Category Archives: Down economy

Now is the time to hire

Posted on December 5, 2010 by

I ran into a friend today who had been a union carpenter for as long as I’ve known him.  Of course work has been scarce the last two years, and it finally got to the point that he took a … Continue reading →

Posted in competitive advantage, Down economy, recession | Leave a comment

Another sign of an improving economy

Posted on December 1, 2010 by

Prior to the late 2008 & 2009 Great Recession a pre-fab steel building company, General Steel, was a pervasive advertiser on radio and cable TV. During the Great Recession they were noticeably absent from the media. Today, for the first … Continue reading →

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The 12 Days of Christmas

Posted on November 29, 2010 by

Every year a wealth management firm “prices” the items on the 12 Days of Christmas list. The cost this year for those items is up 11% over last year. Further evidence that the wealthy are back able to buy, per … Continue reading →

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The recession has returned to normal

Posted on November 24, 2010 by

The recession which started at the end of 2008 was different from almost all earlier downturns in that consumers at all income levels cut back spending dramatically. Both high-end stores and mid-range stores lost sales, while the low-end held up for the most part. … Continue reading →

Posted in Down economy, Pricing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Free Warranties

Posted on July 25, 2010 by

My wife bought a new computer today at Staples.  When the sales person offered the 2-year extended warranty, she was ready to turn it down, but then he said that Staples has a new policy: if you don’t use the … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer electronics, customer service, Down economy, Innovation, Pricing, retail | 1 Comment

Lessons Learned … or Not

Posted on September 1, 2009 by

In the April 6 2009 issue of Ad Age, Al Ries wrote an interesting article on the cost of damaging your brand for short term gain during a recession. His position, with which I agree is stated in the first sentence … Continue reading →

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11 Secrets to Marketing in a Down Economy (Part 11)

Posted on August 12, 2009 by

A year ago we published a paper on marketing in a down economy. We identified 11 key tactics. I have been sharing them in this blog over the past several weeks, but if you want them all at once you can download the paper … Continue reading →

Posted in Down economy, marketing performance management | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

11 Secrets to Marketing in a Down Economy (Part 10)

Posted on August 3, 2009 by

A year ago we published a paper on marketing in a down economy. We identified 11 key tactics. I have been sharing them in this blog over the past several weeks, but if you want them all at once you can download the paper … Continue reading →

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Kicking butt in the downturn

Posted on July 23, 2009 by

W.W. Grainger Inc. last Wednesday reported an 18% drop in second-quarter profit but said it was able to carve out market-share gains even as the economy is showing no signs of a rebound. Apple® announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 third … Continue reading →

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11 Secrets to Marketing in a Down Economy (Part 9)

Posted on July 15, 2009 by

A year ago we published a paper on marketing in a down economy. We identified 11 key tactics. I have been sharing them in this blog over the past several weeks, but if you want them all at once you can download the paper … Continue reading →

Posted in Down economy, recession | Tagged | Leave a comment