It has been proven that an increase in marketing spend during a recession can gain a long-term advantage for a brand. But many marketers, constrained by budgets and circumstances, will not be able to do so. Will this leave their brands in peril? This article argues that in the current economic turmoil, retailers need to modify their marketing strategies and focus on practices like below-the-line promotions, bluetooth marketing, affiliate marketing and other unconventional methods of promotion.

It hardly matters what sector of the economy you're in, recession is omnipresent. Especially in the advertising business, the pain has proved acute, compounded by the latest estimates of where ad budgets are heading in 2009. Just last month, Barclays Capital (BCS) lowered its projections for US ad spending to a negative 10% this year and a positive 1% in 2010. All the traditional media platforms are getting hit, with newspapers taking the brunt of the pressure, with a drop of 17%, followed by TV (minus 15.5%), magazines (minus 15%), and radio (minus 13%), as compared to 2008.

The only bright spot this time is radical restructuring of promotional activities. In this situation of economy slowdown, aggressive marketing could be a way to grab the market share. One can negotiate extraordinary packages with key media outlets during downturns and enjoy it. But marketers are looking for something more than the traditional advertising and here arises the need of restructuring the promotional patterns and do some real good experimentation with them. Now the time has come to make a real connect with the distinguishing consumer.

Advertising Express Magazine, Promotional Tools, Recession, Economic Turmoil, Marketing Strategies, Bluetooth Marketing, Advertising Business, Traditional Media Platforms, Traditional Advertising, Customer Interactions, Below-the-Line Advertising, BTL, Above-the-Line Advertising, ATL, Non-Media Advertising, Internet-based Marketing.