Levy predicts 1% growth in 2003 advertising spend

PARIS - Maurice Levy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, has said he expects advertising spend to grow by 1% over the coming year.

At a media conference in Paris, Levy said that the global advertising market should stabilise in the first half of the year, with growth of 1% in the second half.

However, he once again warned the industry that the possibility of a war with Iraq was making it difficult to predict growth.

Levy has previously complained about the lack of visibility in the advertising marketplace. Nonetheless, he has promised investors that he will increase profit margins at the company he heads, following Publicis' takeover of Bcom3.

At the conference, he said that the 2002 operating margin for Publicis was expected to be in line with the 14.1% forecast last year. The figure for 2003 was likely to be 15%.

Publicis Groupe merged with Bcom3 in a $3bn (£2bn) deal in September. Levy has promised that the merger will deliver €60m (£38m) in savings, although the full effect will not be felt until 2004.

The holding company has already moved to close the D'Arcy network and move clients, including Procter & Gamble, to other groups, including Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett and Fallon Worldwide.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .

Topics

You have

[DAYS_LEFT] Days left

of your free trial

Subscribe now

Get a team licence 

 Give your teams unrestricted access to in-depth editorial analysis, breaking news and premium reports with a bespoke subscription to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10.

Find out more

Market Reports

Get unprecedented new-business intelligence with access to ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s new Market Reports.

Find out more

Looking for a new job?

Get the latest creative jobs in advertising, media, marketing and digital delivered directly to your inbox each day.

Create an Alert Now