"Love all," says Kevin Roberts, chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi, the global communications company. No, Roberts is not about to start a round of tennis, nor does that statement reflect the abiding faith that he says he brings to all his personal relationships.

Quite simply, love is what brands anywhere should bring to strike lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with their consumers. And Roberts is betting his shirt on the "lovemark" proving to be the missing link that will cement such ties.

"There has been nothing new in brand building in the last 30 to 40 years. Advertising is information-based, designed to make the product feel and look better. But it stopped there. "Great brands were trade or trust marks. For instance McDonalds would offer the same experience be it in the U.S., China or Dubai. But that's not enough any more.

"Consumers are now back in charge after the retailer-driven 1990s, and thank goodness for that. With so much parity between products, brands need to look to have relationships with their users, not just transactions.

"Trust has to change to love. There should be an air of mystery, sensuality and intimacy attached to the brand." Easier said than done. "Most managements are terrified about investing in these attributes. Microsoft and Cisco, so hugely successful as companies, are so lacking in love. Nike's a great brand, but nobody loves it anymore.

"But Apple's iMac is a genuine lovemark, being mysterious and very intimate. People like to touch it. Same with the Volkswagen Beetle. "Sony is not yet a genuine lovemark, although its products are cool, fun and fantastic. The brand still seems a bit hard-edged. By making the necessary changes to a company's communications strategy, we can create a genuine love brand."

Roberts does not put much store in the talking down of the Internet, which is the vogue nowadays. "All this talk is driven by the idiotic financial analysts on Wall Street, who created a boom first to create a bust. They are victims of their own hyperbole. I am sick of the Americanisation of the world, which is being passed off as globalisation.

"The Internet is the single most enabling medium since the printing press. I, for one, cannot think back to what life was like before e-mail. And the Internet has made everyone equal. While earlier size counted, it's now the fast eating the big.

"But it was foolish to believe the Internet would replace every other medium. And most of the dotcoms were in the business of solving problems which consumers did not have in the first place, like ordering dog food or toothpaste."

What of the prospects for the advertising industry, what with all the mixed sentiments about the state of the global economy?

"The advertising industry will still grow by 4 to 5 per cent. All the gloom and doom is an over-reaction after the three fantastic years we have had. "Many in the industry made fools of themselves on the Internet. Now that the euphoria has died down, they will be using the experience gained much more wisely.

"But all over, companies are running scared and cutting budgets. When things are slow, however, it's also a time for building market share."

A New Zealander, Roberts joined S&S in 1997 after stints with Gillette, Procter and Gamble (P&G) and Pepsi-Cola, at which he was the head of Middle East operations. Last June S&S was acquired by the French group Publicis for about $2 billion.

"Even with the slowing down, I am not about to close down our offices anywhere. We are fully tapped into the local cultures. And the strong, creative ideas bubble upwards, not from the top down," said Roberts.

"I have just signed a contract with S&S for a five-year term ending September 2005. It's going to be the most exciting five years of my life. I have the freedom to succeed or fail. "But there will be no holding back of the imagination to push for S&S to be revered as a hot-house for world-changing ideas."