When we began planning for ADWKDC 2009 nine months ago, the economy had begun a downward spiral. Agencies were closing, friends started loosing their jobs, advertisers started spending less. Although timely at the moment, we hesitated to plan a “how to make it through this recession” conference. Would it be over by September? Or would it drag on for months? Years? And did we really want to wallow in something so negative and depressing?
Advertisers who have continued to talk to consumers through a recession are more likely to survive. We’ve seen this time and again. So, we knew that the better idea for 2009 was to highlight what people are doing in this recession, rather than what they are not. Let’s talk about the ways we are engaging the consumer through tough times, how technology can be used effectively not just as a gimmick, and how creatives are managing clients expectations in this environment.
With Advertising Week DC only two months away, did we get our planning strategy right? What have we seen in our industry since that first ADWKDC meeting in November?
Advertisers are focusing on the brands that do well, turning back to tried and true taglines, dusting off previously aired commercials, returning to their core competencies and focusing on the value their product/services deliver. Consumers are nesting, returning to the family and home for social interaction, buying what they need and expecting those items to last and provide meaning in their lives. Clearly, these steps might not have been taken without this recession, but are they really all that bad?
On a recent flight, an article in Delta Sky Magazine refocused my attention on this topic. Is this recession giving us more discerning taste rather than diminishing our expectations? Is it weeding out the so-so? Are we refocusing on our values of quality over quantity?
Are we Getting Noticed the old-fashioned way?
Sherri Green
Chairman, ADWKDC 2009
Director, Business Development, LM&O Advertising
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