How (NOT) to Act in a Recession

“The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow and what will poor robin do then, poor thing...?
“She’ll hide in the barn and keep herself warm, with her head tucked under her wing...”

This children’s poem reflects the global winter (no matter which hemisphere you live in...) which has us all apparently reacting like lemmings hurtling towards the cliffs of financial disaster.But what is the message of the poem in the current crisis? My belief - and I’ve weathered a few “recessions” in my time - is that there’s a marketing parable in it with some good messages.

1. Neither you nor your business are birds...although perhaps you were flying high once a upon a time – but seasons change, in life and in business
2. Do NOT panic – don’t hide your cash under the floorboards. Mice live there and they will eat it.
3. Do NOT hide in the barn – don’t stop marketing and promoting: if you do that, you will surely fade into oblivion and no one will remember you when spring comes around again as it surely will)
4. Do NOT tuck your head under your wing – withdrawing from the world, canning your marketing and advertising campaigns, sending your Marketing team home, pulling budgets from PR and promotion, spells death – because when the sun shines again you want to be the first robin out of the barn and into the bright blue sky once more.

With the dollar rising in value again, NOW is the time for Israeli marketers to get out and EXPORT EXPORT EXPORT. But do it properly: have all your Corporate and Marketing communication ducks in a row. Use professional Communication experts who know the international scene and know HOW TO COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH. A major client of ours recently won a large US contract on the strength of its (and I quote from the US company): “...professional and extremely high level of communication which gave us confidence in the abilities of the company to deliver...”Praise indeed.

Larry Butchins is a Strategic, Corporate and Marketing Communication specialist with more than 30 years experience in Public Relations, Corporate Identity and Branding both in Israel and internationally. He runs a B-2-B consultancy, littlebig specializing in high-end Strategic communication programs for Israeli companies marketing abroad.