The business case for marketing balance – Nielsen
The U.S. military flies 70,000 lbs of baby formula to America every month in late May to alleviate the country’s current shortage. It was another troubling development in what has become a national supply-chain crisis that’s still affecting everything from cars to semiconductors to lumber. And that’s a problem for marketers focused on lower-funnel initiatives when products may not be available anytime soon. Should they continue executing conversion-oriented tactics when supply is low, they risk losing trust when consumers realize the brand can’t deliver on what’s been advertised. This issue is likely to end. However, it offers a lesson that’s applicable no matter what the global supply chain looks like: Focusing on long-term brand building is just as important as short-term sales. In difficult economic times it is tempting to double-down on revenue gains immediately. It may not seem intuitive, but now is the right time to invest in top-of-funnel advertising. Just as the E...