Publicis chief predicts rough ride ahead for NZ media

SYDNEY, Today: Publicis Group AUNZ ceo Michael Rebelo – the man in charge of media agencies MBM and Spark Foundry, and advertising powerhouse Saatchi & Saatchi AUNZ – is predicting a rough ride ahead for media for the rest of 2023, reports NZME’s BusinessDesk journalist Daniel Dunkley.

“Following a 10% decline in NZ media spending in the first half of the year, TV and outdoor have seen single-digit declines, and most of the rest of the media has seen double-digit declines,” Rebelo told Dunkley.

Dunkley writes: “Rebelo, who joined Saatchi in 2000 – the year it was sold to France’s Publicis – believes the region’s central banks will determine the strength of consumer spending and the trajectory of the NZ ad industry’s recovery.”

“He thinks conditions will stabilise from there after a poor half-year for the sector.”

“Even digital is in decline,” he told the reporter. “But you could anticipate that from when Google and Meta made their redundancies last year.”

Dunkley: “An ‘optimist by trade’, the former London managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi is trying to remain upbeat.

“He thinks conditions will stabilise from here after a poor half-year for the sector.

“The Sydney-based executive, who joined Saatchi’s in 2000 – the year it was sold to France’s Publicis – believes the region’s central banks will determine the strength of consumer spending and the trajectory of the NZ ad industry’s recovery.”

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