What Will Marketing Look Like After the Recovery?

The inevitable economic recovery is arguably just around the corner.  Yes, it’s always too far ahead. But at least there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Obama says it’s a “long way off,” likely to cover his own posterior.  However, the IMF and the Fed are cautiously optimistic.  And, with few exceptions, the Dow has been relatively flat in recent weeks.

I don’t want to jinx it, but it feels like we’re at the bottom of a very steep hill to climb rather than falling off of a cliff.  The recovery -- albeit likely a slow one -- is coming.  It’s just a matter of when.  And the world, including marketing, may never be the same.

During the worst of the downturn, marketers had time to self-reflect.  Mainly because their budgets or their clients’ budgets virtually evaporated overnight.  People predicted the very notion of brands would become irrelevant.  Others discussed the rather obvious and profound impact of the crisis on luxury brands and general cultural notions of luxury.  Some discussed the need for marketers to step it up, become accountable, and view it as an opportunity to increase their importance within the broader organization.  A few even pondered the idea that marketing itself may be partially to blame for the crisis.  Countless others discussed the impact on budgets, individual tactics and increasing marketing efficiencies.

As the months roll on, some of these arguments seem to be panning out.  Some are likely bubbling underneath the surface.  And some others may never come to fruition.

What are your predictions for the future of marketing?  How will the most devastating economic downturn since the Great Depression impact the industry over the long haul?  Or will it eventually be business as usual?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.  Or better yet, if you haven’t already participated in the Unbound Edition Q-study exploring the issue, please click here.