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I was subscribed to TIME magazine around 2008, and it was astonishing to see whole issues with hardly any ads. I think it is as you said: When money is tight, it is comparatively easy to cut marketing spending for some time (easier than lay-offs, for example) and in addition to that, marketing might be less effective when people try to figure out how to cut their spending.

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Most marketing experts agree that cutting spend during a downturn is one of the worst things you can do — typically space is going much cheaper than in the boom times, so it gives brands a chance to acquire mindshare / brand recall cheaply. On the other hand, for brands that do cut spend, the drop off is swift, and costs a lot to recover when the economy picks up again. Still, cutting in a downturn is not at all uncommon.

Not to be cynical, but of course they would say that, their livelihood depends on it.

Maybe they would, but it also has the benefit of being true — and backed by empirical research.

Let's see it then.

Who looks out a year ahead? Most people currently making the decisions in a role won’t be there in a year or two.

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