Would you stop a clock to try and save time?

Hello, it’s me again. I know what you’re thinking. You don’t hear from me in months and I go and post three times recently. Well, here’s another post.

For years I’ve been using an old saying that I heard years ago – companies who stop advertising in a recession to save money are like those who stop a clock to try to save time. I always attributed it to Henry Ford. Turns out Thomas Edison actually said it. Sorry. My mistake.

However, it does ring true. Except that I’ve adapted it to work for the modern day.

The organisation that stops branding and marketing to save money is like the one that stops the clock to try and save time. It’s no different really.

We are in very worrying and difficult times. Nobody really knows what happens next. Some businesses are thriving. Some are simply ‘getting through this period and we’ll see where that takes us’. And some are doing no business at all.

What is definite though is that we will return to some kind of normality – whatever that means – at some point. And those businesses that have turned off communication, stopped their brand development, paused their brand marketing, they will be competing in a very loud and busy marketplace once ‘normality’ returns. If you are quiet you are in danger of being forgotten.

In my opinion – and I’ve shared this with plenty of people lately (by video call, email and phone call of course) –you should carry on with marketing and branding activity through all of this uncertainty.

‘But,’ I hear you say ‘I can’t afford it, it’s far too expensive’. How do you know that?

Branding, brand marketing, marketing communication – whatever is needed – needn’t be expensive. It should be tailored to your needs, your requirements – and your budget. Quite often, we don’t give a client a cost, we ask them what their budget is. Or we have a grown up conversation around how much of our time they’ll need – and we then come to an agreement. We have clients that we do set price work for. Also clients on monthly contracts ­  4 hours a month, 1 day a month, 2 days a month. Whatever works.

Anyway, like I said – it’s just my opinion. If you’d like to chat, you know where I am.

Stay safe, stay well – and please stay positive.