Studies about marketing during a recession?

December 9, 2009 7:34 PM

Tonight someone mentioned to me a study that boiled down to the idea that businesses that keep up with their marketing in a recession tend to bounce back better, or survive better. This makes sense to me, but he doesn't have a cite for study, and I'm curious. Does anyone have an idea of where this might have been, or any other study along those lines?
posted by korej to Work & Money (5 answers total)

Best answer: This New Yorker article discusses it.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:19 PM on December 9, 2009

Best answer: David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising, wrote that a butter company advertised throughout WWII despite butter not being available (in the UK). When the war ended, it became the top seller because it was the only brand name that people remembered.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:32 PM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Best answer: He is likely referring to the research from "Moving Upward in a Downturn" by Darrell Rigby, published by the Harvard Business Review.

http://harvardbusiness.org/product/moving-upward-in-a-downturn/an/R0106F-PDF-ENG
posted by VanCityChica at 8:47 PM on December 9, 2009

This is definitely not a study and definitely anecdotal: My father told me (So it must be true, right?) that in a downturn, lo those long years ago, when Burger King and McDonalds were running neck and neck, according to his understanding of it, Burger King pulled back on advertising but McDonalds went full-bore, pedal to the metal, threw all they had into it, and Burger King hasn't been in the same neighborhood since that time. Is this A True Fact? I don't know. Good story, in any case.
posted by dancestoblue at 9:23 PM on December 9, 2009

Response by poster: this is all fantastic - even your dad's story, dancestoblue. Thanks!
posted by korej at 9:16 AM on December 10, 2009