The one interesting thing I find about a recession is how it brings the cost of things back down to “normal.” For houses, cars, clothes, dining out . . . just about anything you could name. To put a positive spin on those who have been dinged by it, look at it this way; once the economy starts to recover, the costs of the aforementioned will be staying where they are for awhile.  They have to – you can’t just jump back to pre-recession prices overnight.  In the wake of all this, there are of course permanent changes. Working in advertising, it blew my mind when I heard Pepsi wasn’t going to advertise during the Superbowl this year; they felt their funds would be better spent on social media marketing and community improvement projects.

My first response was “their agency must be jumping off the roof en masse.” However, by re-directing those millions of dollars in to something cheaper and much more worthwhile, they’ve created an even bigger splash and evoked a possible permanent change in the future of advertising. Why should a commercial spot cost millions of dollars when there’s bigger issues for those funds to go to, like donations to local organizations and causes such as health, arts, culture, the environment, and education? It’s just silly. Now that the internet is taking the place of television commercials (and let’s not forget all those shows you can actually watch on-line now, any time you want), do you think this is how our grandparents felt when Video Killed the Radio Star?  Ever think Pepsi may never be part of the Superbowl again – and maybe a few more popular sponsors will follow in their footsteps.

By,

Alyce Mayors-Sminkey

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