VIEWPOINT: Not so much a dance of celebration as a demure little jig of relief

<p>Break out the champagne ... well, hang on, maybe not champagne - </p><p>break out the sparkling wine, then, for the new millennium has seen the </p><p>return of better times for the bulk of the advertising industry in </p><p>Asia. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>According to the results of the final MEDIA-CNBC Asian Advertising </p><p>Industry Poll of last year, a healthy 55 per cent of agencies reported </p><p>that 2000 had turned out far better than had been expected. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Better yet, a similar percentage reported that revenue targets had </p><p>actually been achieved or exceeded. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But while the mood appears to have generally improved, there is still a </p><p>note of caution being sounded. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Despite the positive upswing in fortunes for the ad industry last year, </p><p>nearly 70 per cent still believe the markets have yet to recover to </p><p>pre-crisis levels. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The mood, then, is one of cautious optimism, and it suits the industry </p><p>well. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In other words, as a wise man once said: hope for the best, but prepare </p><p>for the worst. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Then again, someone else once said that if you expect nothing, at least </p><p>that way you'll never be disappointed. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But surely that is too cynical an attitude to adopt ... right? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Last year witnessed some monumental changes, not least the almost </p><p>blindingly quick alteration in the fortunes of the dotcom industry, </p><p>which essentially went from hero to zero in under 100kph. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, there were valuable lessons to be learned from that implosion - </p><p>simple things like "look before you leap" and "always have a sound </p><p>business plan", for example. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Let us hope we are all progressing into this new year as marginally </p><p>older, but vastly wiser than we were 12 months ago. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>