Inspiration knows no boundaries

The year 2024 is often referred to in the media as a "fateful year" - because some of the most powerful countries in the world are holding national or at least regional elections that threaten to have a major impact on our future. In the German states of Saxony and Thuringia, the far-right AfD is threatening to win the state elections, in Russia an autocrat is consolidating his grip on every area of society - and in the USA, nothing less than the world order as we know it is up for grabs in November. On the other side of the Atlantic, it will be decided whether isolationism will become socially acceptable again; whether "the big for themselves, the small for the big" will emerge as a (geo)political trend. I don't need to explain to you, dear readers, why this would be highly dangerous. But perhaps I can add one point to the list of dangers of which you are already aware? Isolationism not only makes the world unsafe. It also guarantees that innovation and the exchange of ideas will come to a standstill. And that makes it the biggest fly in the ointment of the global (creative) economy.

Isolation leads to crisis

In my last column, I quoted - in a different context - the shatteringly passionate plea of the Marquis of Posa to King Philip II of Spain, formulated in Schiller's "Don Carlos": "Give freedom of thought!" The fact that I am using this sentence once again is intended to demonstrate this: It not only fits perfectly into our present day, but also to what we agencies "do". "Freedom of thought", i.e. the unrestricted and barrier-free flow of inspiration and concepts - the friendly exchange with colleagues on the other side of the planet - and the inquisitive view across language and national borders enable us to meet our clients' problems with fresh, unconventional solutions. "Super apps", which have long been part of everyday life in China or South Korea, spur us on to further develop mobile communication platforms. The investments being made in artificial intelligence in Silicon Valley are both a call and a warning for us to add our own resources. And global campaigns with which mega brands launch new products show us time and again that clever communication can be translated into effective corporate growth. All of this is lost if our sources of inspiration suddenly dry up - or if we refuse to accept external influences.

Now it's up to us!

When isolationism becomes a political trend, agencies must take countermeasures, because our ideas can only flourish "without borders". We, who are used to amplifying the voice of others, must now find our own voice. We have the know-how, we have the experts, we have a vital interest in the continued existence of an open world. We must not allow those who want to abolish the latter to do so.

* Our columnist Alexander Haldemann is CEO of Publicis Groupe Switzerland.