Economic Downturn: Don't Trash Your Marketing!

I'm sure you guessed the sales of its products and services. During an economic downturn, businesses try to stay afloat by cutting off the excess capacity or activities it was able to enjoy while the market was good. this includes bringing on extra employees, doing pro-bono work, giving to charity, bonuses, parties and the like. Well when all those activities and operations are cut, where else do companies turn?

Goodbye marketing department!

You and I know this; if it is not directly bringing money in for the business, it is considered expendable. Yet, I am very confused why marketing would be cut if a business is trying to sell itself and its products.

1. Bad public relations:

If an organization is involved in multiple marketing, public relations and advertising campaigns, and immediately pulls them , what kind of message does it send to your audiences? It shows them that the organization is not doing very well; and needs all the money it can get in order to get by. If it is a product or service that the consumer depends on, guess what they'll start doing? That's right, they'll start shopping for a another provider; whether or not the former provider has tanked. The organization has lost a customer because it pulled its marketing.

2. Stand out from the competition:

If your organization's competitors are cutting back its marketing activities, should you? No! Now is better than ever to market your product's and services. If their marketing decreases, increase yours and it will seem to the customer that your organization is taking over the market. Contact the advertisers that your competitor used and buy spots with them too. So once the economy gets better; the relationship your competitor had with its former advertiser is gone; and you have all the leverage in the market.

3. Marketing SUPPORTS sales:

I am sick and tired of these companies, organizations and "professionals" that believe marketing and sales are the same concept. Marketing is the activity that occurs before the sale. It does the research, the design and strategy, the economic implications, consumer behavior and perception, demographics and much more. If you want your product or service to sell, why in the WORLD would you get rid of marketing?

So, to plead to any organization thinking about getting rid of their marketing gurus: don't do it. Believe me, it will hurt your business much more than it will hurt them.