Marketing at Low Tide: How to Recession-Proof Your Marketing Department

Marketing matters just as much if not more during economic recessions!In 2020 the longest period of economic expansion in U.S. history came to a grinding halt. Caught off guard by years of growth and record-breaking profits architecture engineering and construction firms (known collectively as the A/E/C Industry) are now reeling and wondering how long the recession will last and how severe the financial impacts will be. During the Great Recession of 2008-2010 many A/E/C firms made deep devastating cuts into their Marketing departments. These cost-saving measures caused waves of layoffs of marketing professionals across all job categories and levels of seniority. This type of extreme disinvestment in marketing resources hinders a firms ability to position its brand in the hyper-competitive landscape of a recession. To prevent this from happening again we must understand the motivations and perceptions that drive firm financial decisions and review some of the miss-steps marketing departments make when the tide goes out.To do this we explore: How recession impacts the A/E/C Industry Firm psychology and how it impacts Marketing departments 4 recession action steps to take immediately 10 Activities Marketing Departments Should Do Every Year to improve agility and strengthen team commitment and morale