Google's YouTube. For all the talk of potentially disruptive Over-the-Top TV services, this is probably the most significant move we've seen since Netflix and Amazon launched their streaming services. Am I being a bit extreme? …

The Internet advertising business is approximately 17 years old, depending on who you talk to. You've heard that with age comes wisdom, but I also think that in an industry sense, with maturity should come simplicity. But when is that going to happen for us?