Recession Can Be a Marketer’s Friend

Previous recessions have spawned the brand-management system, soap operas,
modern cable networks, airline loyalty programs, the IBM personal computer, the
iPod, Crest Whitestrips, Axe body spray and–for better or worse–fast-food
value menus.

Recessions also have been fertile ground for some retail
chains. Home Depot opened its first two stores near Atlanta just before a
recession in 1979. But today’s marketers don’t know much about marketing through
recessions–or how good they have it when things feel so bad.

~A

Recession Can Be a Marketer’s Friend – Advertising Age – News
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) — The massive bailout of Bear Stearns from the brink of bankruptcy could be the first of many financial rescues needed. Despite double-digit plunges, U.S. housing is still overpriced by historical yardsticks. Retail sales have gone from slow to declining, and the consumer-spending binge that propped up the U.S. economy for years may not return for a long time.