Be Seen to Survive
It’s simple. Brands that cut their budget during times of financial crisis shrink. Brands that invest in advertising grow. If you are trying to recession-proof your brand you can do it one simple step. Advertise. Be the brand that developers continue to see.
Rise to Top of Mind
Maybe your brand is already top of mind for the developer. But if it’s not, a recession is an opportunity to get there. While other companies meet uncertain times with budget cuts or freezes to advertising and marketing, invest yours in developer advertising and marketing.
According to a 2019 Forbes article, history supports investing more in advertising when the economy shrinks. The author cites three key factors that contribute to advertising helping brands succeed in an economic downturn:
- Increased signal to noise. As your brand continues to advertise, your competitors are less vocal. This makes for an ideal time to reposition your brand or introduce a new product or service.
- Visibility projects stability. Brands that show up during challenging times are seen as stable and reliable. Remember how developers like Julia Nash, Oana Mancu, and Peter Kvis prefer to click on ads from brands they trust? Nothing builds trust better than proving your brand is still there in a crisis.
- Top of mind means share of mind means market share. Brands that increase advertising during economic crises not only retain share of mind, but they can increase it. With increased share of mind comes increased share of voice (especially because the “noise” is decreased). These increases mean your brand becomes top of mind with your developer audience which translates to an increase in market share.
Backed Up By Data
According to one compilation of data from McGraw-Hill Research, an analysis of 600 companies covering 16 different SIC industries from 1980 through 1985 showed that company’s selling business-to-business averaged higher sales growth during and after the 1981-1982 recession if they maintained or increased their advertising spend. This growth lasted for the three years after the recession ended. The brands that advertised aggressively during the recession saw a sales rise of 256% over those who failed to maintain their advertising
Win the Recession
History has proven that brands who maintain or increase their advertising during an economic crisis not only survive, they thrive. For brands advertising to developers, this means your opportunity to get heard above the noise is now. For more details on how to create successful advertising campaigns in D2D communities, check out our ebook, “D2D Marketing: An Advertising Guide.”