Today’s presence of underwater mortgages, or homes with negative equity, seem to be correlated to two common regional U.S. population trends: domestic immigration from the Northeastern region to the South and Southwestern and migration from coastal California inland.

An increase in consumer confidence in Asian markets, as well as Brazil, continues to reflect signs that the economy is emerging from a global recession and, in some markets, the recovery is accelerating.

Not all content is created equal in the eyes of the consumer. Across countries, demographics and content types, consumers have diverse attitudes about paying for content online.

Trends in 2009 include a rise in households that have “cut the cord” by trading their traditional landlines for wireless cellular services and an increase in mobile media device usage among a diverse set of households.

U.S. sports television had a banner year in 2009. Advances in satellite television, high-definition technology and the Internet provided fans with rich, 24/7 access to their favorite teams. Picking winners for 2010? Bet on globalization.

The overall advertising environment in 2009 was fairly gloomy with slashed budgets and revised strategies to address the new reality. However, that didn’t stop the industry from evolving, and the lessons learned will likely pay-off in the year ahead.

New retail formats, unique service offerings and differentiated products will drive growth at retail in 2010. And as consumers continue to bunker in-home, a greater focus on eating right will lead to healthy results.

An aging population will completely alter the marketplace for consumer products in the near and distant future. Marketing strategies that account for shifts in household size and demographic make-up will be most successful.

The consumer has entered an age of enlightenment with expanded options for devices, content, and schedules. What does the next 3-5 years have in store? Five key trends will have a significant impact.

In the audience-centric Web, metrics will answer traditional marketing questions: Who saw my ad? Did I affect the way they think about my product? Did they actually buy more?