Rockbeatspaper - A full-service design agency. We create simple, intuitive and effective web design, identities and printed materials.

Maintaining Marketing Budgets

2008 has definitely been a roller-coaster year in the US. With the burst of the housing bubble, financial market collapse and the presidential election, we have found ourselves in the middle of a national economic crisis. Consumers are hiding out while businesses are hurting and making plans on how to handle this economic downturn that we are in.

Some of the first budgets to get cut in times like these are marketing and advertising budgets. Everyone feels the effects of these budget cuts, including us. We have often said that cutting marketing budgets during tough economic times is a knee-jerk reaction that is counter-productive to the problems facing most companies. Businesses that are successful during these times understand that marketing and advertising must be maintained, even increased, to make up for the decrease in consumer demand while driving business in and sustaining companies during downturns.

I found a great article in the New York Times that addresses this issue and gives several top executive opinions on the matter. It is a good read for all business owners, small to large. Resolved to Keep on Marketing, Even in Tight-Fisted Times.