Planning for Market Uncertainty: How Brands Miss Big Opportunities During a Recession

For CMOs and Marketing Directors, economic uncertainty is not just a headline; it’s a constant pressure point. However, downturns in the market provide strategic opportunities that can define a brand’s trajectory.  

History has shown us that market uncertainty separates the bold from the cautious. While many brands pull back, the smart ones lean in. As the adage goes, “When times are good, you should advertise, and when times are bad, you MUST advertise.” The US Strategic Planning Institute clarified this point stating, “Economic downturns reward the aggressive advertiser and penalize the timid one.” According to the Harvard Business Review, “Advertising in an economic downturn should be regarded not as a drain on profits, but as a contributor to profitability.” 

In this article, we’ll break down the three key pillars your brand needs to focus on to thrive during a recession. 

1 – Communicate Your Brand’s Value to Align with Shifts in Consumer Behavior and Sentiment 

People want to believe they are making the right purchase decisions and want to feel good about where their money is going during hard times, so as a brand, you must leverage your expertise, brand’s history, and service, to help communicate your value to clients.  

The Missed Opportunity: Recycling pre-recession creative that doesn’t resonate with today’s mindset.


The Strategic Flip: Adapt your messaging to meet new consumer needs — whether it’s value, stability, or empathy. Brands that demonstrate relevance earn trust. 

Example: Nike: Building Emotional Equity Through Purpose 

• What they did: Rather than push products during the pandemic, Nike focused on brand messaging around resilience, inclusivity, and community with the “You Can’t Stop Us” campaign (Dec 2020). 
• Why it worked: Their bold, values-driven brand stance strengthened loyalty, and by the time consumer spending rebounded, Nike’s stock and online sales surged. 

2 – Going Dark When Share of Voice is Up for Grabs 

During recessions or downturns in the market, it’s important to analyze your media mix, evaluate enhancing owned channels, and revisit your strategy, but never go dark!   

Data suggests that brands that cut their SOV during a recession end up spending more during the recovery to get back SOV and market share. It also shows that brands that continue to invest with the same dollars gain an ROI that makes up for continuing to spend. Brands that spend wisely during recessions reap a multitude of benefits.  

The Missed Opportunity: Brands conservatively err on the side of caution by reducing ad spend or even worse, going dark, fearing wasted budgets.


The Strategic Flip: Fewer advertisers in-market can mean lower competition, greater chance for premium inventory, and likely an opportunity to efficiently enhance your brand’s visibility — increasing your share of voice and planting seeds for future growth. 

Example: McDonald’s: Cut Spend in 1990, Lost Share to Taco Bell and Pizza Hut 

• What they did: To conserve budgets during the 1990 recession, McDonald’s significantly reduced its advertising spend. 
•  Why it backfired: Taco Bell and Pizza Hut kept their campaigns running, resulting in Pizza Hut’s sales jumping 61%, Taco Bell’s rising 40%, and McDonald’s declining by 28%. 

3 – Prioritizing Performance Over Brand Building 

Many brands make the mistake of shifting their focus to short-term performance metrics during a recession, pausing long-term brand-building efforts. However, history shows us that brands that continue to invest in brand storytelling during uncertain market conditions emerge stronger, with deeper brand equity and faster recovery trajectories.  

The Missed Opportunity: Doubling down on short-term conversions while ignoring brand messaging.


The Strategic Flip: Performance will dip during a downturn, it’s inevitable, but those who continue to invest in brand storytelling create emotional connections that outlast the recession. 

Example: Samsung Maintained Marketing Spend to Rebrand During 2008 Recession 

• What they did: During the 2008 recession, Samsung maintained its marketing investment and focused on rebranding itself as an innovation-driven company. 
•  Why it worked:  Samsung capitalized on reduced ad clutter to tell a new story. Their consistent branding across product launches reinforced their innovation message resulting in significant growth in global value, elevating from No. 21 before the downturn and No. 6 by 2013.  

A recession shouldn’t mean retreat, it can be your moment to take advantage of your competitor’s hesitation and set your brand up to prosper when the market rebounds.  

Need support rethinking your media approach? Reach out, and let’s build a recession-resilient media strategy.