Havas, the owner of the Euro RSCG Worldwide advertising agency and the MPG brand, has reported 2010 profit of 110 million euros, missing analyst estimates.

Do agencies really hold the key to better and more systems around process and trading? They seem to, judging by the tone of conversation and comment at MediaTel Group’s latest breakfast event – ‘Would more investment in media systems make us all more profitable?’.

WPP’s 2010 results are announced this morning – strong full year results, up 5.3% were boosted by an impressive uplift in the last quarter, led by a recovery in the United States market. The company paints a positive outlook for 2011, when it forecasts operating margins to rise 0.5 points to 13.7 percent.

Speaking at MediaTel Group’s Media Systems breakfast event yesterday, in association with Clearcast, Liam Plowman, media business director at DDS, announced a “new DDS” and promised an open system.

Yesterday’s Media Systems breakfast event, in association with Clearcast, illustrated the conundrum agencies (in particular) now find themselves in regarding media process and trading systems.

I suggested a couple of months ago that this may be the year of data; and have heard many agencies saying that data is at the centre of everything they do now.

How often do we all listen to the latest taxpayer-funded research report on the radio over breakfast; sigh deeply and curse… “could have told them that for free”.

A little later than expected Rupert Murdoch personally launched News Corp’s $30 million iPad investment yesterday, The Daily – “an entirely new category of delivery and consumption… the most immersive and unique experience available”.

Yesterday we reported eMarketer’s predictions that sales of smartphones powered by Google’s Android will overtake Apple iPhones within two years – 31% to 30% by 2012.

Let’s start 2011 with a bit of social media comment and a celebratory column.