REALISM TAKES SHAPE
By Trends • Jun 1st, 2010A changed mood at Davos reflects a will to do things differently from now on, says the head of one of the world’s big four media and advertising companies.
What are your impressions of Davos this year?
I have found the atmosphere much more positive. Last year the whole event was slightly depressing. Secondly, most of the people here are discussing the real issues. They may not have the solutions, but they are working very seriously. I have just finished a meeting with a lot of ministers and IMF representatives, and I can see that these issues are of much importance to them. Also, we feel a sense of responsibility. You have many bankers, many CEOs, who consider that it’s important that we should not only think about profit but also take into account all the stakeholders.
What other sacrifices do Davos participants seem willing to make?
Well, we should also take into consideration the fact that we have a responsibility to create jobs, and this is something that is really taking shape now. And I have been really surprised by what I heard at the international business counsel, where it was being asked if we are ready to sacrifice part of our profit margins in order to create more jobs. Some 57 percent of the CEOs said they are ready to defend lower margins provided that by so doing we are creating more jobs. So that is very interesting.
2009 was a bad year for the media. How do you see 2010?
The industry has faced one of the toughest years in its history. We have a decrease in the global market of 12 percent or so. Print has been hugely damaged, with decreases that were in the region of 20 percent, although digital has continued to grow. If you look at 2010, we are starting to see some signs of recovery, and we expect that this year will be slightly more positive. Which is a big difference compared to last year.


