The current economic downturn will direct the trends of the marketing world in 2009. People want value rather than luxury. (www.globalchange.com) People will purchase products that last longer, that are well made and cost effective. While more and more people are shopping online, online marketing will too have to focus its advertising energy to meet the needs of potential customers.

Word of Mouth is the most powerful form of advertising as consumers trust the opinion of a friend or stranger rather than official advertising. So with that in mind, innovative marketers should be promoting and channeling the positive feedback they receive about their brand online.

In the Pillars of Business Success, Tony Gattari tells the story of a young man, Matt, who took over the family business. Matt followed his father’s method for running the business and could not understand why in 3 years it was coming to a halt. Instead of finding new ways to fix the new problems that were arising, Matt blamed everything that was outside of his control. A few weeks later, Matt placed an advertisement in the local paper, which returned some business. However, he soon gave up. Tony Gattari resembles this to an archer. If an archer only shot one arrow, how can he expect to win the tournament?

In comparison, Gerry Harvey, Managing Director of Harvey Norman was a marketing genius. He said, “When times are tough, market your way out of it.”

Tony Gattari says, “During the tough times a lot of businesses wind back spending, or stop marketing altogether. Gerry Harvey introduced the 24 months interest free, and advertisements were found in many different mediums. This made Harvey Norman one of the largest retailers in Australia because they never gave up.”

2009 will bring smaller marketing budgets and companies will begin to reach their target audience in more cost effective ways. More direct marketing, where the sales benefits are easy to see, will be more popular marketing trends.

The average Australian now spends 13.7 hours a week online as opposed to 13.3 hours watching television (AC Nielson March 08)

By investing in a website for your company, which allows your customers to provide feedback is a great step for any business that wants to keep abreast of the new marketing trends for 2009.