Interview: Maurice Lévy, ceo Publicis (page 2 of 2)

Why?

A. Simply because, as Goethe said, man is a creature of habit. Look at [French TV channel] TF1. It's now doing extremely well despite its past difficulties, which it has largely overcome. But even when it was having problems - that is, after privatization - it hung onto its customers. So, you have to build up a loyal audience.

On the other hand, there is the extraordinary phenomenon of the Internet. Young people log on for hours every day. We will see television channels being abandoned in favor of the Internet, and we'll be better able to target a much better qualified clientele. But this will take time. The big mistake was to believe that things would move quite quickly. I also believed this.

Q. Do you think it was the technology or the clients that weren't ready? Because, today, thanks to technology, the client can be precisely identified.

A. We do know how to do that very well, and so do the clients. The problem with technology is that you have to know how to manage it. You are only reaching a narrow target. On the other hand, cookies and banners are not enough.

When you have the chance to have a 30-second ad on television or a 45-second ad at the movie theater, you can deliver a message that is far richer than you can via the Internet. Finally, there will be other media. No mistake about it, the media store will play a key role.

Q. What do you mean by 'media store'?

A. The store itself will act as a medium. It's currently thought of as a place for the marketing of products, but above all it's a place for communication and it's used above all as a place for the promotion of products.

We can continue to evolve in this direction because it's the place where people buy and thus represents the moment when they choose a competitor. That's where you have to intercept the consumer to be sure he's going to choose the right brand: the one you're representing.

Q. Is your group ready to make this leap?

A. I think that one of the reasons for the success of Publicis is that we are the leaders of change. We were the first to think in terms of holistic communication. And the first to provide integrated services. Now, all the groups have followed us, and it's amusing to watch them move in this direction - eight years later.

Today, we unquestionably have the most creative spirit, and the closest to that of our clients and our consumers. Publicis is the group that has best understood what is happening on the cultural level. Even though it is French, the group does not belong to the dominant culture, and we have taken onboard the need to respect our cultures. That's a rare thing.

Q. What do you think of the clash of civilizations theory?

A. I'm not sure if we're experiencing a clash of civilizations. We are, though, clearly living through a turning point in our history. When you look at what's going on, whether it's the creation of the European Union, free-trade zones or globalization, what do we see?

The more international business we do, the more we need roots. People want to find themselves, whether it is in the world of music or literature. A region's need to turn in on itself is accompanied by international tensions and sometimes by terrorism - nearby in Europe, with what is happening in Spain, or with the fundamentalists that decided, in the name of higher ideals, to combat Western civilization.

I don't think this means that there is a clash of the Christian world and Islam. There are simply religious fanatics who want to fight a civilization they abhor. That inevitably creates tensions.

Some people fan the flames by saying that the rise in fundamentalism is a clash of civilizations, when it is only a question of hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of people who have resolved to fight a world they hate because they have a hard time tolerating the existence of the Other.

Q. As an adman, how do you communicate to both the West and the Arab world?

A. It's not an advertising problem, but a philosophical problem. There needs to be common values. I think that the most important ideas are the ideas of freedom, human rights and respect for other people. The West shouldn't try to impose its values on the East, and vice versa. Everyone needs respect - it's what should prevail.