Ad Age Surveys Advertising Execs on Recession

MARTIN SORRELL
WPP GROUP CEO

"Looking at 2008, there's the presidential election, there's the Beijing Olympics, which will probably be the most spectacular Olympics we've seen ... and there's the European football championships. So '08 is not the issue; '09 is."

JON SWALLEN TNS MEDIA INTELLIGENCE SENIOR VP-RESEARCH

"The lesson to be learned from the past few recessions is that it obviously impacts different categories differently. Automotive ... is already pretty grim, and budgets have already been pruned across the board. Retail is traditionally the most economically sensitive category when you have a downturn in GDP. We're already seeing a flattening in spending by department stores, restaurants and a host of categories related to housing (including hardware, home furnishing and appliances). ... What's kind of interesting is that financial services -- which is sort of in the center of the storm -- has actually been quite robust. In the short term, at least, these guys are battling for a share of a shrinking pie."

LARRY WITT MORNINGSTAR ANALYST

"If there was no recession at all, 2009 would, at best, be a flat year. If there is a recession and it stretches into 2009, it'll be bad. Fortunately for the industry, you do have some short-term tail winds."

IAN BEAVIS KIA MOTORS CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

"You can smell recession. Dealership traffic is down (across the board). There is more negative equity in cars (being paid off through loans). New loans are being made for extended loan cycles of 72 to 84 months, longer than most marriages last. And none of us have seen the impact of $100-a-barrel gas prices. It's a train wreck."

RANDY RANSOM MILLER BREWING CO. CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

"Beer has traditionally been among the more recession-proof industries. We believe our portfolio is well-positioned, and as consumers continue to show that they are willing to trade up in the beer category, we will continue to migrate our portfolio to the higher end to deliver growth for our business."

ALEXIA QUADRANI BEAR STEARNS ANALYST

"If it's a short recession, just a couple quarters, you'll probably just see a shift (away from traditional brand advertising) to more promotional spending and more accountable means. ... If it's longer, it becomes a global crisis that does a lot more damage to these global networks."

CHUCK MCBRIDE CUTWATER EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

"It's starting to hit home now. I get the feeling clients don't want you to spend as much, to save money where you can and do more. But they still want something really creative. It's got to be really hot and at least get a burst and get some attention."

HOWARD DRAFT DRAFTFCB CHAIRMAN-CEO

"I remain cautiously confident. At this point, we're not seeing any major client cutbacks. Our budgets remain on track."

MARK-HANS RICHER HARLEY-DAVIDSON CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

"Our belief is that spending through a market downturn creates competitive advantage for the market upturn, and an extra dollar spent today has extra dividends for tomorrow."

BRIAN NICCOL PIZZA HUT CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

"As the economy changes and our customers' behaviors change, we are always working to anticipate their needs. The current situation requires Pizza Hut to redefine how the consumer obtains value solutions. We've acted quickly to create an everyday value pizza solution, Pizza Mia, which is just five bucks with superior taste."