DISQUS

Gina · 11 months ago

Here here! From what I've seen, "recession marketing" is code for being cheap by doing everything online--naturally, without regard to strategy:

"You mean people DON'T want to receive 50 e-cards from us this week?"
"No, they don't."
"But we're being 'green and reducing paper usage!"
"..."

jstorerj · 11 months ago

Hi Jake - I'm on board with not calling it "recession marketing", but I'm having a hard time reconciling the premise that companies are turning to social media as the "go to marketing strategy" during troubled times. From what I'm seeing/reading, social media practitioners are under fire and stand a good chance to not survive the next round of layoffs. This post from Benn Rosales captures my sentiment.

http://www.nmlab.com/blog/social-media-are-you-...

My sense is that companies that recognize the time it takes to build an effective social marketing presence and invest now will be best positioned to grow once we emerge from the recession. Companies that hide under a shell will find themselves playing catch-up for quite some time. What do you think?

Jim | @jstorerj

ps... I gasped in horror the other day when I used the phrases "kids these days."

Rachel Happe · 11 months ago

Hi Jake -

I agree with both you and Jim...and from my perspective both companies that are looking to social media as their cost savior and those that are laying off their social media people are short sighted. You point is a bigger one which is that companies should be using this time to re-evaluate how they serve their customer and invest (if they can) in new processes and programs that will pay off huge dividends when the economy picks up.

I unfortunately do not see that many companies that have been able to hold on to their vision instead of bowing to shorter term pressures - both due to leadership and pure economic pressures. Tough times.

thom singer · 11 months ago

This is a great observation. Everyone is getting back to basics. But why do we forget the basics when we are flush with cash. The other problem is they are looking for reach and returns on social networking and trying to measure it in ways they measure advertising reach, etc... You have to be committed, engaged in give and take, and authentic to make any progress in the social mediums. You can't just toss money at it. Everyone is looking for a quick fix, and there is no magic answer.