The phrase "you never know what tomorrow will bring" has never been more true than the past few weeks. Most people I've spoken with are still trying to figure out how the current economic conditions happened so fast...or how they happened at all. I'm not sure I can answer either question, but from where I sit, it's certainly affecting the 2009 marketing process.

I was all set to write a brilliant blog about why it's so important to continue marketing efforts during tough economic times. When researching the topic, I came across so many good articles I decided to link to some of them here (to save you time from doing the same research). These articles address why it's so important to continue investing in marketing your products and services during an economic downturn. The key is to do it smartly with strategic efforts that drive traffic, leads and/or sales.

Thriving in a Downturn Economy: Top Strategies to Recession Proof Your Marketing
By Lisa Cole-Paquin - SVP, Principal Marketing Strategist, Protocol Integrated Direct Marketing

Great marketing for lousy economic times
By David Warschawski, B2B Magazine

Marketing During a Downturn - Executive Summary
By Marketing Sherpa

Marketing in an Economic Downturn: Mistakes, Challenges and Opportunities
By the American Marketing Association

Marketing In An Economic Downturn
By Michael J Obrien

Marketing: Surviving the Economic Downturn
By Laura Lake , About.com

Certainly all of my clients and colleagues are being affected by the current economic conditions. Marketing budgets are being cut at a time when they should actually be increasing. The benefit to working with an agency like Active Integrated is that we are small, flexible and cost effective. So, if you need some help, give us a call.

Sound familiar? Maybe not. Many companies with in-house marketing departments struggle with whether they should hire a marketing partner, rather than a marketing director. Here are my top five things to consider for outsourcing your marketing...

1. Objectivity
When you eat, sleep and generally live your brand day in and day out, sometimes it's hard to remain objective. The agency you hire should provide that objectivity - even when you don't want to necessarily hear it. If you hire the right partner, you're brand will be stronger in the long run.

2. Cost efficiency
When you hire an agency, you should get and pay for only the services that you need. That cuts back on labor costs and human resources efforts, which can be applied to your core operational efficiencies...and your marketing budget.

3. Solid strategic thinking
A good marketing partner is going to be dedicated to thinking strategically about the success of your business. If you win, they win. If the agency you're looking at doesn't operate under this philosophy, don't hire them.

4. Fresh, creative perspectives
How many times have you asked someone to read a document you wrote because you needed "fresh eyes" on it? Well, it's the same principal - your agency partner should continually provide new ideas...and help make you and your brand successful in the process.

5. Experience
Many agencies today have core competencies - whether it is healthcare, banking, consumer goods, or whatever. The partner that you hire should have experience in your brand category so they can hit the ground running on your business, saving you time, effort and money.

While doing research about the benefits of outsourcing marketing for a prospect, I found it interesting there wasn't much information in cyber space about it. Considering the state of our economy, I thought there would be more information out there about outsourcing during an economic downturn. Here's a good article by John R. Graham called Outsourcing The Marketing Function .

Ready to outsource your marketing? Email us at strategy@activeintegrated.com or from the "contact us" page on our Website.

The following article will be published in September in the Philly Ad News magazine:


You are not entitled to a job. This fact came as quite a surprise to many of the 1,300 plus college students I spoke with at the 30th Annual American Marketing Association International Collegiate Conference on the topic of " Success Strategies for Your Marketing Career" in New Orleans this past spring.

When crafting the presentation, I reached out to my professional network to find out the most critical skills they thought are needed by graduates today. It came through loud and clear that managers think this generation believes they are owed something from their employers.

Students face so many challenges as they enter the work force. In some ways, it seems these graduates have it much harder than I did when I graduated in 1990. For one, we didn't have to contend with social networking sites ruining careers before they even begin.

It was so refreshing to listen to their questions and concerns and see how serious most of them were about what it takes to truly be a success in this business. Many said they are not being taught these lessons at their universities. Shouldn't schools should provide more of this real-world training?

There was no shortage of opinions offered by various employers with whom I spoke. First and foremost, writing and communication ability was the primary thing graduates need. With texting so prevalent, students don?t realize this is not an acceptable way to communicate with their bosses or clients. That fact generated the largest audible grown from the audience.

Email etiquette. It's more than an acceptable way to communicate - it's the way we all communicate. As I have unfortunately learned a few times myself, email has the ability to "throw you under the bus." But more importantly, I stressed the need for personal communications. No one is developing a long-term, solid relationship on email - we all need to pick up the phone a little more.

Find a mentor. I would not have made it to this point in my career without the many mentors I've had along the way. But even more importantly, once we have the experience, we should all give back by mentoring and sharing what we've learned.

Learn the industry - own your brand. Whether you're at an agency or client-side, being an expert in the industry is critical. It is one of the things that helps you stand out from your colleagues. A company's brand and image is its most valuable asset and successful graduates will embrace this concept wholeheartedly.

Take risks and learn from your mistakes. It is through risks that we learn how we want to live our lives and be happy. Taking the safe road isn't going to get you far. One colleague said, "Own up to your limits and mistakes. If you can't do something, admit it and learn from it. It's worse to promise when you can't deliver." As an account management specialist, no words have ever rung so true. I shared many mistakes I've made in my career with the students which made the examples a little more "real." After all, we're all human.

Clean up your MySpace and Facebook accounts. No one wants to see their great new hire half naked and drunk all over the Internet. This seemed lost on many of the students there. I suppose until they get rejected for the job they really want, they won't get it completely.

Learn through travel. It is through experiencing the world that we expand our own horizons and understanding of each other's similarities and differences. I didn't have the opportunity to travel upon graduating, but I stressed that if they could, they should.

Speaking of travel, it was great to be back in the Big Easy. The city is on the rebound. I've never been to a place where so many people thanked me for being there and for supporting their city. The Quarter is cleaner than I ever remember. If you have the opportunity - please go and support their recovery efforts.

This trip brought my career full circle for me as I was fortunate to attend this conference when I was a senior at Temple. It was a joy to go back as a presenter and I can't wait for another po' boy at Mother's next March at the 31st Annual conference.