Joseph Ghossoub is chairman and CEO of the MENACOM group and a pioneer in the advertising and communications industry. The former chairman and world president of the International Advertising Association, Ghossoub is also a Knight of the Order of the Cedar, Lebanon’s highest civilian honor. Last month, Ghoussob sat down with Executive for a candid and insightful talk about his group and the regional advertising industry. E Most estimates say that the advertising market in the region is down around 30 to 35 percent. Do you agree with this figure? Yes I do. Definitely there has been a decrease in spending and there has been a lot of turmoil this year. As we stand today, if you compare figure-to-figure with last year, there is at least a 35 percent decrease in advertising expenditures. E Does this apply across the board or more so in places that have been hit harder,
