Along with many firms that cut back on advertising during a slowdown, your competition will probably reduce their ad spending as well. The noise level of different brands promoting their products will dip and give you an opportunity to get stronger consumer responses to your brand and advertising.
The same is true if you cut back on ad spending for your competition. Competitors that continue to advertise can take away your market share because their voice and brand will prevail in consumer minds. Remember, increased market share equals increased profits so when times get tough it could be vital for your business to continue to advertise.
In a study of 600 companies by McGraw-Hill for U.S. Recessions, business firms that were relatively even before the recession that maintained or increased ad spending had on average enormous sales growths in comparison to those who decreased ad spending.
This is significant and goes hand in hand with increased market share and ROI. Although the instinct of business firms is usually to cut down on advertising, brands that increase their advertising have very positive improvements in sales.
Materials compiled from several sources, including McGraw-Hill, Harvard Business Review and Forbes Magazine.