DSG head condemns old media

The chief executive of DSG international has issued a damning verdict on the future of old media in his president’s speech at this year’s Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) conference.

John Clare, ISBA president, told onlookers that the internet will continue to grow, prompting more advertising money to move away from television, press and direct marketing budgets.

Clare says: “We don’t need newspapers. We don’t need broadcasters or digital television and we don’t need agencies to produce communications anymore. When does it [the Web] takeover completely? Perhaps not that long.”

DSG, whose retail brands include PC World and Currys.digital, now advertises everything from product propositions to ranges through group websites at the expense of TV, press and catalogues, Clare told the audience.

He adds: “Three years ago, I said the Web would represent 10% of group sales eventually, perhaps in my life time. It reached 12% last year. Now the target is 20% in three years time but it could be much, much more.”