Tag: strategic planning

PSA: Your Competitors are Still Investing in PR & Marketing

Now is Not the Time to Pull Back on Strategy

It’s no surprise that when the economy takes a hit, businesses tighten their belts—and all too often, PR and marketing budgets are the first to go. While cutting these costs might seem like a quick fix for fashion brands looking to save money, it’s a short-sighted move that can weaken brand awareness, shrink market share, and stall the long-term growth that separates long-lasting fashion brands from the rest.

Why PR & Marketing Are Often the First to Go

Before diving into why slashing PR and marketing budgets is a mistake, it’s important to acknowledge why these cuts happen in the first place:

  • Perceived as Non-Essential – When businesses are looking to trim expenses, public relations and marketing are often seen as dispensable rather than critical to survival.
  • Difficulty in Measuring ROI – Unlike direct sales or operational costs, the impact of PR and marketing initiatives can take time to materialize, making them harder to justify during economic strain.
  • Focus on Short-Term Survival – Many companies prioritize immediate financial stability over long-term brand investment, viewing marketing as a luxury rather than a necessity.
  • Lack of Immediate Visibility – The effects of marketing campaigns build over time, so their absence isn’t immediately felt—until it’s too late.

The reasoning seems logical at first glance— public relations and marketing don’t always have the same immediate, tangible impact as operational costs, and their return on investment (ROI) isn’t instantly measurable. However, cutting back on these efforts is a short-sighted move that can severely hinder long-term growth and brand resilience, particularly for newer and independently-owned brands already fighting against major fashion labels.

The Cost of Cutting PR & Marketing

The long-term consequences of pulling back on marketing and public relations investments far outweigh the short-term savings and as always, the proof lies in the data:

  • Loss of Brand Awareness – Consistency is key in marketing. When brands go silent, they become forgettable (even to the most loyal customers), giving competitors the opportunity to dominate the conversation and capture market share.
  • Difficulty in Rebuilding Momentum – Once marketing efforts are halted, it takes time and significantly more investment to regain lost ground and rebuild consumer trust. Remember: it can cost 5 to 25 times more to acquire (or reacquire) a new customer in comparison to retargeting an existing, engaged customer.
  • Long-Term Revenue Impact – A study by Harvard Business Review found that 80% of companies that cut marketing costs during a recession had not regained pre-recession sales and profits even three years after the downturn. Brands that cut fastest and deepest had the lowest probability (21%) of surpassing competitors when the economy improved.
  • Competitive Disadvantage – Your competitors are still marketing. A survey by Harris Interactive/Yankelovich found that 86% of consumers remember brands that continue advertising during downturns and feel more positively about their commitment to their products and services.

A Smarter Approach: Optimize, Don’t Eliminate

Instead of pulling back entirely, economically uncertain times are when fashion brands need to pivot their strategy to ensure their public relations and marketing spends are as effective as possible. Here’s how:

  • Refine Messaging – Adapt public relations and marketing efforts to reflect current economic conditions. Avoid aggressive sales tactics and instead focus on value-driven messaging that resonates with consumer needs.
  • Emphasize High-ROI Strategies – Investing in conversion-driven digital marketing strategies, high-conversion email campaigns, and commission-incentivized influencer partnerships that deliver measurable returns will allow brands to see a more direct, ROI from their digital marketing strategies to support brand cashflow while also creating buzz through digital campaigns.
  • Take a Metrics-Driven Approach – By prioritizing metrics-driven campaigns in both public relations and digital marketing, and being mindful of what is and isn’t providing a meaningful ROI (whether that is measure in sales, clicks, traffic, or other metrics depending on the campaign), brands can more thoughtfully determine what is and isn’t worth continuing to invest in when it’s time to make difficult decisions and scale back.
  • Leverage Cost-Effective Tactics – Organic social media, affiliate marketing, and targeted content strategies can maintain visibility without significant ad spend. Also, by working with partners that understand how to provide a meaningful ROI on a conservative budget, brands are able to continue growing without overstretching their resources.
  • Prioritize Customer Loyalty – Reward existing customers with exclusive offers, personalized engagement, and loyalty programs to keep them engaged. Your best asset as a brand is the customers that are already loyal to your brand. Engage them thoughtfully and let them help build the brand they love.
  • Focus on Brand Trust – Thoughtful public relations efforts, such as earned media placements and timely storytelling that feels relevant to the moment, reinforce credibility and brand integrity. They also allow brands to more authentically connect with their existing audience and reach out to potential new customers.

The Right PR & Marketing Partner Makes the Difference

Businesses that maintain or increase marketing efforts during economic downturns don’t just survive—they thrive. By continuing to invest in strategic PR and marketing, brands position themselves for long-term growth while competitors that cut back struggle to regain momentum.

At Pink Sheep Publicity, we specialize in crafting recession-resilient strategies that help brands maintain relevance, drive consumer trust, and optimize marketing investment for maximum impact. Tough economic times require smarter strategies.

Let’s future-proof your brand together. Reach out to Pink Sheep Publicity and let’s talk strategy.

Staying Focused Amid the Chaos

How Independent Fashion Brands Can Thrive in 2025

Between shifting consumer expectations, economic fluctuations, and the unrelenting expansion of fast fashion and drop-shippers with disturbingly low price points, independent, ethical, and sustainable fashion brands are navigating an increasingly complex landscape. While it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or be tempted to pivot at every turn, the brands that will succeed aren’t necessarily the ones that react the fastest or most frequently—they’re the ones that stay focused on their core mission and execute with clarity and purpose while remaining adaptable to the changing consumer climate.

The Challenge: Information Overload & Constant Disruption

We live in an age of endless noise, constant competition, and growing public distrust. Social media algorithms shift overnight, new trends emerge at lightning speed, and global events can shake the industry in unexpected and uncontrollable ways. For independent, ethical and sustainable fashion brands, the challenge isn’t just keeping up—it’s deciding what actually matters and what’s distraction.

Staying reactive to every shift can lead to brand dilution, wasted resources, a lack of direction, and burnout by a brand’s team. It can also lead to an overwhelmed customer losing sight of what the brand actually is and does. Instead of chasing every trend or opportunity, the best brands establish a clear strategy and make intentional decisions that align with their long-term goals.

The Importance of Staying Focused

Focus doesn’t mean resisting change—it means being strategic about which changes are worth adapting to. Pink Sheep Publicity helps independent, sustainable, and ethical fashion brands build strategically every day and for the first time, we’re sharing how brands like those we build can cut through the noise and remain on track:

  1. Define Your Core Values & Stay Rooted in Them: Your brand’s mission and core values should act as a guiding compass for decision-making. Whether your focus is sustainability, ethical production, or timeless design (or a mix), ensure that every move you make reinforces your brand’s mission and helps your brand move forward while staying true to its purpose. Consumers today are looking for brands they can trust, and consistency in messaging and action builds that trust over time. [for more on this, feel free to check out our recent post on the importance of authenticity in branding].
  2. Create a Strategic Measured Growth Plan: Rapid expansion can be tempting, but not all growth is sustainable, profitable or prudent. Instead of spreading yourself or your brand too thin, identify the key areas that will drive meaningful progress. Whether it’s refining your product line, expanding into a new market, or improving your supply chain, targeted growth will always be more effective than scattered efforts.
  3. Use Data in Your Decision Making: Guesswork is not going to cut it in today’s competitive landscape (and neither will leading by ego). Leveraging insights from your own brand’s collected data as well as industry sales trends and reports and customer feedback to refine your approach is the only way. Understanding what resonates with your audience will help you allocate resources efficiently and avoid unnecessary risks.
  4. Filter Out the Noise & Focus on What’s Relevant: Not every trend or marketing strategy will align with your brand. Just because a competitor is jumping on a viral moment or you’re seeing “it” everywhere, doesn’t mean you need to the “it” too. Assess whether an opportunity aligns with your brand identity and can be implemented in a way that MAKES SENSE TO YOUR BRAND. Don’t get so bogged down in jumping on every trend that you lose sight of your main goal (aka long-term success and investing your time and resources meaningfully to move your brand forward).
  5. Build a Resilient Community: One of the biggest advantages independent brands have is their ability to foster genuine relationships with their customers. Engage with your audience meaningfully—through social media, email marketing, or personalized experiences. A strong, engaged community will support your brand through industry fluctuations and economic uncertainty.
  6. Prioritize Financial Discipline: In unpredictable economic times, financial stability and thoughtful budgeting is key. Be strategic about your investments, focus on high-ROI marketing efforts, avoid overextending on inventory, and take the time to review your costing and pricing strategies. Brands that maintain financial discipline and learn how to operate within a responsible budget can better weather downturns while positioning themselves for sustainable growth.

The Power of Strategic Focus

Independent fashion brands are often at a disadvantage compared to large corporations with massive marketing budgets. But what smaller brands lack in scale, they make up for with agility, creativity, and the ability to forge deeper connections with customers.

By staying focused on their vision and making intentional, well-researched decisions, independent brands can navigate uncertainty without losing their identity. Success in 2025 isn’t about reacting to every shift in the market—it’s about staying the course, refining strategies, and building a brand that stands the test of time.

At Pink Sheep Publicity, we work with independent, ethical, and sustainable fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands to develop strategic, future-focused approaches that cut through the chaos and drive sustainable growth on a competitively conservative budget. The fashion industry will always be a bit unpredictable, but with clarity and commitment (and the right growth partner), independent brands can carve out a space that’s uniquely their own.