Take a moment to review some of the top-rated television advertising from the first quarter of this year and you'll see a weird pattern.

There is the E*Trade "One Finger" spot that lists all the things you can do with one finger, such as "save Holland" and "reallocate your entire investment portfolio to E*Trade" then "tell your expensive broker where to go." 

A commercial for Bud Light features a motorist picking up hitchhikers because they have Bud Light even though the hitchhikers appear dangerous and are carrying weapons like an ax and a chainsaw. We've all also seen the celebrity Geico commercials, which -- like the others -- are all humorous "push" advertising that expresses the brand using idioms that are, to say the least, a reach from the product.

For viewers who have not bypassed television ads with their DVRs, television advertising does not provide opportunities to connect with the brand, nor does it invite dialogue -- except perhaps, "Hey pass the remote." Consumers are leaving television and traditional media for the internet in greater numbers every year. But adware blockers and a multitude of other online tools have made it easy for consumers to avoid marketing and advertising messages online as well. What are agencies to do when every year consumers make a greater effort to ignore the fruits of our labor?

There have been few reports that have accurately described the state of our industry better than Forrester's February report, "The Connected Agency." And there is no doubt that many agencies are in a weakened position. With innumerable technological breakthroughs, a sea change in consumer preferences, interests and multiple (and increasing) different avenues to reach consumers, one has to wonder why we as an industry are doing such a crappy job. That's right; I just gave agencies a "C," which is barely worth crowing about.  

In this piece, I will take some of the observations from the Connected Agency report and apply them to real-world examples. Love them or hate them, this is where our industry is headed, so grab a helmet and get used to it.