A positive turn

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The turn of the year is always a time for hope and positivity, but the start of 2014 seems to be overflowing with optimism. It’s probably inaccurate to describe it as a complete return of confidence – that remains long overdue, after five or so years of economic stagnation. But there’s a sense, in the wider economy and within the marketing and market research communities, that this year won’t be quite so hard going; that things are looking up; that everything will turn out OK in the end.

Stuart Butler-Smith does more than most this issue to maintain the new year cheer. His quarterly financial analysis, on p56, highlights the positive steps research agencies took last year to address the challenges of the marketplace. Keep it up – he says – and a return to respectable levels of growth might not be too far off.

Similarly, the results of EFAMRO’s quarterly ...