The big news in Zenith's updated global ad outlook is that digital media is expanding far more than previously thought, and a big part of that is due to the ease and efficiency of programmatic media-buying.

If a young media trade journalist from the 80s were to wake up today and read about a white nationalist using a global network to broadcast a real-time massacre of innocent people in a place of worship, he'd probably say, "WTF." Coincidentally, that's the same thing an old media trade journalist would say today.

Even as parent WPP considers its long-term strategic position in the consumer research marketplace, its Kantar unit is rolling out a new interface aimed at on-demand enterprise users, as well as the long-tail. Dubbed Kantar Marketplace, the new platform effectively is a turnkey, on-demand research and insights store drawing from Kantar's massive historical data, as well as offering quick, agile surveys and polling for those looking for a quick turnaround to power their real-time marketing and media strategies.

British social media consultant Matt Navarra got some attention recently when he tweeted an animated, time-lapse visualization of the top brands' value changing in real-time over a 19 year period. The visualization was a powerful reminder about the value of looking at longitudinal change, but it also sparked a debate on Twitter about the underlying values the data represent.