In Spain, unemployment—currently at 18.8 percent—is the main public concern, and we aren’t seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet. This situation has hit one generation more than any other: youngsters who are neither studying nor able to find work. A recent study showed that 15 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds aren’t active. University degrees are no longer a guarantee of a job, and Spanish youth are apathetic and unmotivated. Their parents lack strong arguments to push them forward.
Naturally, a TV channel saw this as an opportunity for a reality show: Eight of these ninis (which stands for “no job, no studies”) live in a house where they’re learning everything from social skills to math, home economics and handy jobs. The results are not too promising so far. The kids don’t seem to be learning much from the experience, and the content aired so far is surely not making parents any less anxious than they already are.
The two biggest media conglomerates in India and Pakistan have joined forces in a novel initiative: to campaign for peace between the two countries. Indians are anxious about terrorism in general and Pakistani terrorists in particular, according to JWT AnxietyIndex 
In the past year, younger generations (including myself) have had their first experience of a recession. In Australia, AnxietyIndex.com research revealed that for Gen Y, levels of anxiety have been disproportionate to the downturn’s actual impact—clearly, a generation pessimistic about the future and fearing the unknown.
More often than not, it’s the tragic stories that receive media coverage, especially in times of crisis. Displeased with the huge amount of bad news he reads every day, Ruy Drever, a Brazilian journalist, decided to do something about it: He created a site called “
Cairo’s newest consumer trend is the rise of a Facebook marketplace, with people selling everything from used books to jewelry to designer fashions from Paris via Facebook groups. In a struggling Egyptian economy, many retailers have been forced to increase their prices. So people are drawn to some of the bargains on Facebook (one seller is offering designer handbags for 20-30 percent less than the original price), as well as the ability to select items from the comfort of their own homes. Online shopping has never been much of an option here in Egypt—there aren’t many domestic online retailers, and buying from abroad entails paying high customs fees and involves credit card complications. Facebook has therefore provided Egyptians with a local online shopping option. While this heralds trouble for shops and upscale department stores, Facebook represents a massive opportunity for entrepreneurial individuals taking a chance on a sleepy retail market.
Like many people still in business today, I don’t read the paper anymore. Actually, I scan it. Or rather, I scan the headlines and the synopsis that The New York Times kindly e-mails me every morning. And last week, I realized that a new “R” word is creeping into our daily media diet. Not “recession”—that’s old hat now—but “reset.”
Clarin, the biggest newspaper in Argentina, is promoting itself to marketing directors as the most effective media for these times. The print says: “It’s a year to sell or sell.” In other words, this year, you really need to sell your product. You don’t have options. If you don’t, you will go bankrupt. After reminding you of this harsh truth, Clarin continues, “Think well what you will do with your ad.” A straightforward concept that, along with its strong, humorous and grotesque tone and language, shows the consequences of not optimizing one’s advertising budget: few sales, excess stock, so … you end up eating all your chocolate or drinking all of your energy drinks. The ad closes with: “You need to sell, you need to advertise in Clarin.”
In Spain, television ad spending has dropped since the downturn. So with TV ad time not as profitable as it once was, the government has made the decision to wipe out advertising on the two public TV channels starting in September, to emphasize a clearer “public service” orientation. There will be no more ads on the Televisión Española (TVE) network, and new taxes on private channels and telecom companies will support public TV budgets.
