One of the worst enemies of marketers is apathy, when people give up because the odds seem too great to overcome. In a really bad economy this happens more quickly than you can imagine if you have never lived through this sort of experience before. People feel anesthetized mentally by the drone of bad news. Day-after-day. Sound familiar?
This is difficult for a lot of marketers who are used to having sales go up and campaigns score high in awareness-impact metrics.
If you find yourself or your company without enough viable opportunities then create your own. Don’t wait for the economic forecasts to change and the economy to turnaround. Analyze why customers purchased from you in the past. In all likelihood it was because you showed leadership in a skill, service or technology that impressed potential buyers.
That leadership turned someone else’s corner, and it can turn one again. In my experience, there is not much more powerful than someone leading the way in a time of difficulty. Difficulty they have, so you can be the solution they are looking for. That’s brand leadership.