Pump up the ads to get out of a slump

What was the point of Sean Brierley’s piece on advertising in a recession (MW December 6)?

If it was to point out the inadequacy of advertising on its own to pull inadequate brands through a recession, then I agree wholeheartedly.

Advertising is one tool to help brands compete – it is not a panacea. Advertising is not a commodity – the quality of advertising has an obvious impact on the success of a brand. Who believes otherwise?

If Sean is suggesting that there is no proven link between the success of advertising and the performance of brands – in a recession or otherwise – then he is simply wrong.

Asserting that “there is no reliable, objective and generally acceptable technique for measuring advertising effectiveness” does not disprove the utility of advertising as a marketing tool, it merely asserts that we have not yet produced a rigorous enough form of analysis to prove and explain how it works.

Most of us believe the inadequate measures we have provide enough evidence to make sensible decisions about spending money on advertising.

What makes advertising in a recession potentially more effective for a brand? When competitors cut spending and you don’t, you have a higher share of consumer attention. That is why strong brands can achieve market share growth in a recession.

Richard Block

Global planning director

J Walter Thompson

London W1