Back in the 1980's, Ronald Reagan said that if your neighbor was laid off, it was a recession and if you were laid off it was a depression. Technically, we are currently in neither but it is very safe to say that the economics remain very difficult, and down right depressing in some markets.
When times are tough, I always think it is important to make sure you are taking care of the fundamentals in business. Make sure those basic are working at their best is just a way in my opinion to do a reality check on the operation. This includes a review of your marketing strategy and advertising buys.
Even in tough times, a marketing department must keep its eye on gaining market share and customers. As the markets start to grow, if you've gained market share in tough times you'll have more sales and more profits. While called many things within many organizations, most media companies try to work on creating top of mind awareness programs to help solve this marketing problem.
TOMA as it is often called is simply about creating a campaign that builds brand recognition. When someone asks about a brand of bottled water, the consumer answers Dasani, Aquafina, Ice Mountain or whatever. The basic of a TOMA program is simply consistency in messaging.
I always use McDonald's as the greatest example of consistency. Lord knows, my son knew the golden arches and the message from the company at an early age. But they kept buying the media and sending the message so that whenever my son is asked what he wants for dinner, he replies McDonalds. This is still true today, with my son now 17 years old. Though on occasion he will ask for Red Lobster!
I came across an article by Red Barrett, Director of Digital Sales for The Sun Sentinel, a Tribune Publishing Company. While her take was very much a south Florida take and discusses snow-birds, who are only in her market from late fall to early spring, I think it is very applicable to all markets. I've already shared it with my staff, and think it might be worth sharing to others.
http://touch.sun-sentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80926035/
Her remarks remind me of a frequent saying of Mark Cuban. In a book he wrote, he always reminded himself and the reader that your competitors is out there right now, trying to steal your customers and put you out of business.
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