Canada was unavailable for blaming
As the world of general advertising** shudders and shakes in its death throws — taking the better part of WPP with it (the home of once-glorious Ogilvy & Mather where I lucked into my first real job in this business) — don’t fret. Outside experts have been consulted…
Analysts were at pains to explain the sudden slowdown in Western Europe, particularly as the United States market has held up in spite of the tough economic environment. De Groote said that a contributing factor could be the timing of Easter this year, which came earlier than usual. [EMPH. ADDED]
That damn, unreliable Easter. Never shows up when you need it.
For those looking ahead, more trenchant analysis:
“The figures for Western Europe are clearly disappointing,” said Alex De Groote, an analyst at Panmure Gordon in London. “If this trend continues it will be a clear negative going forward.”
Plan accordingly.
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** I used to compare direct response to general advertising in purely parochial ways.
Targeted vs. untargeted…
Tested vs. untested…
Accountable vs. unaccountable…
Now with so little need to persuade clients of the efficacy of the one marketing method over the other, I tend to think about it more academically.
Behavioral vs. theoretical.
