Real talk: it’s been a tough year for a lot of businesses. From tariffs and natural disasters to political uncertainty and whispers of a recession, it’s hard not to feel stressed. A natural reaction is to cut costs and retreat. But now isn’t the time to pull back on your marketing.
If you want to survive (and even thrive!) during a downturn, you have to stay visible. Dropping out of sight isn’t how you connect with customers and clients. Don’t be forgotten. Keep marketing to current and potential customers even when times are tough.
Let’s look at a great story to drive this point home. We’re borrowing the Hot Dog Parable from AIM Smarter.
This is the story of a roadside hot dog vendor. The man was hard of hearing and didn’t see well, so he didn’t pay attention to the radio or newspaper. He focused on selling really great hot dogs. He put up signs on the road. He cried out to passersby, “Buy a hot dog, mister?”
People bought his hot dogs. They bought so many hot dogs, the man expanded his kitchen, ordered more meat and buns. His son even came home from college to help with the growing business.
And his son brought him up to speed on current events, letting him know the economy was terrible and a recession was on the way. So, the father trusted his college-educated son who read the paper and listened to the radio.
The hot dog vendor took down his signs, decreased his meat and bun order. He didn’t stand alongside the road calling out to hungry customers.
Fewer customers bought hot dogs because he’d stopped advertising and people didn’t know he was still open.
Then, the man said, “You were right, son. We are in the middle of a recession.”
Just the perception of hard times often causes businesses to eliminate the very things that were driving sales.
No matter what you hear from the radio, the newspaper, social media, and even your own son, don’t panic. And don’t pull back on marketing.
Here’s why marketing initiatives like branded apparel and promotional products matter.
Consistent branding leads to long-term visibility. One-time efforts do nothing. Your potential clients and customers need to hear from you multiple times before they really pause and take note of what you’re doing.
That means you need to stick with your marketing – even in challenging times. It’s how you stay top of mind, relevant, and memorable.
Promotional products are physical reminders of your business. Every time a customer picks up a pen with your logo, wears a ballcap with your branding, or drinks from a tumbler with your design, they are reminded your business exists.
It’s a subtle – yet powerful – way to stay in front of current and potential customers and clients.
Here’s some stats to prove the point:
- A writing instrument gets 2,436 impressions over its lifetime, and 52% of consumers keep and use a branded pen for at least a year.
- Drinkware like a coffee mug or cup gets 3,162 impressions over its lifetime, and 63% of consumers keep and use a branded mug for at least a year.
That’s a pretty great return on your investment.
Be top of mind when things turn around. Recessions, economic downturns, or hard seasons don’t last forever. When consumer confidence increases and the economy settles, the businesses that kept up with their marketing will thrive.
If you go quiet, customers may assume you’ve gone out of business. They’ll forget about you and move on to another company that’s visible and active. It’s much harder to start over with your marketing than to maintain a steady presence.
In difficult seasons, you can maximize your marketing with smart choices.
You may need to adjust your marketing budget right now and that’s OK. But don’t eliminate your marketing spend entirely. Be smart with your dollars and invest them where it makes sense.
Shift to some budget-friendly options. Our team can help you find apparel and promotional products that fit your budget. If you’ve tended toward upper-end items, we can look for mid-range products that will help you save money and still stay top of mind with your customers and clients.
We can do a lot of items in house, which saves you money on shipping costs. Screenprinting, embroidery, direct-to-film, and direct-to-garment printing is largely done in house. Consult with our team on what items we can print in our facilities and see how much you can save on shipping fees.
Look for Made in the USA items to avoid tariffs. Check out this previous blog post highlighting some of our favorite Made in the USA brands. Even though the individual items might cost a little more, you could wind up saving due to higher tariffs and fees.
Order early to potentially avoid future price increases. We’ve been doing our best to keep our prices steady. And many of our suppliers are absorbing additional fees related to tariffs.
But we aren’t sure what the future holds, so we recommend reaching out as soon as possible with details on your order. That gives us time to source the best items and prices. Although, please note, we might not be able to finalize your price until 30 days out from your order.
We understand economic uncertainty is stressful. We’re a small business too, so we get it. We also know the power of consistent marketing, being visible, and staying top of mind.
Branded apparel and promotional products are a smart marketing investment. They have a long shelf life and get used repeatedly. Let’s work together to find the right items for your business, marketing goals, and budget. We’ll find a solution that allows you to keep up with your marketing no matter what the economy, stock market, or government does. Reach out to our team for a quote or with questions. We are here to help you be brand brilliant.
Check out our website or give us a call at (843) 764-0740 today!
Updated: June 15th, 2026