Optimism versus pessimism.

There is a battle going on in the world, the nation and the advertising industry right now, between optimists and pessimists. It's a Manichean struggle (look it up) and for all that an eternal struggle.

Right now, it appears--at least in advertising--the pessimists are running roughshod over the optimists. Most in the industry are acting as if we have never before had a downturn, that the economy has never before tumbled, that budgets have never before been trimmed. Ack ack ack. THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH!

The optimists--and I betcha the usual suspects will fall into this camp, Goodby, TBWA/Chiat/Day--will reinvent themselves, will clean house and will aggressively pursue and gain marketshare at the expense of the pessimists. This is the way it always is.

OK?

Now this is from "It's a Wonderful Life" which was set during the Depression. It works today:

GEORGE BAILEY:
Can't you understand what's happening
here? Don't you see what's happening?
Potter isn't selling. Potter's buying!
And why? Because we're panicky and
he's not. That's why. He's picking
up some bargains. Now, we can get
through this thing all right. We've
got to stick together, though. We've
got to have faith in each other.

Faith. That's the difference between the optimists and the pessimists.