FOCUS - 2001 PREVIEW: Consumers adopt more global attitude

I am told that if you drop a frog in boiling water, it will jump out immediately, but that it stays in the water and dies if you put it in cold water and gradually heat it up. This is known as the frog's paradox, and is the title of a "how to cope with change" business book recently published in France. I am of the opinion that 2001 will witness sharp changes in consumers' areas of interest and expectations. Globalisation is no longer a business circles buzzword; it is becoming part of everyone's daily experience in increasingly varying and visible ways. It is now established that environmental phenomena such as global warming are a direct consequence of human economic activities. The Maldives and parts of Bangladesh are high on the list of places that could disappear with rising sea levels, largely due to fossil fuels being burnt elsewhere. We are already seeing some major brands adapting their communications (and hopefully their behaviour), most notably Shell and BP. This is only the beginning, as consumers become more aware of the issues, and more inclined to adopt those socially and environmentally responsible brands. Globalisation can also, too often, mean uniformity. We at Publicis prefer a globalisation process, which leverages and respects diversity. This is what our network is about, and, therefore, our positioning - La Difference. Differentiation is what we offer advertisers, our partners, it is what they are looking for in order to make their brands win and last. The other ingredient of course, is passion - where else do we get the energy to jump out of boiling water?

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