NEWS CORP.'S ACQUISITION OF DOW JONES

It never seemed possible that the Bancroft family, which for generations controlled Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal, would cash out to the media mogul behind Fox News and the New York Post. But that was before the new-media world left the Bancrofts unsure how to proceed -- and before Rupert Murdoch offered $60 a share. Will WSJ drop its online-subscription fees, broaden its coverage, raid its competition and generally make life that much tougher for The New York Times? Yes, it looks that way.

THE BOOMER BOOM

Two words: baby boomers. You'll be hearing them a lot more about them in the coming years, as marketers suddenly have discovered the once-neglected generation. Those 77-million-plus consumers, who hold some $1 trillion in their collective fists, are now in the sights of marketers from Martha Stewart, who is planning a magazine for them, and Ann Taylor, who is investigating a clothing store for boomer women. Then there's the new Retirement Living TV; Grandparents.com; and, of, course, that old standby, AARP.

YEAR OF THE FACEBOOK

Facebook's trajectory in 2007 ran the gamut. In May it launched an open development platform that transformed it into the darling of the Valley, and a $1 billion valuation soon became $1.5 billion, which soon became $15 billion. Of course, it still needed to prove it could make money. In early November, it rolled out an ad program billed as revolutionary -- but the only revolution it sparked was from consumers from users who deemed a tenet of the program, Beacon, invasive and privacy-infringing.

THE GREENING OF EVERYTHING

While some politicians are still keeping their heads in the sand about climate change, marketers, ad agencies and media outlets have jumped on Al Gore's bandwagon. It's no wonder. According to a November survey by public-relations firm Edelman, 78% of the 5,609 participants from nine countries like to buy brands that have an eco-conscience. Everyone from Wal-Mart to NBC got in on the act. But marketers beware: Consumers and consumer groups are keeping an eye out for greenwashing.

CHINA POISONS AMERICA'S CHILDREN AND DOGS

China -- and greed -- made the flat world a dangerous place for marketers and consumers in 2007. Cheap-but-tainted pet-food ingredients from there may have killed thousands of pets. Then came counterfeit toothpaste with an antifreeze ingredient, lead-laced toys played with by millions of kids and AquaDots that metabolized into the date-rape drug. Consumers found a new use for search: checking daily recalls. And marketers found a new use for search ads: hawking nonlethal pet food and unleaded toys.

THE WRITERS STRIKE

Marketers use TV to reach big audiences, but what happens if TV networks aren't able to air lots of stuff people want to watch? That's the conundrum facing advertisers with the writers strike. Should the impasse last beyond January, it will affect development of fall programs and could delay or end the upfront market, when marketers commit about $9 billion for prime-time space. The strike could spark the idea of launching more programs year-round, helping marketers and networks spend their money more precisely.

THE IPHONE

Steve Jobs did it again. It's hard to say what was more impressive: the tough deal Apple negotiated with AT&T, wresting control in a business relationship where Motorola and Nokia could not; the marketing and PR effort that drummed up more media coverage than the first moon landing; or the phone itself. Sure, lines around the block disappeared within minutes, and there was a scandal when Jobs dropped the price so shortly after launch, but Apple sold its 1 millionth phone just 74 days after the iPhone's U.S. debut.

'EVOLUTION' WINS AT CANNES

Imagine if a decade ago someone had told you that an ad that didn't even run on TV for a non-beverage U.S. package-goods marketer would take the film Grand Prix at Cannes in 2007. You might have said the person was nuts. Or maybe that Procter & Gamble Co. must finally have delivered on its long-stated ambition to embrace creativity. Wrong on both counts. Turns out, the ad was "Evolution" from legacy agency network Ogilvy & Mather for once-stolid Unilever's global megabrand Dove.

THE MILLERCOORS DEAL

In a deal that, if approved, will transform domestic beer marketing, Miller and Coors announced plans to form a U.S. joint venture, MillerCoors. The entity would boast a 29% market share (Anheuser-Busch, at about 49%, would remain No. 1), and a diverse stable of brands, including Miller Lite, Coors Light, Blue Moon and others. If it is blessed by regulators, the venture will allow Miller and Coors to stop jostling over the distributors they share and, like A-B, enjoy the benefits of a nearly exclusive wholesaler network.