• by David Goetzl , March 5, 2009

Top GroupM executive Marc Goldstein's effusive praise for Barack Obama Thursday came less than a month after a top industry lobbyist warned that Democrats controlling Washington could have a negative impact on the ad business.

At the 4As media conference, Goldstein mentioned a “ray of hope” he felt when Obama was sworn in on Jan. 20.

“Did you feel just a small â€" or perhaps a significant â€" jolt of optimism after Obama took the oath,” Goldstein asked the audience, “because you felt that at the very least, here was someone with new ideas, a new team, and that maybe, just maybe, we’re off to a fresh start and headed toward better times? I know I felt that way and many people I know felt the same way.”

But on Feb. 11, Dan Jaffe -- executive vice president of government relations for the Association of National Advertisers â€" said at a New York event that Democratic control of the White House and both houses of Congress offered some dire prospects for advertisers. And the industry needs to be wary of the Obama adminstration.

Democrats could usher in an era of regulation unseen before, Jaffe said, which could curtail pharmaceutical marketing, product placement and other industry tactics.

"Government is going to be in your lives and more in your business than ever before," Jaffe said.

But Goldstein called for a transformational leader like Obama in the ad business.

“Our industry doesn’t have a Barack Obama who can provide us with that kind of example or inspiration, at least not that I know of,” Goldstein said. “Who knows? Perhaps some gifted, charismatic leader will materialize in the near future and help us out of this morass. But I wouldn’t count on it, and that’s OK. Why? Because I think we can do it ourselves.”

Separately, Goldstein went on to cite branded entertainment as an example of where the industry is innovating and “excelling.”

But the ANA’s Jaffe said regulations negatively impacting branded entertainment may be on the horizon.

He said powerful House Democrats Henry Waxman and Ed Markey have pushed for some regulations that might tinker -- or more -- with product placement. And the FCC could require marketers to more clearly identify paid branded integrations, maybe even on-screen when one is occurring.