Marketing in a scary economy

My column in this month’s issue of Retail Observer is about investing in your brand during a tough economy.  Some will dismiss it as self-serving advice from a marketing guy, and to a certain extent, it is.  But it is sound advice, as others would agree.  And who would you prefer marketing advice from?  An accountant?  Do you get golf tips from your dentist?  Okay, bad example.

Of course, there are myriad reasons to invest in your brand during tough times, but the best one, I think, is the one that’s at the end of the column:

Rather than spending time and energy worrying about the economy and cutting back, being aggressive keeps you and your company positive and focused on the future. Treating down times as an opportunity, you take control of your destiny.  You stay busy working on things that will drive sales and put you ahead of the curve when the turnaround comes.

The more I think about this, the more sense it makes for marketing and for life in general. Whenever you experience a setback, you can accept defeat, or treat it as an opportunity to grow and succeed.  The choice is yours.