When is it time to go ‘pedal to the metal’ to build growth, and when is it the moment to pull back and be more circumspect? David Davies speaks to a trio of vendors to find out how much these actions are influenced by global trends and events, and how to succeed in uncertain times.
Throughout 2023, a series of industry conferences and seminars featured sessions on how to deliver business growth – and no wonder. In a historical period that seems sure to be remembered for its profound uncertainty and ever-increasing risk factors, being able to devise meaningful longer-term strategies has to be more challenging than ever.
The geopolitical factors are simultaneously universal and acute; for example, whilst it had seemed in the second half of last year that supply chain issues were slowly being resolved, we are now immersed in an escalating crisis affecting shipping in the Red Sea. Then there are the technology changes, with AI set to transform countless areas of media in ways that can’t yet be fully envisaged. For vendors, in particular, this makes it difficult to embark upon R&D that doesn’t run a high risk of being swiftly eclipsed...
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