Making news comes naturally to us, and every now and then we find something worth shouting about. Take a look at some of our latest and greatest stands.
Recession-Proofing Your Brand — Impossible?
Bob Neville, president, Kröme
Do we pilot-down during challenging economic times or take advantage of making our voice heard amid less clutter? That’s a question that excites folks at Kröme and gets us thinking. We track trends and test the economy every day through research, evaluation and branding. Kröme’s take on things? Keep moving forward (did you expect anything else?).
Let’s look at history. Market downturns aren’t new.
- 1927: The Harvard Business Review tracked 200 companies during the recession of 1923 and showed sales increases by the biggest marketers.
- 1961: Buchen Advertising ran a meta-analysis of the recessions of 1949, 1954, 1958 and 1961 and concluded that sales dropped at companies that cut back.These same companies lagged after the recessionary times had ended.
- 1991: MarketSense unveiled a report that tracked 101 household name brands during the recession of 1989 – 1991. The conclusion? Brands that cut ad budgets saw a 26% to 64% sales decline. Conversely, brands that increased budgets had 57% to 70% sales growth.
The facts speak for themselves; marketing your brand during a downturn increases sales and profits. The challenge for marketing communications professionals is “how.”
Some suggestions:
- Maintain spending while your competition cuts back. Consistency, frequency and aggressive positioning grow brand awareness.
- Cut the fat – sharpen your strategic plan to home in on pre-qualified buyers.
- Go the extra mile for loyal customers.
- Increase your earned media by building a strong, savvy, broad-reaching public relations program.
Whether or not you characterize this as a recessionary time, one thing’s for certain…more, not less, can be the difference between advanced standing in your industry or getting bowled over.
Want more?
Here’s what an industry authority has to say…
No hunkering down, not just yet
Ellis Booker, editor, BtoB
Why do urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus public health scares circulate effortlessly while people with important ideas—executives, educators, politicians, journalists, and others—struggle to make their ideas “stick?”
The truth is, some ideas thrive while others die. So how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? Made to Stick tackles this vexing question head on by revealing the anatomy of ideas that “stick” and explaining sure-fire methods for making ideas stickier, such as violating schemas, using the Velcro Theory of Memory, and creating “curiosity gaps.”
Made to Stick transforms the way we communicate ideas – we tend to agree. Check it out and you will see the principles of successful ideas at work—and how we can apply these rules to making our own messages “stick.”
Show Off and Tell
Kröme’s launching new brands, re-branding legendary companies and coming up with a few new ideas that are setting the world of marketing on fire. Here’s a sample of one great campaign that is magnifying results for our client, ELMO USA, a Japan-based industry leader in digital document cameras.
Green Grows the Marketing
A clever idea – TerraSkin and a bold approach to sustainability gave Carollo Engineers a leading edge in their industry toward a greener approach to doing business.
Independent Advertising Agencies Save Clients Money and Offer Unparalleled Services
Bob Neville discusses Kröme’s affiliation with Transworld Advertising Agency Network.
Side Content