As my iPhone morphs with every new iOS release into something more closely resembling a tricorder from "Star Trek" than a cell phone, I can't shake the voice of Captain Kirk ringing in my ears.

Are your ears burning? They should be, because your colleagues have been dishing about you and perhaps not in the best way. At the recent Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference, I was privy to conversations with enthusiastic resort and travel destination sustainability officers wondering how to convince their company's old school marketing managers to embrace the not-so-new green world.

It's always gratifying to hear that somebody from outside your industry is offering you plaudits. John Murphy, president of ReachMail, an email service provider that competes with companies like Constant Contact, has developed an admiration for email marketing as practiced by travel industry suppliers.

This massive market presents ultimate opportunity for luxury brands.