Surviving the Storm: Navigating your Brand Through the Great Recession
A panel discussion on how businesses can use marketing and communications to position brands for success in the downturn
Grand Hyatt San Francisco
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 | 5:30–8:30 p.m.
On May 12th, Bite Communications will be hosting a panel discussion in San Francisco looking at how major Bay Area organizations are using marketing and communications to position themselves for success in this downturn. The panel will feature experts from a variety of sectors impacted by the current state of the economy, including technology, financial services, automotive, travel and renewable energy.
‘The Great Recession,’ the most dramatic term coined yet for our current economic situation, is a global issue that has left no industry untouched by falling budgets and job cuts. The stock market has collapsed, consumer spending has stalled and the US is currently suffering its highest rate of unemployment in decades with 11.6 million Americans out of work. In a report from February ’09, Aberdeen research estimated that 82% of companies have reallocated their planned marketing spend to varying degrees on account of the recession. The normal knee jerk reaction in climates like this is for businesses to slash funding for functions like marketing that are deemed non-critical to their survival however these hasty decisions can have a serious negative impact. Companies who slash marketing spending often find that they later have to invest much more than they saved in order to recover. In fact, expert analysis suggests that, brands that increase marketing during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times.
Emerging from the other end of this downturn in one piece is a critical consideration for organizations of all sizes. But what do they need to do to keep their brands buoyant and how are different sectors changing the way they communicate to navigate their way through this financial crisis? The event will explore:
- How, in times of economic uncertainty, marketing and communications (both digital and conventional) can prove their value
- What brand managers should be doing today to preserve their budgets and communications tomorrow
- How these priorities differ depending what industry you’re in and what audience you’re trying to reach
The following representatives will be offering their unique perspectives on this issue:
- Karen Kahn, Vice President Global Communications, Sun Microsystems
- David Weiskopf, Vice President, Corporate Communications Charles Schwab.
- Rachel Konrad, Senior Communications Manager, Tesla Motors
- Will Aldrich, Vice President, Product, TripIt
- Keely Wachs, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, BrightSource Energy
- Ram Menon, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, TIBCO Software
If you require more information, please email BiteBash@bitepr.com or call Jason Clarke on 415.365.0400. Register here.
