The past year has seen more drama and business intrigue than any in recent history. Stock and commodity prices continue to swing wildly and media scrutiny has become simultaneously more intense and less focused. Businesses are under pressure from the media, the government and the man in the street. What's a marketer to do? Bump up your communications efforts!  

A recent study from the Financial Times examined the media consumption of 338 executives from around the world and while most consume their information electronically, a large number still rely on traditional media. A large majority (85%) declared that, in five years, they would consume more than half of their media through electronic gateways. 

According to the Financial Times, the Federal Trade Commission is considering holding companies liable for false statements made on blog posts and social networking sites. The Commission is revising its guidelines based upon advances made in new media and is looking particularly hard at the practice of paying bloggers and social networking brand evangelists. 

Communication is supposed to be a two-way street. Businesses talk to customers through advertising and PR, and they listen to customers' opinions through surveys, complaints, events, and interactive websites. According to a recent CMO Council study however, this just isn't happening enough.