The Elephant In the Room

I’ve written a couple of times recently (here and here) on marketers who have successfully addressed economic worries in their marketing.

Today, Laura Oppenheimer picks up the topic in the Oregonian. It’s a delicate balancing act:

“If you can figure out a smart way to deal with the elephant in the room, it actually will be a win for you,” says Doug Garnett, founder of Portland’s Atomic Direct agency and an advertising professor at Portland State University. “But that’s where you have to be really careful.”

He compares the advertising climate to 2001, after the terrorist attacks. Companies wanted to acknowledge the national mood but risked coming across as if they were capitalizing on tragedy.

Oppenheimer’s article salutes national companies Hyundai (whose Hyundai Assurance program I’ve covered elsewhere), Denny’s and Budweiser, along with a Portland personal trainer offering a discount-rate “stimulus package”.

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Categories: Advertising, Marketing, Phil Bernstein, Portland advertising, Portland marketing, recession marketing
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One thought on “The Elephant In the Room”

  1. Long time fan, first time writer…your reach goes far beyond PDX. I was in L.A. last night and met someone from Mumbai that checks your sight regularly. I think you should consider a blog name change.
    Suggestions to replace “Portland’s”

    “Slumdog’s”…doesn’t make sense, just a gut feeling.
    “The Globe’s”
    “The Milky Way’s”
    “THE”

    Thank you,

    Surviving in SoCal

    Reply