Marshall Yard:

Exhibitor Report published this week (care of Flagg Management) an article about economizing on exhibiting. Interesting - and sad, really - but unfavorable for us.

What’s bothersome is that while they suggest getting the same size space (smart, as something smaller would indicate financial disrupt), they also suggest modular/portable exhibits. These ARE more cost-effective and they DO require less maintenance…but they have very little impact on the show floor. That said, I think going from a custom (or rental) exhibit to a portable would foster the same financial perceptions as would a smaller space. So, perhaps the alternative (lesser of two evils, even) would be to reduce your space and retain your exhibit.

As a mansion with no furniture would be lackluster, so would a huge exhibit space without quality materials to fill it.

Marketing is the first to be sacrificed in a flailing economy. I wonder, though, will making that move perpetuate brand loyalty and advance sales when the economy rights itself? Once upon a time, a certain department store (rhymes with “tears”) stopped marketing and, instead, relied on brand loyalty to maintain sales. The once Largest Retailer in the Nation carried more than 350 brands but most folks didn’t know it…because they stopped marketing.

Now they’re walking on economic eggshells. They were acquired by another retailer and have, quite unfortunately, been struggling to re-establish themselves ever since. Fancy logos and hip new slogans won’t mean squat if you don’t have the sales to pay for them. And how do you make sales? By being a certainty in a time of uncertainty.

A new Costco opened near my house this past weekend. Imagine how surprised I was that humongous bags of rice are for sale in unlimited quantities. I remember hysterical stories about the famines we should expect due to big box stores rationing such food staples earlier in ‘08. Since popular opinion has it that the sky is falling, I should have piled as many bags as would fit in my sedan, and crawled into my nifty nuclear bunker. Instead I bought socks - shades of olive, green, and brown.

For the past year or so, writing about “marketing in a recession” was all the rage. Everyone agrees that we’re in a recession, except for the rule of thumb on recessions. The rule of thumb guy is still giving me a thumbs up. Not enthusiastically, but still… I don’t know if I trust that guy anymore.

So what are people writing about now? In the ever changing one-upmanship that is online news, the hip search term for your business article is now “marketing in a DEPRESSION.” To be more precise, marketers are strategizing over marketing in a “pre-depression” (this is the beginning of the beginning of a depression). Hopefully, when this depression sets in, your company will be a-ok, and all due to your wise marketing department decisions. Depression becomes a career-advancer, and your true character will shine through (due to your having read a “snarky” blog post about it…). You’ll be the new CEO once this whole mess blows over. Sure you will.

Marketing in a depression seems to be a tough burden to undertake. My guess is, your company either has enough cash reserves, or it doesn’t. If they have the reserves, your job will be intact, and your task of conveying the company’s message in a competitive, rapidly evolving marketplace will continue. The market changes, but the task remains constant. But guessing whether this is a recession or a depression is probably NOT a part of your job. It isn’t mine, I’m pretty sure. What are your real options?

Option A: You guess depression, you advocate that the marketing budget gets gutted, BUT the economy goes all “fast and loose” on us. Then you will play catch up during the coming expansion, as competitors gobbled up your market share. Option B: If you guess depression and it’s a depression, you might be vindicated, but you will essentially be doing what you’re always supposed to do: Making wise decisions with your marketing dollars. What the heck were you doing before this looming recession or depression? 

If you think it’s a prudent time to stock up on rice, while all the fools buy socks and wide-screens, that’s fine. But bursting into your boss’s office telling him or her about the expected course of the business cycle - is that really a good idea? Understanding how to market in a different business cycle is important, but being the first to yell fire is something you’d be well served to avoid.

I would like to engage anyone in conversation that has exhibited at trade shows in the past year or two.  I would like to know your disappointments with your custom exhibit, rental exhibit and anything that you found frustrating on the trade show floor.  Is there a certain element missing from your exhibiting experience? Was there something you needed while on the show floor that you couldn’t find? Was there a lack of traffic during any specific time period?

I would love to hear from you.