When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Don't Skimp on Their Ad Budgets

The Wharton School of Business has published a short – and reinforcing – read.

"The first reaction is to cut, cut, cut, and advertising is one of the first things to go," says Wharton marketing professor Peter Fader, adding that as companies slash advertising in a downturn, they leave empty space in consumers' minds for aggressive marketers to make strong inroads. Today's economy "provides an unusual opportunity to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd," says Fader, "but it takes a lot of courage and convincing to get senior management on board with that."

(thanks to Broadcast Dialogue for turning me onto it)