A Storm Is Ahead: Fight the Storm or Turn Back?

There’s no hiding the overt: the national unemployment rate is above 6%, credit is frozen, the Dow is…well…down, and Uncle Sam’s talking about borrowing a few more $100 billion to save other crumbling cornerstones of our country’s economy. The overt is that we’re in a down market.

And while the talking heads are telling us that tomorrow is the end of the world (anyone else getting tired of the doom and gloom?), I’m searching for some much needed optimism. The optimistic truth is that the pillars of our country’s economy are our hard-working citizens. Yes, we’re in a recession. And yes, the media is telling us that there is chaos and strife ahead. But chaos is the catalyst for discovery and creation.

I pulled a section from a great article I read: “Marketers should draw lessons from such examples of charging ahead despite recession, says Ed Rensi, former CEO of McDonald's USA through the early 1990s recession. Unfortunately, he says, companies usually do just the opposite. They cut staff, which he says leaves those left behind overworked and risk-averse. And they cut marketing, which props up profits short term but erodes market share down the road (“Recessions Are Great Times To Be In Marketing”, Thom Forbes, Ad Age).”

We are going to face hard times ahead that will put a strain on our businesses and our consumers, but in the end, the pillars of our nation’s economy (our people, our traditions, and our ethics) will still stand strong. If you position your marketing efforts to “fight the storm”, instead of yielding, you will come out the successor.