Comments on: Recession? What recession?

By: Turn Into The Skid : adsymetrix.com

Turn Into The Skid : adsymetrix.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:14:16 +0000

[...] on ice and marketing in a recession are similar activities - so implies Bonafide Marketing Genius Marta Kagan who says “Turn IN to the skid—or kiss your sweet, scared ass [...]

By: mzkagan

mzkagan — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:34:13 +0000

@Mark Truman - absolutely! Regardless of the environment, never forget the basic rule: ALWAYS BE IMPROVING. My point was more to point out that shrinking away in fear and viewing marketing as the problem rather than a part of the solution [during a recession] is naive.

Best of luck to you.

By: Mark Truman

Mark Truman — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:28:41 +0000

@mzkagain - No doubt it’s easier to blame the economy, but aren’t some methods going to get lesser results?

Take a free event, for example. I think our clients are more interested in free events than they used to be and less interested in anything that might cost them money. Any marketing pitch that addresses stretching dollars is going to be more effective.

I’m not saying we get off the hook for getting zero results. Just the opposite. I’m saying that some things are doomed to fail in a recession and we should be looking for different marketing opportunities.

I’m hearing the same thing from every Marketing blog I’m subscribed to. Spend more! Do more! But shouldn’t we be doing more in a way that matches the market?

By: Markus Siepmann

Markus Siepmann — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:33:51 +0000

Looking for marketing messages that create economic value companies should try to
become part of the community, use peer relations to raise loyalty and stickiness and avoide an exploitation-only approach.

By: mzkagan

mzkagan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:41:08 +0000

@KatMeyer - I couldn’t agree more. It’s ALL about value.

@MarkTruman - “What do you do about marketing that falls flat on it’s face?” FIX IT. Fix the product. Fix your customer service. Fix your marketing. Easy to blame the economy. Harder to create real value.

By: Kat Meyer

Kat Meyer — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:34:43 +0000

Marta - all good points (this and the holy grail post also). I’d reiterate to my fellow marketeers — your marketing efforts (social or otherwise) need to contain value, in and of themselves. “Look at me, I’m interesting!” kind of marketing no longer cuts it. Consumers, or potential consumers, respond to that which provides them with some sort of value - if that’s in helping them solve a problem, entertaining them, or just engaging them in a meaningful conversation. To be successful, the marketing message, not just the product or service being marketed, needs to have some value.

By: Mark Truman

Mark Truman — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:28:40 +0000

What do you do about marketing that falls flat on it’s face?

Earlier this year, my company invested in several different advertising projects (direct mail, targeted advertisements with calls to action at local events, etc) that all yielded ZERO results. While I’m sure we could have build better ads, I’m convinced that part of the problem was the recession. People aren’t buying…and some ads don’t work.

By: mycreativeteam

mycreativeteam — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:48:32 +0000

Thanks for the mention of my post. You are dead right about this being a counterintuitive decision to crank up the marketing during a recession. But it has been the proven formula for success time and time again. I’m doing it in my business.