We are in the midst of difficult times and we may see worse before the global economy gets better. Against this backdrop, what marketing actions are companies pursuing today? Many large companies will invariably cut their marketing budgets.

Yet many marketers are against cutting marketing budgets and some argue that a better strategy during tough times is to increase them. Unfortunately, in many companies marketing lacks clout and credibility, although there are exceptions. Many business-to-business companies have indicated that they plan to increase their marketing budgets in 2009.