It must be true, because ad agencies are running Help Wanted ads. So, ad budgets are getting bigger. Tsk tsk. They have been missing out. Actually, for maverick thinkers like you, that should be good news.

When Pundits say, "Times are getting tougher," usually first thing to get axed in business are ad and marketing budgets. This makes nearly no sense. But, to your competition, you should say, "Tighten that belt another couple of notches!"

Because that's when you go for kill.

So-called "tough economic times" should be a boon to your marketing. It's then that your competition will pull back their advertising efforts. And you should increase yours. Your competition is purposely weakening its position. It is perfect time to fortify yours.

Since most others are cutting back on their ad spending, media becomes more negotiable, if not altogether cheaper. Your messaging can become more visible with less clutter.

Your message also needn't be more hard sell in this type of environment. Traditional notion dictates hard sell is way to go. But proper strategy, creatively executed, will nearly always win over a hard sell approach. Creative ads always get noticed, and often garner free publicity.