The world’s most prolific ad man, Sir Martin Sorrell, is predicting a roaring post-COVID recovery as brands and consumers switch from save to spend, with the tech and healthcare sectors singled out as category standouts.
The 76-year-old CEO of S4 Capital said his only concern over the next couple of years would be the huge piles of debt governments had accrued to cushion the impact of COVID on its citizens.
In an interview with the news service Reuters, Sorrell said: “The drum beat in our daily meetings [at S4] is getting louder and louder and louder, things are flying.”
Sorrell added he expected S4 to post 15-20 per cent growth in 2021 when compared to last year.
He also said S4 was eyeing more acquisitions and, although not specific, alluded that it would be in the content space.
“I think we’re a royalty on the growth of digital transformation,” Sorrell said.
“We will be at the north end of the market’s estimates of 15 to 20 per cent like-for-like growth during COVID.
“The consumer has been saving like crazy, and I think companies have been saving like crazy and I think they’re going to open the spigots in Q2.
“It’ll be great for ’21 and ’22, but then how do we figure out who’s going to pay for this?” he said, again alluding to governments’ debt.
