Bleak Does Not Call for Bland

It's no secret that even those of us tucked blissfully away from the hustle and bustle of big cities are feeling the pinch. Times are tough, concerns are high and temperatures and budgets seem to be in a sprint toward zero. Here's the thing, now is not the time to go silent. This isn't a cue for companies to stop promoting themselves or for those with great ideas to stop thinking.

They say, "Desperate times call for desperate measures," these bleak times do not call for a bland approach. As each dollar becomes more precious, what you do with it should become more important. You have a brand, a product, a mission and it must be sustained. Looking back, even to the Great Depression, the common thread was a consistency in advertising investment.

Procter & Gamble. To this day, P&G maintains a philosophy of not reducing advertising budgets during times of recession, and the company certainly did not make any such reduction during the Depression. It's not a coincidence that P&G has made progress during every one of the major recessions. While competitors cut ad budgets, P&G increased its spending. While the Depression caused problems for many, P&G came out of it unscathed. Radio took P&G's message into more homes than ever, and P&G became a pioneer in effective use of that medium...more from this article

We will emerge from this, but as we move forward, it will be the individuals and organizations that continue to sculpt their message and carry their voice that will succeed. Rather than hunkering in and waiting for the dust to settle, align yourself with the individuals and companies that can continue to communicate with your audience. The value and potential in staying connected is more critical than ever.

Your ability to position yourself is significantly enhanced by the unfortunate and rash decision that some organizations make to cut their marketing budgets. Strong creative, intensity of message, potency of purpose, these are the things that a targeted campaign can have when created with a partner. And, might I say, it's all that much more fun if your partner has a trampoline...




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