Out with the fear and in with the chocolate pigeons

Let's keep it topical - everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, is talking about the looming (current?) recession. Marketers in particular are currently fixated on how to avoid the fiery chasm of brand death.

Do any of these quotes sound familiar?

"When it rains, the fish come out."

"A recession is the cheapest time to gain market share."

"The Chinese word for 'crisis' is composed of two characters, one means 'danger' the other means 'opportunity'."

Despite the apparent misconception surrounding the last quote, the Advertising Age has revealed that maybe the true danger of a recession is not seizing the opportunity. They are currently running a series on thriving in a recession and according to this article, research has shown that brands that cut ad spend in tough economic times inevitably lost share to private labels - even in the supposedly recession-proof categories such as household and personal care.

The advice from Professor Jan-Benedict E.M. Steenkamp? Be brave, spend big on advertising and you will reap the rewards.

On a more chocolatey note, the Outdoor Media Association is calling for entries for the new Outdoor Awards by sending out chocolate pigeons to potential entrants. This follows a roadtrip style drive across Australia promoting the awards and the development of a billboard made up of $10,000 worth of scratchies - which will go to the winner of the awards.

Shopaholic is looking forward to seeing some of the best Out-of-Home creative Australian agencies have to offer and although the awards are tailored towards large format outdoor media, lets hope that Retail OOH formats and not just billboards get a look in (we can always hope!). After all, creativity is just as important in the retail space as it is across any other formats.