STAY TO PLAY: Deep pocketed and farsighted players are in position to reap rewards when the recession ends

Staying power is the name of the staying game. For manufacturers and retailers, the mercantile mantra is, “Better tread than dead.” Or, “Tread to stay ahead.”

It's all about staying focused. While the treading is tough, the smartest among us are finding ways to move forward with discipline to preserve dignity. Scrambling is better for eggs than business.

Treading the business waters to stay afloat continues to be a buoyant purpose in the minds of many. Sorry to say not all will make it.

Now is the time to capture the future while others are retrenching.

Smart merchants and manufacturers know they cannot succeed without marketing to drive sales, even in this trough of a frustrating business cycle.

Without a context for sales — informing, guiding and educating — no sales will be the context in the summer of discontent and will extend into the fall and winter, too.

Eliminating the marketing component is short sighted and a big opportunity cost.

Without a sufficient marketing context in place when good times return, the myopia that saw short-term savings, retrospectively, will have been a blind streak of dumb and not luck.

Here an element of hope: An unexpected benefit of the down economy is the reality that price promotions — no matter how gimmick-ridden, repugnant and odious — are not working. Hooray.

Adversity is the mother of invention. In times of trouble, the best resource is resourcefulness.

Here’s a open secret to exploit. More people are finding ways to remain at home, a new place they are discovering all the time.

Yes, consumers are staying put for many reasons wrought by rotten economy that will get better. In the meantime, families are getting together, along with neighbors.

My prediction is we will become more communally tribal, with more home centric people helping others.

This stay at home sense will preserve gasoline capital and, we hope, redirect the remaining discretionary income into investing into feathering the nest.

Home is what the industry makes of it for consumers.

Comments

[Crappy Furniture]

Really, really good article.

[Eric Bauer]

Right on target! It is only in down times like these that market share can be gained and only if every extra dollar available is invested into that which has the potential to create sales for the company. I'm talking about advertising, public relations, and direct marketing (Internet) to the customer base. Buying inventory doesn't create sales; it only provides you the stuff to deliver once a sale is made.
Being far-sighted is one thing, however if the money is not there to market, it's probably a moot point.