Dear Reader: It is often (and dishearteningly ) the case, in these modern times, that etiquette is considered unnecessary: an anachronism, a relic. We seem to have agreed to dispense with courtesies, with gentleness, and with grammar. There are many people who, like me, believe that etiquette and good graces have an intrinsic value, that they do not need to be justified in terms of return on investment or value for time spent. But I am aware that "just because it's good manners" is not an argument likely to win over those who don't already agree. So I offer some …

Are TV and online the last two great areas of growth for marketing? As someone who has been in the digital marketing space since 1994, I've waved the flag that online is the future as long if not longer than most, but I've never said it was at the expense of TV. I feel as though TV is actually on the precipice of becoming even more important than it has to date, and it's a result of digital being embedded in the experience.

Over the past 15 years, I've served on both the client and provider side of evaluations and Request For Proposals (RFPs) for emerging marketing technologies and services. These days, I spend a lot of my time on the RFP receiving end for enterprise social marketing technologies.The RFP can magnify competition, which may prompt higher quality and lower pricing. Of course, that's why competitive RFPs are the hallmark of many purchasing and procurement departments -- which are often deeply involved in negotiating investments in marketing and advertising technologies. With stakes so high, it pays for both clients and potential technology partners …

If you've ever pitched to investors, you'll have heard the same five questions over and over. They're the same questions asked on "Dragons' Den" and "Shark Tank." They're the questions that must be answered well for any business to grow to a significant size, and, although they are simple, they are exceedingly complex:

TV content and TV audiences will never be as homogenous as they were in the '70s and '80s. That's reality and not going to change. The only way to deal with -- or overcome -- the challenges of fragmentation is to adjust our approach to TV media buying, selling and measurement. Here's what I mean:

When will creative catch up to targeting? Is it even possible that will happen? The answer is (most likely) yes. The targeting side of the business has become exponentially more refined over the last 10 years due to the increase in technology harnessed for audience buying and data management. Until this year, creative was being left in the dust, but heading into 2013 we're seeing creative technology finally begin to catch up.

In today's digital marketing world, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest have become a powerful identity and communications grid that establishes intelligent connections between marketers and their prospects and customers. It is crucial to understand how social connections overlap with your internal prospect and customer databases, how these segments differ, and how they can affect business outcome.

This past weekend I served as an officiant at a wedding for a dear friend from the media industry and his beautiful bride. It was a thrilling and moving experience. As I performed the ceremony, I glanced out into the sea of faces and was struck by how many of the people that mean so much to me are in some way connected to the media industry. Almost every significant relationship that I've formed in the last 10 years is a result, in some way, of working in New York.

I had breakfast recently with a friend from college who is doing very well for himself. His company deals in public utilities. They work all over the world. I asked him his greatest piece of advice. "Our company was doing fine until a few years ago," he replied. "But it really started to go ballistic when we changed the way we structure our contracts. Now we make sure all our contracts bring into alignment the direction and timing of everyone's interests. We all want the project to succeed, because we all get paid when it does. If someone gets a …

I love it when companies innovate new ways to deliver products, and services that can flip legacy business models, products and companies upside down. That's probably why I'm now running my third tech start-up. Roiling markets is the only way to roll.