Reminiscences from a skybox overlooking the advertising arena

And then there were four : a once-entrepreneurial business consolidates into a handful of big holding companies

What to do when the money tree dies? : the 15 percent commission is gone, and along with it the primary source of agency revenues

Advertising changes its tune : the industry takes a broader look at the form and function of marketing

Drowning in media : proliferation nibbles away at the power of traditional mass media

The dilution of creativity : it's tougher to get the attention of consumers swamped with ad messages

There is no line : once-scorned alternatives gain respect and a bigger piece of the marketing pie

Retailers flex their muscles : consolidation in the retail sector imposes pressure on everyone in the marketing chain

Integration: key to the future : agencies must demonstrate that "media-neutral" is more than a pious platitude

Reinventing media, and other variations on the theme : old media are leading the development of new media-with some tech twists

The Internet as change agent : reinventing the way we communicate, buy, sell, invest, date, send greeting cards, and book a trip

Who are these people anyway? : they are older, richer, hipper, and more media savvy than any other generation of consumers

Does advertising have a future? : the road ahead is curvy and treacherous, and good road maps are in short supply.

Advertising > United States.