• Huffington Post, Tuesday, November 18, 2008 10:45 AM

"I hope we never reach the day when emotions can be put through an algorithm," said Publicis Chairman Maurice Levy, in the closing address at last week's Monaco Media Forum in Monte Carlo. Levy said that data is good for reassuring advertisers that people are receiving and relating to messages, but "you cannot use mathematics and clicks to measure the emotional aspects of communications."

In that vein, Paris-based Publicis is moving from a communications services company dependent on hourly fees, to a business model that offers value beyond communications. Levy points to the Denuo unit of Starcom Mediavest Group as an prime example of this new strategy. It is designed to generate growth by providing intellectual capital in exchange for equity in emerging companies.

This year's forum was considerably more subdued than in the past, as industry leaders focused on monetization and strategies for a recessionary economy rather than on the typical deal-making.

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