April 8, 2025 • 9 mins
Elizabeth Sutherland, Dan Cashman, and Shelley Sund of Sutherland Weston Marketing Communications tackle the economic uncertainty many business owners face today. Drawing on lessons from past experiences, they offer grounded, strategic advice on recalibrating marketing efforts without retreating—focusing on customer retention, message relevance, and brand empathy. With real-world examples like Ford’s COVID-era messaging pivot, the team illustrates how to stay visible and smart, not silent and scared. They also invite listeners to a free Lunch & Learn on April 15th to explore tailored strategies for marketing during economic turbulence.
Takeaways:
[00:01:00] “How you show up now shapes what happens next.” — Shelley Sund reminds listeners that business presence during uncertainty sets the stage for future success.
[00:02:30] “Marketing is not a light switch you turn off—it’s a dimmer.” — Dan Cashman emphasizes the need for strategic scaling, not shutdowns, during downturns.
[00:03:15] “Retention is cheaper than acquisition.” — Shelley suggests investing in loyalty programs and personal outreach to strengthen current customer relationships.
[00:05:45] “They didn’t act like nothing was happening.” — Dan highlights how Ford’s early COVID messaging pivot balanced empathy with brand consistency.
[00:08:10] “Now is the time to develop your plan, not the plan.” Elizabeth urges businesses to avoid one-size-fits-all solutions and tailor strategies to their needs instead.
You'll Learn:
Marketing During Economic Uncertainty – How to remain visible and valuable without overextending.
Customer Retention Strategies – Practical ways to double down on your existing relationships.
Message Relevance and Emotional Intelligence – Adjusting tone and messaging to reflect the moment.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
So now is the time to make sure yourmarketing efforts, your business goals,
(00:04):
are right sized and right for you.
This is the briefcase from SutherlandWestern Marketing Communications.
Quick conversations from everydayobservations, delivering practical
marketing ideas you can carry with you.
Hi, I am Elizabeth Sutherland,president and CEO at Sutherland, Westin.
(00:25):
I am Dan Cashman, director ofPublic Relations at Sutherland.
Westin.
Shelly Sun, vice President, directorof Client Relations at Sutherland.
Westin.
If we've heard anything from businesses,they say they can do what they do if
they have certainty, but right now.
There's not a lot of certaintyEl Alyssa about that.
I know, right?
It's kind of scary.
And we're in a moment where a lot ofbusiness owners are asking, what should
(00:47):
I be doing right now for my business?
What should I be doing with my marketing?
Should I hire, should I not?
It's a scary moment in time.
Dan, if there's one thing they shouldknow is that they are not alone.
That's true.
Everybody's in this together, and if youare one of those people, and I suspect you
are, if you're feeling stuck, uncertain,or like you need to wait it out, there's
a lot of good information forthcoming.
Shelly, I remember five years ago,COVID had some of us feeling this way.
(01:10):
We've seen this before.
2008, COVID, post Covid I, andone truth remains how you show
up now shapes what happens next.
So true, Shelly.
So true.
Let's talk about what people shoulddo and what people shouldn't do.
And Elizabeth, I knowthat you're gonna tell us.
The first thing not to do is panic, right?
You don't wanna panic, butyou do wanna get practical.
(01:31):
Right?
Now is the time to be level-headedbecause this kind of economic turbulence.
Doesn't mean retreat.
It doesn't mean retrenching.
It means it's time to recalibrate.
Now, at the same time, you can't stopwhat you're doing in the way of reaching
out to customers and clients, Dan.
Now there is countless examplesof businesses who stayed afloat
(01:52):
because they continued marketing it.
It might have looked a little bitdifferently, but they kept going.
Not just afloat, but they thrived, right?
They did thrive.
Post serial is a good example during,uh, recession, uh, many years ago.
Marketing.
It's not a light switch thatyou turn off, it's a dimmer.
I like that I could, I could gosilent, Shelly, but if I go silent
and my competition doesn't go silent.
So staying silent gives competitor space.
(02:14):
Staying strategic helps you stay strong.
Hmm, nice line.
So the businesses that focus, thoseare the ones that are going to win.
Elizabeth?
Yeah.
If you simplify, perhaps invest wisely.
Choose carefully.
Those are the businesses that cansurvive an uncertain future or a
turbulent time without a ton of risk.
(02:34):
As Washington tries to level settrade expectations, let's talk about
being level headed and what we aresupposed to do with our businesses
and how we can help businesses.
Stan, I'm gonna start with you.
I've heard it a million timeswith regards to construction.
Measure twice, cut once, andI think that can apply here.
Great.
Don't cut blindly.
Cut.
Smart.
Shelly, I know we already have customers,and if we can keep and keep serving the
(02:58):
ones we have, that might go a long way.
So double down on thecustomers you already have.
Retention is cheaper than acquisition.
Send the email, make thecall and show you care.
Really?
Mm-hmm.
Just to add onto that, new customersaren't always as important as keeping
the current customers that you have.
If you're worried about a.Uncertain economy or a turbulent
(03:19):
future, at least in the short term.
Then maybe this spring and summer, it'stime to create that loyalty program
that's been sitting in your back burner.
You know, if you have a $15,000radio budget, it might make a
lot of sense to spend that ifyou're doing customer acquisition.
But if you're looking to retain thecurrent customers that you have, maybe you
cut that budget in half and use half ofthat budget to create a loyalty program
(03:43):
with some strategic rewards that investin the customers that you already have.
Dan, we've talked a lot aboutbeing helpful to clients.
And helping them through a time like this.
This is a chance to shine.
We mentioned, uh, years past when we've,we've seen this type of thing before
and we have seen, uh, businesses andorganizations not just be visible, but
to put some real thought and effort intobeing helpful With that visibility, we're
(04:05):
entering that time where that is doublyimportant to double down on that effort.
Now, I think I'm gonna go back tosomething Elizabeth said just a moment
ago in the example of the radio budget,if it's going to be trimmed, if we're
gonna be talking loyalty, I think Shelly,we need to make sure we're saying.
The right things to our customers.
Yes.
We need same things to our clients.
Yes.
We need to audit yourmessage for the moment.
(04:26):
Really?
Yep, yep.
Is what you're saying still relevant?
If you're feeling anxiousabout the economy, you can
bet your customers are too.
It's okay to address theelephant in the room.
Just don't be chicken little andinsist that the sky is falling.
For example, Ford's builtto lend a hand campaign.
Oh yeah.
That was a great one.
I think it was like March 20.
20 maybe.
Yeah.
Remind me of that.
(04:46):
What happened in that campaign?
So you remember for years theFord slogan has been built.
Ford tough.
Mm-hmm.
Tough guy.
Like the way you puton the big voice there.
Thank you.
The swagger and the RA built Ford tough.
Oh.
You're much better at it though.
Wow.
Brian.
I know.
But they pivoted.
They changed.
They did.
They pivoted in Covid really early on.
(05:07):
They were one of the first nationalbrands to sort of be able to
be nimble and to leverage theirrelationship and their brand.
They certainly did something right.
They didn't shy away fromthat elephant in the room.
Mm-hmm.
They tackled the head on,they, they opened the ad by
acknowledging the uncertainty.
Right.
Now the days seem to blend together.
Oh, and didn't they March of 2020.
(05:27):
Oh, March of 2020.
Right.
I think it was all one dayin my, yeah, it probably was.
They emphasized action, not anxiety.
They took the anxiety out of the message.
They highlighted paymentrelief programs and support for
customers in financial trouble.
And then they tapped into that brandheritage without being tone deaf.
Yeah.
They built on the brand thateverybody knew and loved before
March of 2020 regarding Ford.
They didn't act like nothing washappening, but they connected that
(05:50):
brand DNA to the moment's emotional andfinancial needs that we were experiencing.
Mm-hmm.
And so their new brand message,instead of Built for Tough was.
Built to lend a hand.
Mm-hmm.
It's still got at that reliabilityand that strength, but in
a slightly different way.
It was an incredible pivot.
In times like this, someone says,well, we need to do something.
Mm-hmm.
(06:10):
Here is a situation whereFord did something I.
Right.
And they did it without pretendingto be like a public health expert.
Right.
They didn't make themselves the experts onCovid VID or Corona as we were calling it.
Mm-hmm.
In March of 2020.
And they didn't necessarily push a panicnarrative either, but what they did
do was they acknowledged that for themoment it was a little bit wonky and
(06:30):
that empathy was the name of the game.
And they repositionedthemselves in a way that.
Felt human and genuine and authentic,and I don't know if they led the way,
but it certainly feels like they did.
Mm-hmm.
They leaned into doing this.
Mm-hmm.
They did it in a way thatwas front and center.
They did it quick, but theyclearly thought about it.
And as we are looking back onthat, five years later, this
(06:51):
is the top of mind campaign.
Yep.
Yeah.
That sticks out at us.
Yeah.
And it was a great lessonfor the client too.
I mean, sometimes the strongestthing your brain can do is just
pause the pitch and offer a hand.
Right.
And you don't need anational crisis to do it.
Just a little emotional intelligence.
If I'm a business owner and I makewidgets, I'm gonna be looking at
the competition, those that alsomake widgets, and I'm gonna see
(07:15):
what they're doing and I'm gonnaprobably think I should be doing that.
Mm-hmm.
I'm gonna jump on whatever their plan is.
Right.
Good idea, bad idea.
Kind of a, so.
This is a twofold kind ofanswer for me and Rick.
I know you're gonna be surprisedthat I say this because I often
say that sometimes your bestresearch is looking at the brands
around you and what they're doing.
Mm-hmm.
But at this particular moment, I thinkwhat's really important for companies
(07:38):
to understand and for the leaders whorun those companies to sort of recognize
and internalize is that now is the time.
To develop your plan, not the plan.
So now is the time to make sure yourmarketing efforts, your business goals,
are right sized and right for you.
Now, we're just scratchingthe surface on this.
There's a whole lot more to explore.
(07:59):
There's a lot to explain.
There's a lot to experience.
If that's you, if you're nodding yourhead right now and thinking this.
This is me, then you're in luck.
Uh, next Tuesday, April 15th, wehave a free online lunch and learn
to talk about these very issues.
It's at lunchtime, but there's notnecessarily lunch provided, right?
B-B-Y-O-L-Y-L.
We're not sending you lunch.
And it's at noon, right?
(08:19):
It's at noon.
Okay.
We're calling it 10 Marketing Tipsfor Navigating Turbulent Economies.
We are going to offer some quick tipsthat can help just about any business.
And then we're gonna open it up for aquestion and answer period, so folks
can get their specific questions asked.
We're gonna have our team ofsenior advisors there, and we'll
(08:39):
be able to provide some insightand maybe some worksheets, some
things that can be helpful, okay.
Between now and Tuesday, April15th at noontime for this lunch
and learn again, 10 marketing tipsfor navigating turbulent economies.
Dan, what should we do?
One of my favorite expressionsis, you don't need to be right.
Just be smart.
And in this case, adapting thatyou don't need to be perfect.
(09:02):
Just stay present, stay smart,and keep moving forward.
Yeah, and I want people to know thatwe're really, we're here to help and
we would love to have folks join usat the lunch and learn on Tuesday,
April 15th at noon, so that we can helpnavigate what is, uh, fairly uncertain
and definitely turbulent period.
As.
Seamlessly as possible.
Where does someone go to sign up?
(09:23):
You can sign up rightnow@sutherlandwein.com.
You have been listening tothe Briefcase from Sutherland.
Wein Marketing Communications.
Got a question for theSutherland Wein team.
Email us@sutherlandwein.com.
So now is the time to make sure yourmarketing efforts, your business goals,
(00:04):
are right sized and right for you.
This is the briefcase from SutherlandWestern Marketing Communications.
Quick conversations from everydayobservations, delivering practical
marketing ideas you can carry with you.
Hi, I am Elizabeth Sutherland,president and CEO at Sutherland, Westin.
(00:25):
I am Dan Cashman, director ofPublic Relations at Sutherland.
Westin.
Shelly Sun, vice President, directorof Client Relations at Sutherland.
Westin.
If we've heard anything from businesses,they say they can do what they do if
they have certainty, but right now.
There's not a lot of certaintyEl Alyssa about that.
I know, right?
It's kind of scary.
And we're in a moment where a lot ofbusiness owners are asking, what should
(00:47):
I be doing right now for my business?
What should I be doing with my marketing?
Should I hire, should I not?
It's a scary moment in time.
Dan, if there's one thing they shouldknow is that they are not alone.
That's true.
Everybody's in this together, and if youare one of those people, and I suspect you
are, if you're feeling stuck, uncertain,or like you need to wait it out, there's
a lot of good information forthcoming.
Shelly, I remember five years ago,COVID had some of us feeling this way.
(01:10):
We've seen this before.
2008, COVID, post Covid I, andone truth remains how you show
up now shapes what happens next.
So true, Shelly.
So true.
Let's talk about what people shoulddo and what people shouldn't do.
And Elizabeth, I knowthat you're gonna tell us.
The first thing not to do is panic, right?
You don't wanna panic, butyou do wanna get practical.
(01:31):
Right?
Now is the time to be level-headedbecause this kind of economic turbulence.
Doesn't mean retreat.
It doesn't mean retrenching.
It means it's time to recalibrate.
Now, at the same time, you can't stopwhat you're doing in the way of reaching
out to customers and clients, Dan.
Now there is countless examplesof businesses who stayed afloat
(01:52):
because they continued marketing it.
It might have looked a little bitdifferently, but they kept going.
Not just afloat, but they thrived, right?
They did thrive.
Post serial is a good example during,uh, recession, uh, many years ago.
Marketing.
It's not a light switch thatyou turn off, it's a dimmer.
I like that I could, I could gosilent, Shelly, but if I go silent
and my competition doesn't go silent.
So staying silent gives competitor space.
(02:14):
Staying strategic helps you stay strong.
Hmm, nice line.
So the businesses that focus, thoseare the ones that are going to win.
Elizabeth?
Yeah.
If you simplify, perhaps invest wisely.
Choose carefully.
Those are the businesses that cansurvive an uncertain future or a
turbulent time without a ton of risk.
(02:34):
As Washington tries to level settrade expectations, let's talk about
being level headed and what we aresupposed to do with our businesses
and how we can help businesses.
Stan, I'm gonna start with you.
I've heard it a million timeswith regards to construction.
Measure twice, cut once, andI think that can apply here.
Great.
Don't cut blindly.
Cut.
Smart.
Shelly, I know we already have customers,and if we can keep and keep serving the
(02:58):
ones we have, that might go a long way.
So double down on thecustomers you already have.
Retention is cheaper than acquisition.
Send the email, make thecall and show you care.
Really?
Mm-hmm.
Just to add onto that, new customersaren't always as important as keeping
the current customers that you have.
If you're worried about a.Uncertain economy or a turbulent
(03:19):
future, at least in the short term.
Then maybe this spring and summer, it'stime to create that loyalty program
that's been sitting in your back burner.
You know, if you have a $15,000radio budget, it might make a
lot of sense to spend that ifyou're doing customer acquisition.
But if you're looking to retain thecurrent customers that you have, maybe you
cut that budget in half and use half ofthat budget to create a loyalty program
(03:43):
with some strategic rewards that investin the customers that you already have.
Dan, we've talked a lot aboutbeing helpful to clients.
And helping them through a time like this.
This is a chance to shine.
We mentioned, uh, years past when we've,we've seen this type of thing before
and we have seen, uh, businesses andorganizations not just be visible, but
to put some real thought and effort intobeing helpful With that visibility, we're
(04:05):
entering that time where that is doublyimportant to double down on that effort.
Now, I think I'm gonna go back tosomething Elizabeth said just a moment
ago in the example of the radio budget,if it's going to be trimmed, if we're
gonna be talking loyalty, I think Shelly,we need to make sure we're saying.
The right things to our customers.
Yes.
We need same things to our clients.
Yes.
We need to audit yourmessage for the moment.
(04:26):
Really?
Yep, yep.
Is what you're saying still relevant?
If you're feeling anxiousabout the economy, you can
bet your customers are too.
It's okay to address theelephant in the room.
Just don't be chicken little andinsist that the sky is falling.
For example, Ford's builtto lend a hand campaign.
Oh yeah.
That was a great one.
I think it was like March 20.
20 maybe.
Yeah.
Remind me of that.
(04:46):
What happened in that campaign?
So you remember for years theFord slogan has been built.
Ford tough.
Mm-hmm.
Tough guy.
Like the way you puton the big voice there.
Thank you.
The swagger and the RA built Ford tough.
Oh.
You're much better at it though.
Wow.
Brian.
I know.
But they pivoted.
They changed.
They did.
They pivoted in Covid really early on.
(05:07):
They were one of the first nationalbrands to sort of be able to
be nimble and to leverage theirrelationship and their brand.
They certainly did something right.
They didn't shy away fromthat elephant in the room.
Mm-hmm.
They tackled the head on,they, they opened the ad by
acknowledging the uncertainty.
Right.
Now the days seem to blend together.
Oh, and didn't they March of 2020.
(05:27):
Oh, March of 2020.
Right.
I think it was all one dayin my, yeah, it probably was.
They emphasized action, not anxiety.
They took the anxiety out of the message.
They highlighted paymentrelief programs and support for
customers in financial trouble.
And then they tapped into that brandheritage without being tone deaf.
Yeah.
They built on the brand thateverybody knew and loved before
March of 2020 regarding Ford.
They didn't act like nothing washappening, but they connected that
(05:50):
brand DNA to the moment's emotional andfinancial needs that we were experiencing.
Mm-hmm.
And so their new brand message,instead of Built for Tough was.
Built to lend a hand.
Mm-hmm.
It's still got at that reliabilityand that strength, but in
a slightly different way.
It was an incredible pivot.
In times like this, someone says,well, we need to do something.
Mm-hmm.
(06:10):
Here is a situation whereFord did something I.
Right.
And they did it without pretendingto be like a public health expert.
Right.
They didn't make themselves the experts onCovid VID or Corona as we were calling it.
Mm-hmm.
In March of 2020.
And they didn't necessarily push a panicnarrative either, but what they did
do was they acknowledged that for themoment it was a little bit wonky and
(06:30):
that empathy was the name of the game.
And they repositionedthemselves in a way that.
Felt human and genuine and authentic,and I don't know if they led the way,
but it certainly feels like they did.
Mm-hmm.
They leaned into doing this.
Mm-hmm.
They did it in a way thatwas front and center.
They did it quick, but theyclearly thought about it.
And as we are looking back onthat, five years later, this
(06:51):
is the top of mind campaign.
Yep.
Yeah.
That sticks out at us.
Yeah.
And it was a great lessonfor the client too.
I mean, sometimes the strongestthing your brain can do is just
pause the pitch and offer a hand.
Right.
And you don't need anational crisis to do it.
Just a little emotional intelligence.
If I'm a business owner and I makewidgets, I'm gonna be looking at
the competition, those that alsomake widgets, and I'm gonna see
(07:15):
what they're doing and I'm gonnaprobably think I should be doing that.
Mm-hmm.
I'm gonna jump on whatever their plan is.
Right.
Good idea, bad idea.
Kind of a, so.
This is a twofold kind ofanswer for me and Rick.
I know you're gonna be surprisedthat I say this because I often
say that sometimes your bestresearch is looking at the brands
around you and what they're doing.
Mm-hmm.
But at this particular moment, I thinkwhat's really important for companies
(07:38):
to understand and for the leaders whorun those companies to sort of recognize
and internalize is that now is the time.
To develop your plan, not the plan.
So now is the time to make sure yourmarketing efforts, your business goals,
are right sized and right for you.
Now, we're just scratchingthe surface on this.
There's a whole lot more to explore.
(07:59):
There's a lot to explain.
There's a lot to experience.
If that's you, if you're nodding yourhead right now and thinking this.
This is me, then you're in luck.
Uh, next Tuesday, April 15th, wehave a free online lunch and learn
to talk about these very issues.
It's at lunchtime, but there's notnecessarily lunch provided, right?
B-B-Y-O-L-Y-L.
We're not sending you lunch.
And it's at noon, right?
(08:19):
It's at noon.
Okay.
We're calling it 10 Marketing Tipsfor Navigating Turbulent Economies.
We are going to offer some quick tipsthat can help just about any business.
And then we're gonna open it up for aquestion and answer period, so folks
can get their specific questions asked.
We're gonna have our team ofsenior advisors there, and we'll
(08:39):
be able to provide some insightand maybe some worksheets, some
things that can be helpful, okay.
Between now and Tuesday, April15th at noontime for this lunch
and learn again, 10 marketing tipsfor navigating turbulent economies.
Dan, what should we do?
One of my favorite expressionsis, you don't need to be right.
Just be smart.
And in this case, adapting thatyou don't need to be perfect.
(09:02):
Just stay present, stay smart,and keep moving forward.
Yeah, and I want people to know thatwe're really, we're here to help and
we would love to have folks join usat the lunch and learn on Tuesday,
April 15th at noon, so that we can helpnavigate what is, uh, fairly uncertain
and definitely turbulent period.
As.
Seamlessly as possible.
Where does someone go to sign up?
(09:23):
You can sign up rightnow@sutherlandwein.com.
You have been listening tothe Briefcase from Sutherland.
Wein Marketing Communications.
Got a question for theSutherland Wein team.
Email us@sutherlandwein.com.
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