-- More emphasis of the importance of "communication." This year, it's been the scandals with mutual funds. We will see companies and executives committing themselves to more and better communication.

-- More disclosure, which doesn't disclose anything. Again, we hear voices raised for more information. Alas, this will be translated as simply "more."

Years ago, we did a study about the mandated "disclosure" language in radio ads. We discovered, not surprisingly, that the listener automatically tuned it out. Some particularly creative advertisers put the "disclosure" language at the beginning of the ad, ensuring even a listener paying attention would have no idea what it referred to.

-- Technology will continue to influence communication. In particular, "blogs" and "consumer mobs" will grow in importance. Blogs will become a more important source of information, but businesses will ignore them.

Consumer mobs, the ability of the Internet coupled with cell phones allowing like-minded or dissatisfied people to find each other, are really like the electronic version of the Mary Kay ladies. That is, they allow individuals to find others with the same interest or concern and enlist them to find others.

-- Advertising revenues will recover but will be less effective and mean less. Not only have the last few recessionary years seen ad revenues drop, but, more important, advertising has become more and more of a fraud.

It is well-known that TV viewers head to the fridge during the advertisement, and "to TiVo" has become a way of life. Watching my teenage son change radio stations by hitting buttons on the steering wheel makes one wonder why anyone thinks they are really reaching teenagers by radio ads.

In short, advertisers and ad agencies are co-conspirers in ad campaigns, using highly questionable measurement campaigns, mainly because they don't know what else to do. As Peter Noble, SMU's advertising guru has said, advertising has its place but its success is most easily documented by local retailers, particularly to publicize sales.

-- Audiences will demand more performance skills from executives. Call it the "Herb Kelleher" index after the now-retired, famed CEO of Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) who spent 25 years making fun and performance skills part of Southwest's communication tactics and culture.

-- The most sophisticated companies will view communication as a consulting specialty. While the term "integrated communications" has been around awhile, 2004 will see a dramatic increase in the number of American businesses, which require the same kind of rigorous, process oriented thinking in their communications strategy that they have demanded from other disciplines.

The savviest companies will understand that while measurement is important, it is self-defeating to slap Six Sigma or traditional ROI measurements on a communication model. The gains are real but intangible.

-- Companies truly ahead of the curve will begin to view every employee as an ambassador for the company. While "customer service" has become a mantra, if only in lip service, it's the multi-level marketing companies who exclusively understand that employees and customers are partners in communication. Few companies understand how to identify, enlist, motivate and equip these powerful communication channels - but more will focus on these crucial networks.

(Merrie Spaeth, Director of Media Relations for President Reagan, is President of a Dallas-based consulting firm and is a regular commentator and writer on communication issues.)

(United Press International's Outside View commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)