He urges marketers to make sure they understand the "elasticity" of their brand, which would be a gauge of how much--or how little--advertising is necessary to sustain sales.

FORBES: Don't Skimp On Ad Budgets

When it comes to negotiation, it would be hard to retreat from asking for those opt-outs, but he should not make too much of a failure to win. (There is precious little new social legislation in the pipeline, and Britain already has the right to opt out of most new judicial measures.) A reprieve for the City from the proposed financial rules would be a coup.

ECONOMIST: Britain's European problem