I’m very fond of the online ad banner, having worked with it for its entire 13-year life. It’s been great to watch it grow — and to play a part in its growth — as billions and billions of dollars a year were spent on it. By 1998, the banner ad had become our industry’s mainstay, and until search finally emerged as a significant force five or six years ago, the banner was certainly the primary driver of online advertising. Now, as I consider the future, I think that the banner’s role, and its relative importance in the industry, is due for some changes.

While engaging in a discussion this week on the “Truth in Online Video Advertising,” I came to the quick realization that many of the people and companies involved in online video share a distinctive similarity: impatience. If you know me well, then you know I’m an impatient man. This character trait makes me extremely well-qualified to take note of the same trait in other people. Everyone involved in online video asks the same question; “When will advertisers, specifically brand marketers, begin to support online video as a viable advertising vehicle?”

I might be the only person on the planet who isn’t sure that Jerry Yang stepping down is really the best thing. The defining drama during Yang’s stint as CEO this time around was the on-again/off-again talks with Microsoft. OK, so the stock price today would suggest that deal should have been taken, if it was ever really on the table, but that’s over now. Move on. What Yahoo needs to do now is asses all of its incredibly valuable pieces and figure out how the whole of Yahoo can add up to more than the sum of its parts to offer unparalleled value to people and marketers alike. The question is, who is the best person to do that? I’m not sure — but I’m also far from certain that a new CEO magically sees the whole picture.

The current economic climate has heightened the tension within any conversation on media, advertising and marketing — no matter the stakes or the spend. We are asking ourselves rightful and tough questions on media mix, allocation, and budgets, as we dial in our resources to conquer branding and direct response initiatives. Through a few conversations, I was reminded this week of the wisdom of keeping calm and maintaining an expansive point of view in order to keep smart, keep it covered and make your efforts hum.

Consider this idea: Marketing leadership is shifting from command-and-control to cultivate-and-coach. My early business-to-business marketing experiences included heavy-handed dictation of superlative messaging that the organization was expected to follow. It was the norm for many years, and is still very much alive today. But things are changing. I now find marketing leadership to be more an art of humility, affinity and open confrontation of weakness. Instead of instilling forceful brand and messaging objectives, I find that the most effective marketing leadership comes from instilling strong values and good intentions — up, down and across the organization. Better products and experiences manifest, and more and happier customers follow.

I spent the beginning of this week in Boston attending the annual conference and trade show of CTAM, the Cable Television Affiliate Marketers trade association. I hadn’t been to a cable meeting in years, so I spent a lot of time just watching and listening and trying to take the pulse of the industry. It was a very good conference with some very good speakers. And, for someone that has spent most of the past years attending conferences focused on the Internet, I heard a lot of folks and perspectives that I hadn’t before. Here’s my brief report….

“As I look forward, I’m very optimistic about the things I see ahead.” That quote, believe it or not, was originally attributed to Bill Gates, but I want to use it to summarize my outlook on 2009. While I sat down to pontificate about the coming year I realized I have a hint of optimism flowing through my veins right next to a healthy dose of reality. While the economy is still in flux, with a number of issues still facing the average consumer, I think we may see some stability, not growth, in the coming year. A year of stability is just what the doctor ordered because stability allows us the time to examine where we are, create efficiencies and increase our productivity.

In a world of consumer control, what is the most important thing a marketer can be? It is becoming more and more the norm that people choose not only what commercial messages they will view, but what message they will pass along to their peers. So what is it that marketers must do to be effective in this new reality?

On our best game, we plan for business and get to market; we move with clarity from strategy to plan to brass tacks. It all ties together. But, given the potential to miss the mark and disconnect horribly, there is an open, perpetual conversation about strategy vs. tactics. In almost any business circle, it buzzes. […]

The blogosphere has been getting attacked with increasing intensity by comment spammers who leave seemingly thoughtful feedback. The latest breed of spammers is investing the time to manually process writings and other content, and then leave unique comments that pass for partially engaged, albeit random readers. Except they never fail to link to e-commerce and affiliate marketing sites, often selling junk like prescription drugs, insurance or online gambling services. These are the lowest of shills. They’re cheap salesmen who act genuinely interested, come into your space, and then deliver a meaningless pitch.